Genetic Science And New Digital Technologies

C2023-0-02265-9

Online genetic testing services are increasingly being offered to consumers who are becoming exposed to, and knowledgeable about, new kinds of genetic technologies, as the launch of a 23andme genetic testing product in the UK testifies. Genetic research breakthroughs, cheek swabbing forensic pathologists and celebrities discovering their ancestral roots are littered throughout the North American, European and Australasian media landscapes. Genetic testing is now capturing the attention, and imagination, of hundreds of thousands of people who can not only buy genetic tests online, but can also go online to find relatives, share their results with strangers, sign up for personal DNA-based musical scores, and take part in research. This book critically examines this market of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing from a social science perspective, asking, what happens when genetics goes online? With a focus on genetic testing for disease, the book is about the new social arrangements which emerge when a traditionally clinical practice (genetic testing) is taken into new spaces (the internet). It examines the intersections of new genetics and new media by drawing from three different fields: internet studies; the sociology of health; and science and technology studies. While there has been a surge of research activity concerning DTC genetic testing, particularly in sociology, ethics and law, this is the first scholarly monograph on the topic, and the first book which brings together the social study of genetics and the social study of digital technologies. This book thus not only offers a new overview of this field, but also offers a unique contribution by attending to the digital, and by drawing upon empirical examples from our own research of DTC genetic testing websites (using online methods) and in-depth interviews in the United Kingdom with people using healthcare services.

Describes modern developments in the field of genetics, discussing the mapping of the human genome, the genetic causes of afflictions, and genetic modification.

“First Genetically Modified Babies Born,” read the news headline. While not technically examples of genetically modified humans, the fact is when the babies were genetically fingerprinted they had the genes from two mothers and one father, which would alarm most people. One of the scientists involved said this is child's play, a mere “tweaking” of the reproductive process. Imagine before you Tinker Toys or Legos of all different sizes, shapes and colors. Imagine those pieces are actually genes from insects, plants, animals and people that can be used interchangeably to provide humans characteristics only comic book superheroes possess. Scientists have already taken the gene that provides the jellyfish its green color and inserted it into the DNA of a white rabbit to create a "green rabbit." Scientists have taken the genes that enable spiders to make webbing and combined them with a goat's DNA as a way for the goat to make "spider silk”, a strong new fiber. We can do similar things with human DNA. Genomics provides us the equivalent of the "Application Program Interface” (API) for each human. Genomics, genetic engineering, embryonic stem cells, and nuclear transfer (cloning) independently have great promise and peril for us. There are numerous similarities between computer programing and “genetic programing” or genetic modification. Instead of programing with zero's and one's, we use C, T, A, G. We can reprogram DNA, cells and genes. The excitement with these new technologies is we can more effectively treat chronic diseases such as Parkinson's disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, age-related macular degeneration, and atherosclerosis, which accounts for over 75% of medical costs. There are over 3,000 genetic diseases such as sickle cell anemia we could treat. We could treat infectious diseases such as HIV by developing an HIV resistant immune system. However, there are also dangers. The same way computers and software can be hacked, genetic structures can be hacked. Genetic “doping” is possible. Because of the similarity between digital and genetic technologies, much of what we learned in the digital revolution can be transferred to the application of genetic modification and regenerative medicine. This similarity and the potential applications have not escaped the attention of companies such as Google who have announced major investments in these areas and are prepared to spend in the hundreds of millions for research. As a result of these powerful technologies we are on the brink of a genetic revolution similar in size and scope to the digital revolution (think biological versions of Google, Amazon, and Apple, but without any rules or guidelines). Because of the similarity, this revolution will occur faster, as many of the lessons learned in the digital revolution will be applied to the genetic revolution, and there is an abundance of venture capital looking for these types of game changing, disruptive technologies.Developing new genetic applications might be similar to developing cell phone apps sold at the iTunes store. These new technologies are patentable and potentially worth billions of dollars. We should not trust industry to do the right thing. There is a need to have as much discussion on the genetic modification of humans as we do on the GMO labeling of food. Currently we lack a national discussion, legislation or regulatory guidance on these controversial topics. We have not had a national discussion on bioethics since we debated the use of embryonic stem cells and cloning, over a decade ago. This book reviews the religious and scientific arguments, and refines the work of Norman Ford who was writing in the context of reproductive technologies, not the debates concerning embryonic stem cells and therapeutic cloning, and looks at where we are headed, with a focus on Dr. Michael West, a thought leader in this area.

