This review is from: Genome: The Story of the Most Astonishing Scientific Adventure of Our Time--The Attempt to Map All the Genes in the Human Body (Paperback)
Excellent survey of 2 decades of progress in genetics, 1970****. The updated part of the book is a 15 page Epilogue, hardly doing justice to the past explosive decade. Authors put great conflict and human interest into their stories, e.g., the couple, each carrying the recessive gene for cystic fibrosis, had each given it to both of two daughters before they realized they were playing genetic casino. They "realized their gamble only after they've already lost the bet." The questions of whether to offer a new gene test for a serious malady when no treatment was available were especially troubling to the researchers.
Authors present a scary picture for the future role of medicine and physicians. Doctors will have to order genetic profiles to avoid malpractice. In pharmacogenetics, drug companies will take one's blood to develop personalized medicine to avoid side effects. The profile will allow them to peek into your health, your personality, your IQ potential and physical skills. With that genetic profile they can, with their pals the insurance companies, become tyrannical Big Brothers.
Authors try to raise red flags about future genetic discrimination. They don't seem to realize how much of current discrimination is already based on genetics. Society has been coping with discrimination for centuries. They mention the probable arising of a biological underclass (perhaps like the caste of untouchables in India?) and see that a genetic profile could become a scarlet letter following one throughout one's life. Employers would get the data and make a group unemployable. But aren't there already laws protecting the handicapped? In the near future most everyone will be seen with defective genes and partially handicapped.
Perhaps, however, Author's concern about a hereditary meritocracy is just genetic hocus-pocus. One's current illusions of choice and one's ignorance of the current genetic basis to behavior are likely to continue. The realization that one typo in the replication of a gene can cause a defect or disease is not likely to change one's current illusions of self control. The vast number of 3 billion interrelated nucleotides will more than likely always keep both science and lay people amazed at the complexity of human life.
분자생물학, 유전학, 생화학을 통틀어 한단어로 표현하라고 하면 "분자유전생물학"이라는 단어가 되리라 생각합니다.
인간은 과학이라는 도구로 자신의 유전적 운명을 지배하는 시대를 열어가고 있습니다.
월 스트리트 저널에서 과학기자 겸 칼럼니스트로 일하던 두 저자(제리 비숍, 마이클 월드홀츠)가 의학, 의료, 제약 분야의 현장에서 분자유전학의 태동및 발전과정을 상세하고 실감나게 전달한 책입니다.
서서히 사람의 마음을 파괴하고 나아가 신체를 제어하는 능력을 빼앗아 죽음에 이르도록 하는 무서운 유전병인 헌팅턴병(일명 무도병) 의 발견과 연구과정을 상세히 기술하고 있습니다.
인류에게 미지의 영역으로 각인되며 성스러운 자연의 섭리로 취급되던 생명, 유전, 진화라는 영역에 인간이 분자유전생물학이라는 과학을 도구로 사업화를 시작하였습니다.
머지않은 장래에 인간생활의 전면에 도입될 인간게놈프로젝트가 여러가지 행운의 가능성과 끔찍한 저주의 기회가 공존하고 있는 있음을 확인해 볼 수 있는 책입니다.
이 책을 읽으며, 유전자 사냥을 통한 재능개발과 탈랜트코드, 재능은 어떻게 단련되는가라는 책들이 주장하는 방식의 재능개발 중 어떤 것이 장래 인간의 삶에 도입될 확률이 높은지 생각해 보는 것도 재미있을 것 같습니다.
이 책은 절판된 책입니다. 하지만 중고서점에 많이 나와 있어서 발빠르게 움직이시면 쉽게 구할 수 있습니다.
감으로 50여권정도 중고서점에 나와있는 듯 합니다.
Customer Reviews
(VINE VOICE)
Authors present a scary picture for the future role of medicine and physicians. Doctors will have to order genetic profiles to avoid malpractice. In pharmacogenetics, drug companies will take one's blood to develop personalized medicine to avoid side effects. The profile will allow them to peek into your health, your personality, your IQ potential and physical skills. With that genetic profile they can, with their pals the insurance companies, become tyrannical Big Brothers.
Authors try to raise red flags about future genetic discrimination. They don't seem to realize how much of current discrimination is already based on genetics. Society has been coping with discrimination for centuries. They mention the probable arising of a biological underclass (perhaps like the caste of untouchables in India?) and see that a genetic profile could become a scarlet letter following one throughout one's life. Employers would get the data and make a group unemployable. But aren't there already laws protecting the handicapped? In the near future most everyone will be seen with defective genes and partially handicapped.
Perhaps, however, Author's concern about a hereditary meritocracy is just genetic hocus-pocus. One's current illusions of choice and one's ignorance of the current genetic basis to behavior are likely to continue. The realization that one typo in the replication of a gene can cause a defect or disease is not likely to change one's current illusions of self control. The vast number of 3 billion interrelated nucleotides will more than likely always keep both science and lay people amazed at the complexity of human life.