Redesigning Life
How genome editing will transform the world
- Publisher's listprice GBP 13.49
-
6 444 Ft (6 137 Ft + 5% VAT)
The price is estimated because at the time of ordering we do not know what conversion rates will apply to HUF / product currency when the book arrives. In case HUF is weaker, the price increases slightly, in case HUF is stronger, the price goes lower slightly.
- Discount 10% (cc. 644 Ft off)
- Discounted price 5 799 Ft (5 523 Ft + 5% VAT)
Subcribe now and take benefit of a favourable price.
Subscribe
6 444 Ft
Availability
printed on demand
Why don't you give exact delivery time?
Delivery time is estimated on our previous experiences. We give estimations only, because we order from outside Hungary, and the delivery time mainly depends on how quickly the publisher supplies the book. Faster or slower deliveries both happen, but we do our best to supply as quickly as possible.
Product details:
- Publisher OUP Oxford
- Date of Publication 27 August 2020
- ISBN 9780198766834
- Binding Paperback
- No. of pages384 pages
- Size 196x129x22 mm
- Weight 284 g
- Language English
- Illustrations 31 black and white figures 119
Categories
Short description:
Genetic engineering allows the production of the human insulin protein for diabetics, the modification of crops, and the building of synthetic life forms. In the future we could even remove genetic diseases from the germ line. In this book, John Parrington explains the rise of this new, sophisticated science.
MoreLong description:
Since the birth of civilisation, human beings have manipulated other life-forms.
We have selectively bred plants and animals for thousands of years to maximise agricultural production and cater to our taste in pets. The observation of the creation of artificial animal and plant variants was a key stimulant for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The ability to directly engineer the genomes of organisms first became possible in the 1970s, when the gene for human insulin was introduced into bacteria to produce this protein for diabetics. At the same time, mice were modified to produce human growth hormone, and grew huge as a result. But these were only our first tottering steps into the possibilities of genetic engineering.
In the past few years, the pace of progress has accelerated enormously. We can now cut and paste genes using molecular scissors with astonishing ease, and the new technology of genome editing can be applied to practically any species of plants or animals. 'Mutation chain reaction' can be used to alter the genes of a population of pests, such as flies; as the modified creatures breed, the mutation is spread through the population, so that within a few generations the organism is almost completely altered. At the same time, scientists are also beginning to synthesize new organisms from scratch.
These new technologies hold much promise for improving lives. Genome editing has already been used clinically to treat AIDS patients, by genetically modifying their white blood cells to be resistant to HIV. In agriculture, genome editing could be used to engineer species with increased food output, and the ability to thrive in challenging climates. New bacterial forms may be used to generate energy. But these powerful new techniques also raise important ethical dilemmas and potential dangers, pressing issues that are already upon us given the speed of scientific developments. To what extent should parents be able to manipulate the genetics of their offspring ? and would designer babies be limited to the rich? Can we effectively weigh up the risks from introducing synthetic lifeforms into complex ecosystems? In this extensively revised paperback edition, John Parrington explains the nature and possibilities of these new scientific developments, which could usher in a brave, new world. We must rapidly come to understand its implications if we are to direct its huge potential to the good of humanity and the planet.
a thorough and comprehensive account of the methodologies for altering life that have been or are being developed, and the directions that they may take in future.
Table of Contents:
List of plates
List of figures
Introduction: The Gene Revolution
Natural Born Mutants
Supersize My Mouse
Light as a Life Tool
The Gene Scissors
Next Year's Models
The Molecular Farm
New Gene Therapy
Regenerating Life
Life as a Machine
A Redesigned Planet?
Glossary
Endnotes
Index of names
Index of subjects
