Review of The New Eugenics
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Sheila Gehlmann
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Review of The New Eugenics
[Following is a volunteer review of "The New Eugenics" by Conrad B. Quintyn.]
The New Eugenics by Conrad B. Quintyn, Ph.D. is a nonfiction book that explains the science behind the new eugenics while comparing and contrasting it with the old eugenics. There are multiple examples of genetic research, manipulation of DNA with gene therapy and biotechnology with detailed discussion about the scientific methods used to improve the health of humans. Scientists with good intentions set out to cure disease, enhance characteristics like muscle mass, increase insensitivity to pain and are now even trying to enable parents to choose the sex, eye color, hair color, height and level of intelligence of their babies. Eugenics comes into play when any one class of people is provided with these opportunities while others are unable to afford to pay for the enhancements, introducing a new form of discrimination that resembles the old eugenics. For example, the old eugenics used methods like sterilization of sectors of the population deemed unfit to reproduce, infecting American Indians with smallpox delivered in blankets, and using infectious diseases as weapons of war. Both the old eugenics and new eugenics cause separations in society by favoring one class, race, or group of people over another, causing divisions among us.
The morals and ethics of creating human-animal hybrids are discussed, as are regulatory issues and religious views. What are the risks for potential harm caused by altering DNA? Even if a positive outcome is obtained, will it be worth the risk of other potential adverse and damaging effects that could occur? For example, using DNA to bring back extinct animals like the sabertooth tiger would upset the entire ecosystem. What are the implications for the health and quality of life for future generations of humans, animals and plants with altered DNA? Sometimes unintended consequences can occur, such as pandemics, damage to one or more species, and even eventual extinction of a species. The author believes it is important for scientists to set limits before going too far, and I definitely agree.
Positive aspects of the book include a glossary and detailed footnotes at the end. I referred to both of these while I was reading it. The writing is excellent and very descriptive. Gain-of-function research and gene therapy are discussed and described in detail. This is very relevant to what is occurring now with the experimental gene therapy mentioned in the news today as it relates to COVID 19, and I was very happy to have found a book that explains it all in a way that I can understand. Cloning is also explained in detail, and information is provided to demonstrate how the lack of success and damage that was done with attempts to clone animals serves to forewarn scientists to avoid cloning humans. I applaud the author for writing this book. It comes at a good time in our history and provides the necessary data and information about how specific technologies are used and the subsequent outcomes of their use. This can guide us as we develop consequent views and opinions as to whether or not we want to support this type of research.
The content is very scientific and includes terminology that is unfamiliar to the average person. This is one of the negative aspects for the average reader. However, that should not dissuade anyone from reading the book because the author provides definitions in the text for words that are more advanced. It was time consuming to go back and forth from the text to the glossary, which made it take longer to finish reading the book. It is a good idea to keep a dictionary available as you read to look up words that are unfamiliar to you.
I was very impressed with this book, and I thank the author for writing it. Many people are unaware of the existence of this type of research, and I believe it is important to learn about it. It is evident that he did a lot of research in creating this book, and it is organized in a way that is easy to follow. I found very few errors, and I learned a lot about a topic that I previously had very little knowledge of and wanted to learn about. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend the book to those who want to be informed of the genetic engineering and modification that is now occurring in the scientific community. Science teachers and their students could also benefit from reading it. Readers who have a science background in genetics could appreciate having this book for a resource of actual research projects both past and present.
******
The New Eugenics
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The New Eugenics by Conrad B. Quintyn, Ph.D. is a nonfiction book that explains the science behind the new eugenics while comparing and contrasting it with the old eugenics. There are multiple examples of genetic research, manipulation of DNA with gene therapy and biotechnology with detailed discussion about the scientific methods used to improve the health of humans. Scientists with good intentions set out to cure disease, enhance characteristics like muscle mass, increase insensitivity to pain and are now even trying to enable parents to choose the sex, eye color, hair color, height and level of intelligence of their babies. Eugenics comes into play when any one class of people is provided with these opportunities while others are unable to afford to pay for the enhancements, introducing a new form of discrimination that resembles the old eugenics. For example, the old eugenics used methods like sterilization of sectors of the population deemed unfit to reproduce, infecting American Indians with smallpox delivered in blankets, and using infectious diseases as weapons of war. Both the old eugenics and new eugenics cause separations in society by favoring one class, race, or group of people over another, causing divisions among us.
The morals and ethics of creating human-animal hybrids are discussed, as are regulatory issues and religious views. What are the risks for potential harm caused by altering DNA? Even if a positive outcome is obtained, will it be worth the risk of other potential adverse and damaging effects that could occur? For example, using DNA to bring back extinct animals like the sabertooth tiger would upset the entire ecosystem. What are the implications for the health and quality of life for future generations of humans, animals and plants with altered DNA? Sometimes unintended consequences can occur, such as pandemics, damage to one or more species, and even eventual extinction of a species. The author believes it is important for scientists to set limits before going too far, and I definitely agree.
Positive aspects of the book include a glossary and detailed footnotes at the end. I referred to both of these while I was reading it. The writing is excellent and very descriptive. Gain-of-function research and gene therapy are discussed and described in detail. This is very relevant to what is occurring now with the experimental gene therapy mentioned in the news today as it relates to COVID 19, and I was very happy to have found a book that explains it all in a way that I can understand. Cloning is also explained in detail, and information is provided to demonstrate how the lack of success and damage that was done with attempts to clone animals serves to forewarn scientists to avoid cloning humans. I applaud the author for writing this book. It comes at a good time in our history and provides the necessary data and information about how specific technologies are used and the subsequent outcomes of their use. This can guide us as we develop consequent views and opinions as to whether or not we want to support this type of research.
The content is very scientific and includes terminology that is unfamiliar to the average person. This is one of the negative aspects for the average reader. However, that should not dissuade anyone from reading the book because the author provides definitions in the text for words that are more advanced. It was time consuming to go back and forth from the text to the glossary, which made it take longer to finish reading the book. It is a good idea to keep a dictionary available as you read to look up words that are unfamiliar to you.
I was very impressed with this book, and I thank the author for writing it. Many people are unaware of the existence of this type of research, and I believe it is important to learn about it. It is evident that he did a lot of research in creating this book, and it is organized in a way that is easy to follow. I found very few errors, and I learned a lot about a topic that I previously had very little knowledge of and wanted to learn about. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend the book to those who want to be informed of the genetic engineering and modification that is now occurring in the scientific community. Science teachers and their students could also benefit from reading it. Readers who have a science background in genetics could appreciate having this book for a resource of actual research projects both past and present.
******
The New Eugenics
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
