Reviews (1)

Beyond Genic Reductionism
Accounts of the new world of the genome are confusing, has noone noticed? The reason is that we no longer live in the Age of Darwinism, although the authors don't let on. Not here. After a head-on assault at genetic engineering, the author presents a clear, if brief, and perhaps transitional and incomplete, debunking of Neo-Darwinism, on the basis of the same material present though disguised in typical texts. The fallacies of genetic determinism, the misleading reductionism of the 'selfish gene' mythology, the fluid genome, Lamarckian evironmentally induced change in DNA, and much else, simply leaves the standard view in the dust. All this in between an aggressive, and quite controversial, attack on the alliance of biology and big business, accompanied by scorchers about the sources of Darwinism in nineteenth century ideology. A sock in the jaw. No doubt a number of statements here are open to challenge. But the basic thrust of the book puts the rest of the profession to shame. Noone can fool anyone anymore, and a more comprehensive and critical version of this type of book would help. But the current profession is not in the business of making biology clear to the public, in the reign of bad science and big business. ... Read more

Book Description

Here, the modeling of dynamic biological engineering processes is presented in a highly understandable way using a unique combination of simplified fundamental theory and direct hands-on computer simulation. Throughout, the mathematics is kept to a minimum, yet the 60 simulation examples supplied on a CD-ROM with this second edition illustrate almost every aspect of biological engineering science. Many of the examples are taken from the authors' own research, and each is described in detail, including the model equations. The programs are written in the modern user-friendly simulation language Berkeley Madonna, which runs on both Windows PC and Power-Macintosh computers.
Madonna solves models comprising many ordinary differential equations using very simple programming, yet is so powerful that the model parameters may be defined as "sliders", which allow the effect of their change on the model behavior to be seen almost immediately. Users may include data for curve fitting, and perform sensitivity or multiple runs. The results can be seen simultaneously on multiple-graph windows or by using overlays – resulting in a tremendous learning effect.
The authors' extensive experience, both in university teaching and international courses, is reflected in this well-balanced presentation, which is suitable for teachers, students, biochemists and engineers. The result is a greater understanding of the formulation and use of mass balances and kinetics for biological reaction engineering, written in a most stimulating manner.
... Read more

Book Description

DNA microarray, or DNA chip, technology is a new and powerful means of discovering, characterizing, and analyzing genes and their expression patterns. The potential of this technology is huge and its applications are widespread across the many fields of biological and biomedical research. This manual assembles and synthesizes the expertise of over 30 innovators in this emerging field to provide authoritative, detailed instruction on the design, construction, and applications of microarrays, as well as comprehensive descriptions of the software tools and strategies required for extensive image and data analysis. Designed to extend and to complement the information in the best-selling laboratory manual Molecular Cloning, and presented in the same clear, user-friendly format, this book is an essential resource for investigators studying the molecular profiles of gene expression in any experimental system. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very useful
This book is very much like its well known predecessor, the currently 3 volume Molecular Cloning Manual with which it shares an editor and a similar title (in fact, it could pass as volume 4).
Overall it gives a good coverage of spotted microarray technology starting from the preparation of probes and slides to sample preparation and hybridization. In addition to expression profiling areas covered include uses of microarrays for analysis of chromatin immunoprecipitation samples, DNA copy number determination, and detection of genetic polymorphisms (oligo arrays). Tissue-arrays and micro-dissection techniques for sample preparation are also described. The bioinformatics section is less extensive than the experimental parts, but the chapters on clustering, self organizing maps and databases serve as good introductions to these areas. I especially liked the image acquisition, normalization and quality control sections.These reviews presented their material in a very clear and sensible way.
Each chapter starts with a short summary of the relevant background. These introductions are very concise, straightforward, jargon-free and up to date in their references. They are written by leading experts of their fields. In addition, there are several "Information Panels" with similar qualities, covering somewhat more general background material.
This is a very nice looking book; it is a pleasure to look at and to hold. I am sure every lab that uses microarrays could benefit from it. ... Read more

Book Description

Focusing on all current applications, this book presents the various methods as well as their suitability and limitations for a specific question. One particular highlight is the presentation of all basic information on the structure of the relevant objects, thus allowing readers to choose the most suitable applications for any specific problem. They will also find in-depth background information on structure-function relationships, plus descriptions of sample preparations with respect to a particular technique and the necessary equipment.
The whole is rounded off with an overview of the future application potential for devices and applications of upcoming interest in biotechnology. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

a good book in bioconjugate chemistry area
It is hard for a chemistry major student to switch to biochemistry area. When a chem student try to read the big biochemistry textbook, he will be dizzy because of so many reaction equations and biocircles. To his most surprise, those equations are quite different with what he learned in origanic lecture. What shall he begin to go into the new world? Read Bioconjugate Technique --- this book will give Refresh you! ... Read more

