Cuddling Up to Biotech's Brave New Beasts
Emily Anthes
Anthes is a science journalist who has put together an overview of the current state of the art science in biotech. And by current, I mean 2013, which in biotech is probably not current anymore. Regardless, as an amateur in the field, she necessarily presents the material in a completely accessible manner, giving the scientific background for genetic modification, cloning, species extinction reversal, bio-tagging and bio-tracking, and cyber-neural interfaces. This is all very exciting science and potentially very useful and/or very scary. Recognizing this, Anthes does discuss the complex ethical issues associated with these new technologies, presenting arguments and issues that are raised by proponents and opponents equally. Only occasionally does she offer her own perspective, leaving the reader to digest the complexity. I particularly appreciated the broad approach to biotech. In the current public discourse around GMO food labeling, there is a lot of misinformation and propaganda being produced by both activists and the food industry. On the specific topic of GMO food, Anthes is able to clearly outline what it is, what it is not and why people care. And then proceeds to place this small issue back into the larger context of biotech. As an introductory survey to biotech, covering so many areas of science and ethics, I would recommend it as an excellent starting point for inquiry into the field.
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