Genetic Engineering Dream Or Nightmare

A noted scientist in biotechnology and biosafety reveals the terrifying consequences of genetic engineering.

This volume claims that genetic engineering is inadequately researched technology that is out of control. It aims to show how genetic determinism is at odds with the reality of scientific findings.

Accessible account of the various applications of genetic engineering and the impact that it has already made

Find out why the whole biotech enterprise, from GM crops and gene drugs to human cloning, is a phenomenal waste of public finance and scientific imagination, and, most importantly, what it means to be living with the fluid genome. From the author of the international bestseller, *Genetic Engineering Dream or Nightmare? Turning the Tide on the Brave New World of Bad Science and Big Business*, 1998, 1999. - A personal account of one scientists struggle against a corrupted scientific establishment bent on promoting genetic modification (GM). - A dossier of scientific evidence of the most serious GM hazards - An exposé of the degenerate research programme of mainstream biology - A death-blow to genetic determinism - A refreshing antidote to the Darwin industry

Genetic engineering has quickly become one of the more controversial issues of our time. Herring provides a detailed history of the debate in a fair and balanced manner, using proponents' points of view to make individual cases, both pro and con. Narrative chapters cover such topics as the Human Genome Project, gene splicing, cloning, genetically altered foods, and DNA and crime-solving. Students and the general public will find a comprehensive survey of the genetic engineering debate. Appendices include statements from Robert P. George and Peter Singer, two of the most prominent scholars on the subject, and a bibliography of print and electronic resources for further research.

Leading scientists from different countries around the world contributed valuable essays on the basic applications and safety, as well as the ethical and moral considerations, of the powerful genetic engineering tools now available for modifying the molecules, pathways, and phenotypes of species of agricultural, industrial and even medical importance. After three decades of perfecting such tools, we now see a refined technology, surprisingly unexpected applications, and matured guidelines to avoid unintentional damage to our and other species, as well as the environment, while trying to contribute to solve the biological, medical and technical challenges of society and industry. Chapters on thermo-stabilization of luciferase, engineering of the phenylpropanoid pathway in a species of high demand for the paper industry, more efficient regeneration of transgenic soybean, viral resistant plants, and a novel approach for rapidly screening properties of newly discovered animal growth hormones, illustrate the state-of-the-art science and technology of genetic engineering, but also serve to raise public awareness of the pros and cons that this young scientific discipline has to offer to mankind.

• The book that takes a comprehensive look at the threat to our food supply from genetic engineering. • 15,000 copies sold in the first six months. • Includes new studies about the dangers of genetically engineered food. • Refutes the "feed the poor" propaganda spread by agribusinesses. • Is both an expose and educational primer on this controversial technology that is already a part of every American's diet. • Explains the dangers of these foods to ourselves and our environment in easily understood terms. Picture a world? • Where the french fries you eat are registered as a pesticide, not a food. • Where vegetarians unwittingly consume fish genes in their tomatoes. • Where corn plants kill monarch butterflies. • Where soy plants thrive on doses of herbicide that kill every other plant in sight. • Where multinational corporations own the life forms that farmers grow and legally control the farmers' actions. That world exists These things are all happening, and they are happening to you. Genetically engineered foods--plants whose genetic structures are altered by scientists in ways that could never occur in nature--are already present in many of the products you buy in supermarkets, unlabeled, unwanted, and largely untested. The threat of these organisms to human and environmental health has caused them to be virtually banned in Europe, yet the U.S. government, working hand-in-hand with a few biotech corporations, has actively encouraged their use while discouraging labeling that might alert consumers to what they are eating. The authors show what the future holds and give you the information you need to preserve the independence and integrity of our food supply. What can you do? First, inform yourself. Genetically Engineered Food: Changing the Nature of Nature is the first book to take a comprehensive look at the many ramifications of this disturbing trend. Authors Martin Teitel and Kimberly Wilson explain what genetic engineering is and how it works, then explore the health risks involved with eating organisms never before seen in nature. They address the ecological catastrophe that could result from these modified plants crossing with wild species and escaping human control altogether, as well as the economic devastation that may befall small farmers who find themselves at the mercy of mega-corporations for their livelihood. Taking the discussion a step further, they consider the ethical and spiritual implications of this radical change in our relationship to the natural world, showing what the future holds and giving you the information you need to act on your own or to join others in preserving the independence and integrity of our food supply.