Book Description

Polyphenylene Oxide and Modified Polyphenylene OxideMembranes deals with synthetic membranes based on polyphenylene andmodified polyphenylene oxide. It covers such membrane separationprocesses as low-pressure reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, membranegas separation, membrane vapor separation, pervaporation and membranebattery separator as well as thin film composite membranes and novelmembrane characterization methods. The contents of the book encompassalmost all subjects that have to be considered in the design,preparation, performance testing and characterization of polymericmembranes. The book is also unique since membranes based on the samepolymeric material are used for separations both in gas and liquidphase. Polyhenylene Oxide and Modified Polyphenylene Oxide Membranes isaimed toward graduate students, research staff, professionals andgovernment employees who conduct membrane R & D research, andengineers who design membranes and membrane modules as well as usemembrane separation processes. This book will be a valuable referenceand resource for specialists in industry and academia. ... Read more

Book Description

From medicine and defense to food and cosmetics, biotechnological breakthroughs are creating huge new global market opportunities as well as unprecedented challenges. Companies from mega-pharmaceuticals to infotech giants and biotech start-ups must radically rethink their business models. In the first book on the business of biotechnology, Françoise Simon and Philip Kotler combine their biotechnology and marketing ex-pertise to show managers how to innovate with bionetworks, win customers with biobrands, and create sustainable advantage worldwide.

Simon and Kotler explain in clear nontechnical prose how innovation in the new biosector will be driven by a web of cross-industry collaborations, and in particular by three transforming forces: information technology, consumerism, and systems biology. With timely industry cases, the authors demonstrate that by capitalizing on these forces, companies from Hitachi and Siemens to Amgen and Pfizer could become the biotech leaders of the coming decades.

The chapters on building and sustaining biobrands are the centerpiece of this indispensable book. Simon and Kotler present a powerful framework that will enable any manager to redefine and transform traditional models into a new branding paradigm: the global "targeted" model as an alternative to the global "mass market" model. The authors illustrate how each of these models has proven successful in launching such blockbuster drugs as Viagra, Lipitor, Rituxan, and Gleevec.

Relevant to all industries impacted by biotechnology from consumer goods to industrial products, Building Global Biobrands is essential reading for every manager, marketer, analyst, and consultant who must understand the Biotech Century. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

The absolute best book to date on the topic!
Building Global Biobrands is slated to become an instant classic. This book is nothing short of phenomenal. It gives a comprehensive yet cogent description and assessment of the state of biotechnology and global markets. The authors' conception, approach, and arguments are structured and presented in a manner as innovative and attention-grabbing as biotechnology itself.

Simon and Kotler focus the core of the book on the new marketing models companies need to support the rise of personalized medicine. They illustrate their concepts with a wealth of biotech and pharma cases, from Botox to Viagra.

Executives and analysts in biotech, pharmaceuticals, and information technology, as well as business school professors and students, will find Building Global Biobrands indispensable---now and in years to come.

A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF BIOTECH AND PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING
This is a very smart book: it is valuable for professionals in all aspects of health care who seek an insight into the global pricing and marketing of medical therapies.

Though not biological scientists, Simon and Kotler impart their treatise with a savvy academic outlook blended with lessons learned in the consulting arena. The authors show an amazing scholarship. They combine knowledge derived from personal acquaintance with key players in the biotechnology and classical pharmaceutical industry with an understanding of the medical applications and implications of drug therapies to weave a rich tapestry of a very complex topic.

Their view ranges from:
· a discussion of the history, politics and costs of biotechnologic research;
· the pricing of new drugs to allow both access and cost recovery (Novartis' introduction of GleevecR);
· the evolution of Big Pharmas' ( e.g. Pfizer, Merck) alliances with smaller bio-tech firms to find innovative therapies,

to the techniques used to maintain brand franchises as patent protection is lost. (Over-the-counter Advil remains a viable brand.)

