Remaking Eden [Paperback]

Lee M. Silver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0380792435 | ISBN-13: 978-0380792436 | Edition: 1

In this brilliant, provocative, and necessary book, Lee M. Silver takes a cautiously optimistic look at the scientific advances that will allow us to engineer life in ways that were unimaginable just a few short years ago--indeed, in ways that go far beyond cloning. Could a child have two genetic mothers? Will parents someday soon be able to choose not only the physical characteristics of their children-to-be, but their personalities and talents as well? Will genetic enhancement ultimately lead to the dominance of a "genetic elite?" In clear, engaging, and accessible prose, Silver demystifies the science behind these and other thrinlling and frightening new possibilities, in a book that is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the hopes and dilemmas of the American family in the twenty-first century.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lee M. Silver is professor of molecular biology and public affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton Uni-versity, and author of Challenging Nature. He holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard University, and he lives with his family in New Jersey and New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1 edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380792435
• ISBN-13: 978-0380792436
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,306,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author of Remaking Eden, Challenging Nature, Mouse Genetics, and Genetics: from genes to genomes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Educational - Big on concepts, little on factoids, July 26, 2001

By 

Justin Curry - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Remaking Eden (Paperback)

I purchased this book expecting an opinionated book on biotechnology, not sure what stance the author took. Quickly I realized he took the stance of a respectable scientist.What truly made this book great was that he educated people. Usually education will take away the majority of controversy on any subject. Silver clearly demystifies genetic engineering and shows how future situations will become an everyday part of our lives. Topics ranging from how the controversy of abortion is affected by the fact that 75 percent of all fertilized eggs will never be born, to how sensations of pain and thought don't occur because formation on the majority of synapses don't occur until the 25th week. His thorough explanations of how even a clone will be no different then any other person with its own thoughts and opinions, raised in a kind and loving family. Silver clears up misconceptions in science and society. His hypothetical situations gives this science book more pizazz and an insight into the future.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly informative and imaginative, but somewhat biased, January 1, 2000

By 

Juliet A. Grabowski (Somerville, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Remaking Eden (Paperback)

I found this book to be highly original and very informative. In this book, Lee M. Silver recounts the history (both scientific and social) of reproductive technologies, relating specific cases, speculations, and ramifications. He goes beyond to explain possible technologies that are not yet available, and why these might be important. Such real and imagined technologies include having more than two parents, cloning, and genetic engineering. He goes on to show how a child might have three mothers (genetic, birth, and social) and two fathers (genetic and social), how a child could have more than one genetic mother, how and why someone might want to clone themselves, how genetic engineering might impact future generations or our species as a whole, and other possibilities.

My only qualm with the book was that it seemed somewhat biased in certain respects. He goes on giving scenarios that might occur in which a certain reproductive technology is of some aid. However, I do not think he goes in as much depth when it comes to scenarios in which these technologies will be of great harm.

Overall, I would recommend this book. The author has a lot of interesting and innovating things to say, and one does not need more previous knowledge of biology than is offered in a high school bio course.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant in every way, April 14, 2003

By 

Dr. Lee D. Carlson (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Remaking Eden (Paperback)

With the announcement today of the completion of mapping of the human genome, this book takes on particular importance. The book was published in 1997, and as further evidence of the technological hyperdrive of the 21st century and the incredible advances in sequencing technology since 1997, the author predicts on page 244 that the Human Genome Project would take 23 more years, and be completed by 2020!

The book is excellent, for the author gives brilliant arguments both supporting genetic technologies and countering many that don't. In addition, the author discusses possibilities in reproductive technologies that may be unknown to a reader, like myself, who is not an expert in embryology. For example, he discusses the occurrence (although rare) of natural-born chimeric human beings, who arose from the fusion of two embryos that resulted from the fertilization of two eggs that had been ovulated simultaneously by their mother. Another example discussed is the possibility of a fertilized egg winding up in the peritoneal cavity (in the abdomen essentially). This example was discussed in the context of whether indeed a man could carry a pregnancy.

Some of the other interesting arguments and discussions in the book include: 1. When addressing the assertion that it is unfair for only the wealthy to take advantage of genetic technologies for enhancing their progeny, the author agrees that it is, but he then states correctly that a society that accepts the right of wealthy parents to provide their children with a top-notch private education cannot use "unfairness" as a reason for denying the use of genetic technologies. 2. His discussion of the status of the embryo as human life, which he argues, brilliantly, is not. "If a human life can begin in the absence of conception" he says, "then it is scientifically invalid to say that conception must mark the beginning of each human life. It is as simple as that". 3. The discussion of the history of in vitro fertilization, the ethical issues surrounding it, and the technologies needed to bring it about. The author regards IVF as a pivotal point in history, in which humans took charge of their reproductive destiny. 4. The discussion of cloning, elaborating naturally on the cloning of Dolly the sheep. He states that the cloning of Dolly "broke the technological barrier" and that there is "no reason to expect that the technology couldn't be transferred to human cells." Recent experiments in the last few months however have cast doubt on the ability to do cloning of primates, and so human cloning could therefore be problematic. The author though counters very successfully the arguments against the practice of human cloning.

The author has a refreshing optimism throughout the book, and he remains confident in the human ability to both understand the world and change it with proven and safe technologies. In light of the completion of the mapping of the human genome, his optimism is certainly justified. The technologies discussed in this book, coupled with the information obtained from the complete human genome, promise an incredibly interesting future for biology. Both the author and the individuals behind the human genome project are excellent examples of the ingenuity and mental discipline of the human species.