На задната корица:
"Thomas Lee has done a superb job in telling the story of genes—not just the science surrounding our gene future, but also the critically important social and ethical implications of that future. He portrays the promise and the very real perils of genetic engineering with compassion and with accuracy."
—W. Frauds Anderson, M.D., Morris Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, Los Angeles, California
"Dr. Lee is the rarity: a teaching scientist with a talent for journalism. As he did in his book The Human Genome Project, he now translates into very readable literature the dazzling progress of genetic science. Our need to understand all applications of genetics is urgent. This book is a superb teacher."
—J. Robert Nelson, B.Theol, Program Director of "Genetics, Religion and Ethics" Project and Senior Research Fellow, The Institute of Religion, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas
"Tom Lee exhibits a mind that sweeps across scientific, social, and ethical perspectives—A valuable contribution to this crucial dialogue."
— Kenneth L. Vaux, Ph.D., Professor of Ethics in Medicine, The University of Illinois, College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
"Thomas Lee has done a superb job in bringing together politics and economics with the biology and the ethical issues in a comprehensive, clearly written text, easily understood by the layman. It's fun to read and impartial, expositing equally the views of the enthusiasts and of the whistle-blowers. Tom Lee is really a biology story-teller, describing the hard science in surprisingly simple terms, but always with a humorous lilt."
—George F. Cahill, Jr., M.D. Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
*
От вътрешната страна на обложката:
GENE FUTURE
The Promise and Perils of the New Biology
Thomas F. Lee
We are poised at the doorway to a future which could surpass the Industrial Revolution in its impact on the world. We are beginning to scrutinize genes in order to read the very history of evolution, and to alter plants and animals in ways undreamed of only a few years ago. As the tools of science have become more sophisticated, scientists have been able to delve deeply into the inner recesses of cells. The fruit of their labor, the new biology, promises us an unprecedented understanding of genes, offering an illuminating view into the most intimate operations of living things from microbes to humans —and with that, the potential to gain increasing control over life itself.
Our gene future will soon present us with a cornucopia of products by drawing upon a variety of organisms —plants, animals, and even human cells —that will influence the lives and health of us all. As Thomas Lee, a biologist and author of the acclaimed The Human Genome Project: Cracking the Genetic Code of Life, so vividly shows, the new biology is already beginning to make its mark on our lives. Every week newspapers announce that scientists have found the gene for a disease such as cystic fibrosis or a particular fofrn of cancer, or have seized on a gene therapy to try to combat it. The controversy over using DNA fingerprinting as admissible evidence in court has sparked public concern. The injecting of experimental genes into humans and animals has triggered recent debates. Soon genetically engineered tomatoes and other "transgenic" vegetables will be available on the shelves of our local grocers.
As Lee so wisely and eloquently cautions, there may be perils along this pathway as well as miraculous discoveries. Do dangers lurk in this new technological approach to nature? May we unwittingly be doing irreparable harm to individuals, not to mention the biosphere? This perceptive author even-handedly assesses the controversies surrounding the perils that may await us as molecular science moves out of the laboratory and into our homes and environment. This fascinating and comprehensive volume shows that the time has come to confront our gene future, because our gene future is now.
Thomas F. Lee, Ph.D., has been a biologist, teacher, and researcher for twenty-five years. The author of the highly acclaimed The Human Genome Project: Cracking the Genetic Code of Life, he is a professor at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he teaches courses in microbiology and biotechnology. He has also published numerous articles and papers. Dr. Lee in his most recent research concentrates on the introduction of new genes into the reproductive cells of marine organisms. He received an American Association of University Professors Distinguished Faculty Award, and is active in numerous national and international scientific professional societies.
*
CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Enter the Genes 1
Chapter 2. Genes, Genealogy, and Ancient DNA 19
Chapter 3. DNA in Court 45
Chapter 4. Genes and Disease 79
Chapter 5. DNA, Disease, and Dilemmas 109
Chapter 6. Gene Therapy 127
Chapter 7. Transgenic Animals 165
Chapter 8. Transgenic Plants 203
Chapter 9. Field of Genes 235
Chapter 10. A World of Genes 267
Epilogue 299
Selected Readings 307
Index 321