They are able to keep readers' interest high by providing concise and lively vignettes of many developments in the history of drug introduction and marketing. Among these, they cite:
· Pfizer's promotion of late-entrant LipitorR to become the victor in the statin "races";
· Johnson & Johnson's brilliant recall of TylenolR following deaths due to product tampering and its ability to maintain the brand's prominence for over 30 years; and
· Pfizer's consumer-driven shaping of the market for ViagraR by creating erectile dysfunction as a new clinical entity.

The future appears to be in the realm of biotechnology with strong BigPharma participation. Whatever the new environment, the basic principles of marketing described in this volume will hold true.

A Good Read!
This book, exhaustively researched and daunting to read, sums up all of the most important forces likely to concern a biotech marketer. The authors take a dispassionate, methodical approach, buttress their points with plenty of case evidence and examples, clearly have a grasp of the subject and communicate detailed knowledge of great value to those in the field. Unfortunately, their style is plodding and clinical, replete with passive constructions and impersonal, generally soporific sentences. We believe that those with a real need to know will be glad to brew some strong coffee and grateful to stay the course and become so thoroughly updated. Readers who are intrigued by the field - but not immersed in it - will benefit most from reading the introduction, the first three chapters and the conclusion.

A wide and clear-sighted Bio-Business panorama
Françoise Simon and Philip Kotler provide us a concentrate analyse stressed on key-moving-drivers on the Bio-sector. They gave us a wide overview, from R&D leading trend to Marketing implementation and License & Acquisition Business. The two main strengths of this book are the numerous real case studies exposed and the international insight of the whole study(including Europe and Japan).
This book will interest Executives involved in Business Development, Bio-strategy or smart fox wondering what the Bio-sector will look in the fast coming years. This book is different because exhaustive and balanced between Biotech and Big-Pharmas Business model. A unique tool to keep and read again!

Outstanding and Insightful
This book is an outstanding resource for anyone in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries - or anyone interested in investing in those industries. It provides a wealth of information that cannot be found elsewhere. The analysis of alternative strategies for building stronger product markets is very thorough. ... Read more

Book Description

Over 140 specialists detail the newest materials and devices improving clinical success with spinal fusion—including advances in biodegradable implants, recombinant DNA, stem cell isolation and transfection, and 2D and 3D scaffolds for cells. Reviews core issues surrounding biomaterial selection, analytical methodology, and quality control. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (24)

A Commendable Failure
This is a book with many virtues and one fatal flaw. Among the former are a clear, lucid style and an impressive overview of the state of the art in contemporary genetic science and the moral debates that they have provoked. This book is highly recommended to those who are relatively new to these issues and want a superb, layman's introduction.

But the book's central argument is embarrassingly weak. Fukuyama relies on Aristotle to support his central claim that morality ought to be grounded in an essential conception of human nature, the substance of which he sketches in the core chapters of the book. Scientific techniques should be regulated by the state, he argues, so that they do not threaten this nature, and thereby constitute an assault on human dignity.

The flaw here is what 20th Century philosophers have labelled "the naturalistic fallacy": deriving a statement of value from a statement(s) of fact(s). In a word, facts tell us nothing about what is valuable. Fukuyama confronts this objection head-on by denying that the naturalistic fallacy really is a fallacy. (The "naturalistic fallacy fallacy"!) I admire his intellectual gusto in doing so, although he had little choice if he wanted his argument to have some chance of success. But he just isn't a good enough philosopher to pull it off. He doesn't even come remotely close. The fact that many philosophers (eg. Kant, Rawls) who accept that this is a fallacy have made claims about human nature--this is Fukuyama's main counter-argument--may be true, but it simply goes to show that they were inconsistent; it doesn't touch the naturalistic fallacy. That is the (weak) heart of his counter-argument. This isn't a minor problem for Fukuyama. His whole argument pivots on it. One can almost hear the rest of his book come crashing down around mid-way, as he earnestly rides into battle against the naturalistic fallacy armed with the flimsiest of weapons and fails to make even a small dent in it. All of the prescriptive aspects of the book fall with this failure, which makes the book overall a failure. (A disturbing conclusion, when one considers that Fukuyama is on a national committee on bioethics advising the US government!) But the copious descriptive parts of the book are very well executed and impressively well-informed, making it a commendable failure. You will learn a lot about modern science from this book, and nothing about what (ethically) to do about it.

Timely and Provocative
This is an exploration on several levels -- advances in biotechnology and where they are headed, and what it means to be human. While occasionally tedious, overall Fukuyama has an excellent writing style and coveys information well.

