The Genetic Revolution - free book on biotechnology and genetic engineering

18 Books by Futurist Keynote Speaker / Author - The Genetic Revolution - free biotechnology book

The Genetic Revolution - free book published in 1993, second edition 1995.

This book correctly anticipated hundreds of important scientific advances using gene technology.

• Chapter 1: The end of the line - intro to genes
• Chapter 2: Playing God - genetic engineering
• Chapter 3: Cloning copies of yourself
• Chapter 4: Designer Life - designer people
• Chapter 5: Strange foods in a strange world
• Chapter 6: New gene medicines for new people
• Chapter 7: Takes a virus to catch a virus - mutant bugs?
• Chapter 8: Could new genes destroy us ?
• Chapter 9: A practical way forward
• Gene Charter and References

For many updates and Video comments on issues raised / latest news, see Related Articles at the bottom of this page. 40 videos on cloning etc.

• Chapter 1 The end of the line - intro to genes
• Chapter 2 Playing God - genetic engineering
• Chapter 3 Cloning copies of yourself
• Chapter 4 Designer Life - designer people
• Chapter 5 Strange foods in a strange world
• Chapter 6 New gene medicines for new people
• Chapter 7 Takes a virus to catch a virus - mutant bugs?
• Chapter 8 Could new genes destroy us ?
• Chapter 9 A practical way forward
• Gene Charter and References

Please give source and web address if quoting from this book.

• Startling revelations on page after page . . .
• Identikit animals cloned routinely
• 80,000 genetically mutated animals born in 1997 in the UK alone
• Human genes added to sheep, rabbits and fish
• Serious attempts made to clone humans
• Designer families may be waiting for tomorrow's parents
• No labelling for gene foods you are already eating in most countries

Within days of publication over thirty British MPs signed a motion calling for this book's Gene Charter to be adopted by Parliament covering ethical and safety issues. But nothing short of international regulation will do. The book is now in a second edition and has correctly forecast major headlines since first published in 1993.

Introduction

This is a book about life or rather a book explaining how scientists are busy creating new animals, plants, bacteria and viruses in the laboratory with the capacity to cure illnesses like AIDS, solve world food shortages and help the environment.By the time you have finished reading through this book, you may also have come to the conclusion that these same experiments could have the potential to devastate this planet.

The idea for the book arose out of research I did for two earlier books on AIDS, and subsequent work as a doctor in the AIDS field. Back in 1987 it was already clear to me that the next ten years would be revolutionary in terms of being able to reprogramme the genetic code of other species, and probably of ourselves. The technology has leapt ahead far faster than I speculated it might, with possibilities I speculated about four years ago as almost science fiction now becoming today's realities.

Things are changing so fast that few people are aware of the full impact of what is going on.If the 1980's were the years of the computer microchip then the 1990s have already become the decade of the gene.By the end of the decade, every home will contain substances or living organisms resulting from genetic engineer ­ing.We need to understand how it all works, the huge benefits and the very real dangers.We need this technology very badly, as we will see, but with it has come big issues which need to be addressed now.

Hundreds of scientific papers have been published on genetic engineering over the last ten years.I have read the originals or digests of a great number of these in researching this book over the last year.The remainder I have also scanned the titles of - being largely of a technical nature and unsuitable for inclusion here.

I have given you extensive footnotes quoting the relevant recent scientific papers so you can if you wish obtain the papers yourself.I have deliberately included quite a few references from the 1980s if only to show how things have developed and that some of what you will read about is not as new to scientists as you might think.It is hard to believe what is already possible.Indeed some of the things you read here may sound as though they have been lifted from science fiction.

I have attempted to avoid undue speculation, if only to consider obvious results and progress already made.

There are huge ethical dilemmas first.In the final section I have looked at dilemmas raised by all this.I have left these issues to the end, allowing the facts to present themselves at these questions firstly as a doctor with a practical approach, and secondly as a church leader with a more intuitive response, based on a respect for scripture and the teachings of the church.In researching and writing the book my own thinking has changed.I deliberately left writing the last two chapters until all the research was complete and the major part of the book was written.It has been an exciting, interesting - and at times alarming - journey.

The Genetic Revolution - published 1995 by Kingsway - remarkably prophetic, and much of text remains very relevant in 2011.

• Chapter 1: The end of the line - intro to genes
• Chapter 2: Playing God - genetic engineering
• Chapter 3: Cloning copies of yourself
• Chapter 4: Designer Life - designer people
• Chapter 5: Strange foods in a strange world
• Chapter 6: New gene medicines for new people
• Chapter 7: Takes a virus to catch a virus - mutant bugs?
• Chapter 8: Could new genes destroy us ?
• Chapter 9: A practical way forward
• Gene Charter and References

Next >