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The Age of the Genome
Fred M. Sander, M.D.

The times they are a changin' - Bob Dylan (1964)

This book is written for those of you who are coming of age in the 21st century, also known as Generation Y, the Millennial Generation. Or is it the iGeneration, as in iPhone, iPod and iPad? Or the Twitter Generation? As the speed of technology undoubtedly increases, future generations will no longer be known by phrases such as baby-boomers and post baby-boomers. Each new 'generation' may have its own icon or image reflecting the latest innovation, for example, the 'age of the Internet,' or one day, the 'age of virtual reality.' Whatever will signify your generation, most of you will be living much of your lives in the 'age of the genome.' I should include Generation X as well. The first baby born via in vitro fertiliation in 1978, Louise Brown, today in her thirties, is a Generation X member. As these generations actually overlap, this book is for all who wish to be more informed about the rapidly changing world we share.

The rate of change in the past century will only speed up. While I have no crystal ball, this book is meant to help you grapple with the continued evolution of cultural changes and scientific advances. The contributors to this volume have tried to avoid technical language. We hope you see it as a form of continuing education. Some of you may want to immerse yourselves in the complex details of a discipline presented in this book or even pursue a career in that discipline. You may then gain some understanding to help bring about changes that could benefit, possibly control threats to, our species and planet.

This book exposes the reader to both the biological and socio-cultural reproduction of ourselves.
Just as our myths, sciences, and art have evolved and defined us during the last two millenia, the new tools of genomic science tempt us again to move into uncharted territory. Biological engineering will raise questions and influence the answers to 'what does it mean to be human?' How may or will humans change now that we have the tools of biogenetics along with the rapid growth of information technology?

Tom Freudenheim, Art historian and retired museum director (Baltimore, Worcester, Berlin, London). Most recently he served as Assistant Secretary for Museums at the Smithsonian. He writes regularly for the Wall Street Journal and other publications.
Jamie Love, Ph.D.Creator of Internet series Science Explained
Bill McKibben, Resident Scholar at Middlebury College, Author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet (2010) by Times Books/Henry Holt and Founder of 350.org
Fred M. Sander, M.D. Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Weill-Cornell Medical School. Faculty, New York Psychoanalytic Institute and Society. Author, Individual and Family Therapy: Toward an Integration. (1979) Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson
Jonathan Shaw, Managing Editor, Harvard Magazine
Lee M. Silver, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Ethics, Princeton University. Author, Challenging Nature: The Clash of Science at the Frontiers of Life (2006) Ecco/Harper-Collins
Carolyn Williams, Ph.D. Chair, Department of English, Rutgers University. Her book, Gilbert and Sullivan: Gender, Genre, Parody, is forthcoming from Columbia University Press in 2011