He starts by briefly examining George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. He then explains, "The aim of [this] book is to argue that Huxley was right, that the most significant threat posed by contemporary biotechnology is the possibility that it will alter human nature and thereby move us into a "posthuman" stage of history." (7)

For all of our diversity, humans share fundamental qualities. Aristotle and his students began the dialog about "the nature of human nature [which has continued] in the Western philosophical tradition right up to the early modern period, when liberal democracy was born." (13). The Declaration of Independence captured the concept of shared human equality (albeit the concept was imperfectly applied in the Constitution). Fukuyama picks up the dialog, going beyond medical ethics to how advances in biotechnology may affect what it means to be human -- our humanness.

The book is in three parts. In the first part he runs the spectrum of biotechnology issues facing humanity, asking many intriguing questions along the way. He categorizes these issues as "the increasing knowledge about the brain and the biological sources of human behavior, neuropharmacology and the manipulation of emotions and behavior, the prolongation of life, and finally, genetic engineering." (16). It is the latter that raises the most concern, that has huge moral implications, since it has the most potential to change human nature and brings with it the specter of eugenics -- originally a neutral term, but since the 1930s one that has taken on a dark, foreboding connotation.

He explains (101) the cause for worry. "It is...a fear that, in the end, biotechnology will cause us in some way to lose our humanity -- that is, some essential quality that has always underpinned our sense of who we are and where we are going ...And what is that human essence that we might be in danger of losing? For a religious person, it might have to do with the divine gift or spark that all human beings are born with. From a secular perspective, it would have to do with human nature: the species-typical characteristics shared by all human beings qua human beings. That is ultimately what is at stake in the biotech revolution."

The second part of the book "deals with the philosophical issues raised by an ability to manipulate human nature. It argues for the centrality of human nature to our understanding of right and wrong -- that is, human rights -- and how we can develop a concept of human dignity that does not depend on religious assumptions about the origins of man" (16). He discusses at length (chapter 7) Western humanistic philosophies and social theories about the nature of man that presuppose more versatility with these ideas than I possess. Noticeably, he puts less emphasis on the spiritual aspects of being human (in contrast, for example, to Dr. Martin Luther King in his meditations on "What is Man" and "Dimensions of a Complete Life.") In chapter 8 he defines what he means by human nature and in chapter 9, human dignity. The latter is "the idea there is something unique about the human race that entitles every member of the species to a higher moral status than the rest of the natural world" (160).

"We are thus brought back to the question of politics and political strategies. For if there is a viable concept of human dignity out there, it needs to be defended, not just in philosophical tracts but in the real world of politics, and protected by viable political institutions" (177). This is the topic of the third part of his book - how and where we decide to draw the line. He argues that this decision can only be made by "the democratically constituted political community, acting chiefly through their elected representatives" (186).

The scope of his research is enormous (much of it building on his previous work), and he has excellent insights. For example,
· "If people get upset enough about genetic inequality, there will be two alternative courses of action. The first and most sensible would simply be to forbid the use of biotechnology to enhance human characteristics and decline to compete in this dimension. But the notion of enhancement may become too powerfully attractive to forego...At this point a second possibility opens up, which is to use that same technology to raise up the bottom" (158-159).
· In his discussion of reductionism vs. complex systems theory (162-164) he explains how cosmology and particle physics, even the eventual discovery of a Grand Unified Theory, likely will be unable to predict with certitude how the known universe will continue to evolve.
· He says (28), "Attacking the methodological credentials of people whose views one doesn't like and dismissing their work as "pseudoscience" is a convenient shortcut around arguing over substance." Interesting comment in light of the current controversy surrounding the Raelian claim of having cloned humans for the first time.
· "Human nature also serves to provide us with guidance as to what political orders won't work. Proper understanding of the contemporary evolutionary theory of kin selection, or inclusive fitness, for example, would have led us to predict the bankruptcy and ultimate failure of communism, due to the latter's failure to respect the natural inclination to favor kin and private property" (127).

In the end this is not only a primer on biotech issues, but a philosophical discussion of what it means to be human as well. While it's an evenhanded exploration, he shows a preference for caution and control. "...[I]t is time to move from thinking to acting, from recommending to legislating. We need institutions with real enforcement powers" (204). It's a complex book that is rewarding even if difficult to fully absorb (for me, in one reading anyway).

