Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer to this item should be based on the passage only.

RNA interference (RNAi) technology differs from traditional genetic modification. RNAi typically involves triggering a plant's own existing defence machinery to silence a specific harmful gene, whether from a pest or a pathogen, without introducing any new gene into the plant's genome. This process mimics a natural antiviral response that already occurs in many plants when under attack, and it is now possible to trigger this silencing deliberately and with much greater precision in the laboratory.

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. RNAi technology does not require introducing any new gene from another organism into the plant.

2. Through RNAi, the silencing of harmful genes can be triggered in a manner similar to the natural process plants already use to defend themselves.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?