Sheila Jasanoff in Designs on Nature: Science and Democracy in Europe and The United States argues that societies once based on industry are now increasingly based on knowledge. In other words, the wealth of nations no longer rests on the exploitation of natural resources or production capabilities. Rather, it rests on knowledge---specifically scientific knowledge and technical expertise. In knowledge-based societies, she argues, knowledgeable individuals constitute possibly the most important form of capital---and government policies increasingly reflect this development. As policies change, so too does the distribution of resources and the economic and political roles of science and industry.

Biotechnology is one example of scientific knowledge and technical expertise--technoscience.