Thoughtful and interesting
There is no great revolutionary thesis here of the kind that Fukuyama astonished the world with in his previous work, claiming that the end of history had come and it is the triumph of liberal democracy. But there is the same kind of reasoned and measured thought, this time about the very nature of what it means to be human, and the threats to our humanity posed by our own technological innovations.
It seems to me that Fukuyama touches on only a share of the problems involved with the question. And I believe he could be helped had he relied on the Jewish conception , that human beings are creators creating in the image of the Creator and therefore constantly recreating themselves. i.e. by the conception that the essence of Mankind is in transcending our past humanity to create our next stage of development. In any case this is an important book for anyone who would understand the problems Humanity is facing today in regard to its own essence and future.

...and this guy's on the president's bioethics panel?!
I guess someone has to play the job of the paranoid futurist and Fukuyama has done a great job of it in the past. Here, he is no better. His aim: the biotech industry. His worry: biotech threatens human dignity. His arguments: (?)

I bought this book after seeing him on a C-SPAN panel discussion and he seemed quite balanced. Myself seeing nothing wrong with biotech (and being puzzled at the 'human dignity' arguments), I am still willing to hear good arguments to counter my own. I thought this would be the book. It was not.

The first section of the book is a rehash of the developments and techinical information needed to make a meaningful discussion of biotech. Here, Fukuyama gains both his stars. He was clear, concise, and he even managed to say in one sentence what I've seen others say in 2 paragraphs, and more comprehensively. Being familliar with a lot of this info from past readings, a lesser writer may have caused me to skip over the chapters. Even though I'd read most of the info before, reading it in Fukuyama's words was exciting.

Then there is the second, decidedly more philosophical section, where the author discusses first, human rights, and second, human dignity. Here, we see that Fukuyama is truly "Aristotle's bulldog". He first makes a(n almost irrelevent) case for natural rights. How does he do it? Surprise, suprise: humans have natures; those natures are (with minor variance) universal: therefore, human rights exist. He tells us that "ought" actually can be derived from "is". But here is the problem. Fukuyama is very selective in what he recognizes as human nature. Many prominent biologists have shown that brutish things like revenge, rape, infanticide, and bluffing (via game theory) are also part of our universal natures. Should we recognize them as rights too? Fukuyama, oddly, is silent. (somme other reviewers have made astute critiques of his "natural rights" proofs). While I think that 'oughts' should be made with 'is's' in mind (judgments should be INFORMED by fact), Fukuyama (and other natural rights theorists) must unavoidably be selective in what parts of our natures to count as 'natural rights' and which not to. These are value judgments and ones based almost unavoidably on PRIOR conceptions of what is desirable. Therefore, "is" to "ought" is not a necessary step, but a highly 'unnatural' moral leap. (Oddly enough, Fukuyama quotes Hume saying exactly this, never quite rebutting him. Hume, it turns out, makes the stronger case!)

From there, we talk about human dignity. I certainly agree with Fukuyama on two points: first, science has had a nasty tendency to (somewhat sadistically) make statements "degrading human dignity". Instead of being the third chimpanzee (an oversimplification to say the least), we are "JUST (read: only or merely) the third chimpanzee. Similarly Richard Dawkins likes to say that we are survival machines BLINDLY programmed by our genes to ensure their, not our, survival. The second area that I agree with Fukuyama is that science has made it appear that since we are made of the same stuff as other animals, that we are really not much different from them. This ignores obvious empirical evidence that even if we have the same emotions as, say, bonobos, we not only have more of them, but we can do such things as supress them, learn about them, modify them (fairly quickly) and be aware of them in a second-order way. Fukuyama, then, is right on these two counts and becuase of both of them, science has appeared to threaten our human dignity.

Where he is not correct is on the conclusions he draws from is: that biotech DOES threaten our dignity. If our natures can be manipulated, he says, then there is really not much special about us at all. My answer: only if that is the way YOU want to think of it, but your conclusion doesn't necessarily follow. After all, we can control diamonds: we can cut them, color them, crush them into powder, chisel them to our specs; but does that make a diamond less valuable to us? No. So if I were to engineer my daughter prior to birth to try and ensure that she is as healthy or has the 'best brain' possible, does that diminish her future high score on the SAT's? I highly doubt she will really think of it as my, and not her own, achievement. Fukuyama also assumes that we will be able to genetically engineer to ensure our children are succesful in life. Hmmm....I thought environmental factors played pretty important roles in ones 'succcess' (whether you've the right business partners, whether consumers like your ideas, whether you are in the right place at the right time with the right people...etc.)

