Superpigs and Wondercorn: The Brave New World of Biotechnology and Where It All May Lead - Hardcover

Fox, Michael W.

9781558211827: Superpigs and Wondercorn: The Brave New World of Biotechnology and Where It All May Lead

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1558211829 ISBN 13: 9781558211827

Publisher: UNKNO, 1992

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Examines the role of technology in developing disease-resistant crops and bioengineered livestock

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From Kirkus Reviews:

Remember those giant vegetables in Woody Allen's Sleeper? They'll soon crop up on your local farm, along with five-ton cows and 12-foot-long pigs, according to this alarming report on genetic engineering by Fox (Inhumane Society, 1990, etc.). Fox observes that biotechnology--the business of gene splicing, which usually means mixing together the genes of different animals, including human beings--is ``the fastest growing industry in recorded history.'' It's also the most terrifying, if Fox's doomsday predictions bear fruit. For one thing, he claims, there's no control on current gene experiments and no way to predict their outcome. The genetic code for the AIDS virus has been implanted in mice; Fox believes that the virus may now mutate and become transmissible in saliva or urine. Other laboratory tomfoolery involves creating superplants; Fox's assessment is that ``we could end up with no trees.'' Furthermore, bioengineering is ``genetic imperialism'' and ``biological fascism.'' This assessment sounds realistic--especially when one hears about laboratory workers putting goat's heads on sheep's bodies through embryonic microsurgery, apparently just to see if it can be done, or engineering sheep that secrete insect repellent to produce the world's first mothproof wool. Fox's outrage comes both from the hubris in these experiments and from the animal suffering they cause. The villains are scientists, whose insistence on separating ethics and research Fox finds ``shocking''; he singles out some heavy hitters like DNA-decoder James Watson as especially culpable. Fox's relentless and impassioned attack collapses only when he offers alternatives: While his call for a federal bioethics council seems eminently reasonable, pleas for ``a fundamental change in worldview'' leading to ``a resacralization of nature'' are hopelessly vague and won't win the hearts and minds of many scientists. Eye-opening evidence that science fiction can indeed come true--and not always with happy results. -- Copyright �1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly:

Genetically engineered fish and dairy products will soon be available at our supermarkets with the Food and Drug Administration's approval, yet these foods, charges Fox, may have harmful physiological and biochemical effects on consumers. In an important, illuminating report, the popular veterinarian and nature writer ( The Soul of the Wolf ) provides a much-needed critical update on the biotechnology industry. Fox believes that genetic engineering is here to stay, but he strongly opposes the patenting of animals and insists that biotechnology be used with a proper regard for ethics, animals' well-being and ecosystems. Genetic reprogramming of animals, he demonstrates, has caused developmental abnormalities, new health problems and suffering in these creatures while proving to be of dubious benefit to humans. Fox urges a shift to an ecologically sound agriculture based on increasing consumption of vegetable protein, which biotechnology can facilitate. His review of the government's failure to regulate the biotechnology industry is timely. A resource guide is included for concerned citizens.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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