Product Description

In The Biotech Century, bestselling author Jeremy Rifkin examines the emerging biotech revolution that has captured the world's attention. Biochips, cloning, and genetic mapping and engineering are among the new biotechnologies that are allowing scientists to redirect the evolutionary wisdom of millions of years of life on earth. These technologies offer a cornucopia of potential benefits in fields ranging from agriculture to medicine, but very troubling issues are being disregarded, denied, and overlooked by both the scientific community and the media. In a state-of-the-art account of what is currently possible, what is being developed, what is being imagined, and the potential repercussions, Rifkin provides an opinion that is not generally expressed in the ebullient reports given to the public. He examines how these discoveries will fundamentally transform our economic systems and our civilization. The Biotech Century is a fascinating portrait of the new era in economics, science, and technology upon us and is certain to become a standard reference source on biotechnology.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #244034 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .79" h x 6.01" w x 9.02" l, .84 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 1 pages

From Amazon.com
When two Scottish scientists successfully cloned a sheep in July 1996, the news sparked fierce scientific, ethical, theological, and philosophical debate, momentarily pulling biotechnology from the laboratories and thrusting it onto the front pages. With living proof that such advancements are no longer the stuff of science fiction, a whole new world of possibilities--and dangers--presented itself. Jeremy Rifkin is more concerned with the dangers of this technology, and in The Biotech Century , he presents numerous compelling reasons why we should be, too. Many of these dangers revolve around the seemingly inevitable commercialization of genetically engineered life forms that would come if corporations battled for the rights to patents on new or modified species of plants, animals, or even human beings. Rifkin warns that "designer" babies and genetically perfect humans, along with any other artificial creations, would wreak havoc with the gene pool and the natural environment. While he concedes that there are benefits to biotechnology, he makes it clear that the risks far outweigh the rewards at this time, urging for greater restraint and responsibility before opening what could be a Pandora's box.

From Publishers Weekly
We are poised on the brink of a revolution of unparalleled real-life impact, argues Rifkin in this impassioned, erudite and well-reasoned study. Already, recombinant DNA techniques, computer gene-mapping and the globalization of commerce have begun to reshape life: the cloning of mammals for inexpensive pharmaceuticals is but one example. Though he does not dispute the promised benefits of biotechnology, Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and author of The End of Work and many other trend-tracking books, warns that we must closely consider its possible (and often little-publicized) negative consequences. A technology that can find genetic sources of disease, for example, can also lead to widespread acceptance of eugenic practices; techniques for genetically altering crops and animals to improve food sources could just as easily be used to create customized biological weapons. ("Scientists say they may be able to clone selective toxins to eliminate specific racial or ethnic groups whose genotypical makeup predispose them to certain disease patterns," Rifkin warns.) Biotechnology has the capacity to deplete, rather than enhance, Earth's gene pool and irreparably damage ecological balance, according to Rifkin, and it may transform our conceptions of nature and of life itself. Just as the Industrial Revolution caused unexpected problems such as depletion of natural resources, overpopulation, economic injustice and pollution, so the Biotech Revolution will inevitably cause problems we cannot yet imagine, Rifkin contends, especially if we fail to educate ourselves about the nature of biotechnology and neglect to make careful decisions about how it should best be used. This wide-ranging and deeply intelligent analysis is an excellent first step. 50,000 first printing; author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Social and environmental gadfly Rifkin gives an excellent critical analysis of the use of biotechnology, particularly regarding the commercial forces at work. Essential for all libraries. (LJ 3/15/98)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.