There is a third section that takes his 'arguments' and applies them to public policy debates where his ultimate stance is to put serious regulations on cloning and biotech. I found this section only skim-worthy, as they rely on the faulty argumenets in previous sections.

I generally don't write long reviews, but there are honestly so many fallacies, over-simplifications, and unrealistic speculations in this book (not much of a departure from The End of History)that writing a short one would feel wrong. My suggestion? Read the book, but do so skeptically. A better book explicating the same kind of fears but with better arguments? "Human Cloning and Human Dignity" by The President's Council on Bioethics.

Human Nature Has Never Been Static
What is "human nature"? And will failure to initiate widespread government oversight of scientific research that could change this definition open a Pandora's Box of dire consequences?

Fukuyama suggests that failure to impose substantial government dictates over the "when's" and "how's" of future research centering on the human body and mind will precipitate a significant sea change in the inherent nature of our species, how we interact with one another, and a potential threat to Liberal Democracy. The implicit message is that unfettered scientific inquiry will lead to developments we will come to deeply regret.

While Fukuyama correctly illustrates the "easy fixes" that our society has latched onto (Prozac, Ritilin: Who said freedom to choose would mean wise choices?), his thesis fails to acknowledge the considerable roadblocks that Religion and State have placed in the way of the evolution of our species throughout history.

"Human nature" has, in fact, demonstrated a rather elastic nature over time. If one accepts the premise that human nature is fixed in an eternal quest for freedom, self-development and dignity and is manifested in superior intelligence, then one would want to remove any artificial roadblocks to creating the maximum environment in which these attributes could flourish. How else to explain the demise of almost all competing political models to Liberal Democracy? Yet, Fukuyama proposes a step backward, based on what appears to be a fixed, non-elastic definition of human nature.

Were a caveman to be plopped down in the late 20th Century and witness the first heart transplant, would he recoil in disgust and declare the practice inimical to the basic fabric of human existence? Quite likely. Does that mean, with the limited intelligence of a less developed brain - but with a brain nonetheless and all basic body parts and feelings that "Modern Man" exhibits - that the caveman would be right? I don't believe anyone would answer in the affirmative.

Now, as Man fights to tap the wonders of stem cells to better his fellow man by ridding the world of Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, spinal cord injuries and the like, a new Holy Alliance of Religion and State has swooped in to cut off this laudable research at its knees. Already, the director of the National Institutes of Health has called on President Bush to lift draconian restrictions on research utilizing the stem cells of embryos discarded from fertility clinics (clinics whose practices have been condemned by only a vocal minority). Other voices, including a broad-based medical ethics panel, also call for revision of the Administration's protocols.

Time was, Inquisitions were used to ferret out individuals whose scientific curiosity did not adhere to those of The True Believers. Now we have a more diplomatic way to arrive at the same end: find a politician to serve as Front Man.

As dispassionate and thoughtful as Fukuyama's work appears on the surface - and no one can really argue that the author is a card-carrying member of The Religious Right or a shill for the Papacy - Fukuyama's call to action would have us expand the yoke of State control (in concert with the views of select religious figures) at a time when his beloved model of Liberal Democracy is finally expanding across the globe, toppling barriers to the practical application of human intelligence everywhere.

