The contemplation of genetic engineering and many other modern technologies frightens many, and a study of this book reveals that the author is one of these people. But instead of just quaking with fear and living life shivering and shaking, the author presents a case, and a fairly good one, for dealing with the risks of genetic engineering, particularly in the use of transgenic strategies in human and animal foodstuffs. Much of the discussion in the book relies on anecdotal evidence, and sometimes the author makes unsubstantiated claims (such as the discussion on Long Term Capital Management) about the attitudes and intentions of those who are involved in genetic engineering, either in a commercial or a regulatory context, but as a whole the book is a good presentation of the risks involved in this technology. All interested parties should read it, particularly those (such as this reviewer) who are die-hard advocates of genetic engineering. Understanding the risks will assist in sharpening the tools of genetic engineering, making it more efficacious in terms of the health of all biological organisms.
The author's attitude is refreshing in that she does not express the excess of veneration that is typically displayed towards experts and professional scientists. She is also quite rare among authors in this regard, and her cautionary advice regarding this type of veneration is welcomed. She is careful though to distinguish between the uncritical adulation sometimes paid towards scientists and the denial of the scientific method itself. The author is aware that the path to scientific truth is full of missteps and mistaken hypotheses, but as a tool science is the method to human health and sound medicine.
The author ends the book with brief descriptions of the two latest "threats" to biological stability and human health, namely nanotechnology and synthetic biology. She cites some of the research dollars that are apparently being poured into these technologies, particularly the former. It must be remembered that a commercial product that is advertised to be based on say nanotechnology or some other "exotic" technology may in reality be rather "plain vanilla." Just because a product is marketed as having certain properties does not mean it really does. There are many, many examples of false advertising in the marketplace, and displaying a product as the "latest thing in nanotechnology" does not mean that it is. Individuals who feel threatened by nanotechnology may therefore be worrying about something that is actually quite benign and simple. But as this book demonstrates, worry and fear must be replaced by sound advice, and seeing the "big picture", as the author puts it, will make all technologies much more effective in the long run.
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