This volume examines the convergence of biotechnology and communication systems and explores how this convergence directly influences our understanding of the nature of communication. Editor Sandra Braman brings together scholars to examine this convergence in three areas: genetic information and "facticity"; social issues and implications; and the economic and legal issues raised by the production and ownership of information. The work highlights the sophisticated processes taking place as biotechnology and information technology systems continue to evolve. The chapters in this book approach the complex history of this topic and the issues it raises from a number of directions. It begins by examining the shared features and spaces of biotechnology and digital information technologies as meta-technologies--qualitatively distinct from both the tools first used in the premodern era and the industrial technologies that characterized modernity. Next, the book explores what is and is not useful in treating the types of information processed by the two meta-technologies through a shared conceptual lens and looks at issues raised by the ownership of genetic and digital information. The final chapters are concerned with relationships between information and power. Defining a future research agenda for communication scholarship, this work is beneficial to scholars and students in science communication, cultural studies, information technologies, and sociology.

New genetic technologies cut across a range of public regulatory domains and private lifeworlds, often appearing to generate an institutional void in response to the complex challenges they pose. As a result, a number of new social formations are being developed to legitimate public engagement and avoid the perceived democratic deficit that may result. Papers in this volume discuss a variety of these manifestations in a global context, including: genetic data banks committees of inquiry non-governmental organisations (NGOs) national research laboratories. These institutions, across both health and agriculture, are explored in such diverse locations as Amazonia, China, Finland, Israel, the UK and the USA. This volume exhibits a clear thematic coherence around the impact of the new genetics and their associated technologies on new social formations, and the case studies included have a significant international focus, showing a balance between theoretical and empirical approaches in this rapidly changing field. This innovative new volume will be of interest to postgraduates and professionals in the fields of sociology, social anthropology, science and technology studies, and environmental studies.

You will never look at the world in the same way after reading As the Future Catches You. Juan Enriquez puts you face to face with a series of unprecedented political, ethical, economic, and financial issues, dramatically demonstrating the cascading impact of the genetic, digital, and knowledge revolutions on your life. Genetics will be the dominant language of this century. Those who can “speak it” will acquire direct and deliberate control over all forms of life. But most countries and individuals remain illiterate in what is rapidly becoming the greatest single driver of the global economy. Wealth will be more concentrated and those with knowledge to sell–both countries and individuals–will be the winners. Consider what will happen when: • Your genetic code can be digitally imprinted on an ID card and your insurance company and employer see that you are genetically disposed to, say, heart disease. • Pharmaceutical products are developed so that you can eat genetically modified broccoli to protect yourself from cancer. • Cloning will be as common as in vitro fertilization and scientists can influence the genetic design not only of other species but of your own children. • Creating wealth no longer requires many hands. Lone individuals are giving birth to entire new industries that rapidly become bigger than the economies of most countries on earth, but create very few jobs. As the Future Catches You resembles no other book. A typical page may contain just a few dozen words. But each seemingly discrete fact is like a chip in an intellectual mosaic that reveals its meaning and beauty only as you step back and see the big picture. Juan Enriquez is like the best teacher you ever had, one who helps you to see something in a new light and makes you say, “Now I get it!” Juan Enriquez’s main point is that technology is not kind, it does not say “please,” but slams into existing systems and destroys them while creating new ones. Countries and individuals can either surf new and powerful waves of change–or get crushed trying to stop them. The future is catching us all. Let it catch you with your eyes wide open.