Which, in its own way, is rather ironic. ... Read more

Book Description

Infrared Spectroscopy of Biomolecules Edited by Henry H. Mantsch and Dennis Chapman Dramatic new advances in the application of infrared spectroscopy to biomolecules and instrumentation are revolutionizing this branch of molecular spectroscopy. Infrared Spectroscopy of Biomolecules provides an up-to-date, detailed look at the different spectroscopic techniques now available and offers a framework for progression in the field, including the evolution of Fourier transform methods, the development of time-resolved techniques and difference spectroscopy, as well as new modulation methods. The book begins with a fundamental introduction to the theories behind both infrared spectroscopy and the Fourier transform method, which lays the groundwork for the instrumental and mathematical chapters that follow. Once the basics of the infrared methods are established, the proceeding chapters cover the application of infrared spectroscopy to proteins, lipids, enzymes, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and biomembranes. Other chapters in this excellent reference include: Theoretical Analyses of the Amide I Infrared Bands of Globular Proteins Slow and Fast Infrared Kinetic Studies Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy of Cell Surface Polysaccharides What Can Infrared Spectroscopy Tell Us About the Structure and Composition of Intact Bacterial Cells Biomedical Infrared Spectroscopy Editors Henry Mantsch and Dennis Chapman, leading experts in the field, conclude with an exciting look at much-anticipated future developments, including the use of caged compounds and studies of oxidation reduction systems within the IR spectrometer. A solid introduction to the basics with up-to-the-minute coverage of the latest developments in the field, Infrared Spectroscopy of Biomolecules is an indispensable reference tool for biochemists, biophysicists, and structural biologists alike. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A big deception
Besides the wonderful prospects I had when I bought the book I was deeply disappointed when I went through its pages. Even though it includesinteresting contributions in several point areas, like isotope editting,and spectroscopy of lipids/membranes and nucleic acids, it lacks asignificant chapter about proteins!. Yes, even though at least 80% of thebiochemists that use routinely FTIR in their experiments analyse proteins,there is not even a minimal introduction about what a FTIR spectrum ofproteins does look like (forget about amide bands other than Amide I! ).Only in one chapter there is reference to the analysis of the Amide I band,but just a theoretical analysis. I miss even a simple table including thetypical frequencies of the secondary structure elements in proteins! .Fortunately there is an exception to this in the chapter on membraneproteins (something is something?), interesting but scarce for a book likethis one and dangerous because membrane proteins often display differentfeatures. Also I miss a sort of simple introduction of the technique veryhelpful with people that have a first contact with the FTIR. In conclusion.I don't think this is THE reference book about biomolecular FTIR, but asort of compendium of several experimental strategies in the biochemicalFTIR field with very little conexion between them, and lack of a generalpurpose. If you want some general info about FTIR and biomolecules, go tothe classical rewievs they are far more complete, clearer and cheaper! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

STUPID
I CAN'T RATE IT BECAUSE I CAN'T READ THE STUPID BOOK. I CNA'T EVEN READ A STUPID EXCERPT OF THE STUPID BOOK. AS YOU CAN SEE RIGHT NOW I THINK THIS BOOK IS STUPID.

A Versatile, Accessible Introduction
I came away very impressed from Dr. Brown's latest edition. The book is extremely readable but does not dumb down the material. I'm taking an upper-level molecular genetics lab and am doing independent work in genetics, and this book is a great reference. However, I think that this book would be pretty easy for someone with introductory level biology--heck, I think some AP Biology high school teachers may be able to use this text for their classes.

Brown takes you through all the basics of molecular genetics: from the basic mechanics of DNA manipulation to PCR, bacteriophages, and even a review of basic genomics and genomic analysis, which are still very new and rapidly evolving fields. Every chapter has references for more in-depth study. This is a great book to introduce you to modern molecular genetics. ... Read more

Book Description

A raucous tour of the fast-fading borderland between fringe and mainstream science.

In California, a woman desperately hoping to usher in a new spiritual age conspires with her scientist boyfriend to clone herself. In Massachusetts, the founder of a famous biotech company strives to deliver on the apocalyptic vision of human immortality. In Arizona, an iconoclastic billionaire establishes a handful of fledgling companies promising an enhanced human future and super-long life. Meanwhile, some of the world's most renowned scientists begin speaking openly about genetically engineering people and rebuilding human bodies. The two sides are merging, and Brian Alexander takes readers to the on ramp.

Alexander traces the story of William Haseltine, one of the most famous, and richest, of a new breed of biotechnology entrepreneurs. A former Harvard professor and now CEO of Human Genome Sciences, Haseltine is considered the father of "regenerative medicine." With his reputation as a biotech bad-boy and lover of controversy, he has become a high priest of the new biotech religion, looked upon by life extensionists as "a hero." Alexander examines his career and shows how little separates the science elite from the dreamers who believe a new human age is about to begin. Funny, bizarre, yet always fascinating, Rapture takes readers into the surprising stories behind cloning, stem cells, miracle drugs, and genetic engineering to explore how we got here and why we'll go where nobody thought we could. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent Book - Noteworthy History of Transhumanism
This book has got the buzz and the facts clear. It is a book about the "pioneers" of transhumanism and what they did early on that has set the pace for the futurists today.

Who else is going to tell the story but a writer that admires the ideas of transhumanists and also can laugh with us? If you cannot laugh at yourself, what is the point of living a long and enjoyable life? There isn't, and this is to Brian Alexander's credit.

We owe a lot to the Los Angeles Transhumanists - FM Esfandiary, Natasha Vita-More, Eric Drexler, Max More, Ralph Merkle, Greg Fahy - the entire gang.

