Edited by Richard Hindmarsh & Geoffrey Lawrence
'Genetic engineering has emerged as the most significant threshhold evironmental and social issue of our age. Yet public debate in Australia has been muted while the genie roams freely outside the bottle. Altered Genes II is essential reading for anyone keen to be better informed and involved in this crucial topic.'
Peter Garrett
'This book needs to be widely read. Its thoughtful critique is an important counter-balance to the flood of material which promotes genetic engineering, usually for short-term profit with little concern for the ecological and social consequences.'
Professor Ian Lowe, author of Living in the Hothouse
'Altered Genes II is a comprehensive, informative and thoughtful foray into the future landscapes of a gene-centred society, starting from how we got there in the first place.'
Dr Mae-wan Ho, director of the Institute of Science in Society, UK
The first edition of Altered Genes (1998) sold out within a year. This revised edition offers an up-to-date account of the ethical, social, and ecological issues arising from biotechnology and genetic engineering.
Only yesterday, cloned animals sounded like the stuff of science fiction; today, cloned human beings are proposed. As scientists cut and paste genes from species to species to create novel organisms, or to identify genes associated with specific diseases, biological frontiers are being radically redrawn. Though promising much, the emerging technology also threatens to disrupt evolution and to usher in new forms of social control. Our traditional notions of the very foundations of life itself previously sacrosanct concepts such as food, nature, and the human body are already being challenged.
With twelve penetrating essays by Australian and New Zealand specialists, and an introduction by award-winning scientist David Suzuki, this book provides the essential background and raises the appropriate questions for an informed public debate on a profound subject that will touch everyone’s lives.
Dr Richard Hindmarsh, a well-known commentator on genetic engineering, is an environmental researcher based at the University of Queensland.
Professor Geoffrey Lawrence is the executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Regional Development at Central Queensland University.