If you want to read a book that literally gets you to go to the frig and get a beer, kick back on the sofa, and dream of a long life - this is the book!

Left of Center - but thinking toward the future.

Jason Jefferson

A brilliant history of scientific & spiritual thought
I know many of the people outlined in this book and am deeply involved in cloning. Alexander's portrayal of me and my activities was accurate & pithy but was unduly one-dimensional.
However, this is a brilliant work which ties together ideas that have combined within the past decade or so to become a movement called Transhumanism.
By connecting the thoughts of early scientific dreamers with the realities of modern day biotechnology, Brian Alexander deserves the glowing cover blurb by Glen McGee:
"Brian Alexander has turned the most important scientific revolution since Galileo into an adventure story that touches your mind and soul. No writer has ever dug this deep or looked forward this imaginatively. With Rapture, Alexander has become the voice of biotechnology for the 21st Century."
As a cloning activist, I usually end up debating McGee on the air. However, he is right on target here. Alexander is quite right that science and biotechnology have become a new religion for disparate groups that believe in cryonics, cloning, life extension, etc. Many don't like the label "religion" because religionists are usually the ones persecuting them. The historic philosophical roots of this religion versus science debate provide a useful perspective to the new debates we are having in this new age.
If I could give it ten stars, I would. It is really the most informative "connecting" book I have ever read.

It's not "religious" if you can do it
Brian Alexander writes about many people I happen to know. In fact, his description of the Extropian movement in the early 1990's made me rather nostalgic.

But he doesn't seem to understand why people would want to conquer aging and death, and he performs a disservice by characterizing the movement as a "religion," by which he means a belief system that's impractical or lacking factual support. Scientists have radically extended the lives of certain species of laboratory animals in apparent good health. Because of the conservative nature of the genome across species, similar biochemical pathways probably exist in humans that we might be able to use to retard aging and greatly extend our healthy lives well past 120 years.

Religions, by contrast, don't have anything like an animal model to demonstrate that their beliefs can send animals' "souls" to otherworldly heavens, much less human "souls." So comparing physical immortalism with a religion is patently absurd.

Still, I gave the book three stars because Alexander provides some valuable information and historical insight into a social movement that promises to revolutionize the human condition, unless the Kassian "Yuck" faction succeeds in suppressing it. ... Read more

Book Description

From the bestselling author of The End of Nature comes a passionate plea to limit the technologies that could change the very definition of who we are

We are on the verge of crossing the line from born to made, from created to built. Sometime in the next few years, a scientist will reprogram a human egg or sperm cell, spawning a genetic change that could be passed down into eternity. We are sleepwalking toward the future, argues Bill McKibben, and it’s time to open our eyes.

In The End of Nature, nearly fifteen years ago, McKibben demonstrated that humanity had begun to irrevocably alter—and endanger—our environment on a global scale. Now he turns his eye to an array of technologies that could change our relationship not with the rest of nature but with ourselves. He explores the frontiers of genetic engineering, robotics, and nanotechnology—all of which we are approaching with astonishing speed—and shows that each threatens to take us past a point of no return. We now stand at a critical threshold, poised between the human past and a post-human future.

Ultimately, McKibben offers a celebration of what it means to be human, and a warning that we risk the loss of all meaning if we step across the threshold. His wise and eloquent book argues that we cannot forever grow in reach and power—that we must at last learn how to say, “Enough.”
... Read more

Reviews (16)

Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age by Bill McKibben
Although this book should get 5 stars for imagination and style,
I disagree with its premise.
We humans already have built into our systems, the trait of curiosity as well as the strong desire to survive as a species.
We're going to move forward with genetic research, stem cell
research and cloning organs in the 21st Century. We're also
excited with the prospect of space travel and intelligent life
elsewhere in the universe.
The author thinks that we must stop developing our human-ness, at
this time because we need to stick with what's "natural."

Is it natural to have the ability to cure all diseases by manipulating genes and stem cells, but NOT do it?...for fear of
not being "natural?" Is it natural NOT to live 200 years, if we
have it within our power to do so? As long as we solve the
problems of overpopulation, what's wrong with living 200 years?

At this time, we're replacing damaged human parts with new high
tech man-made materials? Is it unnatural to have a prosthetic
arm, leg, hand, etc.? In some cases, we're also using animal
cells to cure human brain diseases. Some people have used
transplanted animal hearts. Is this unnatural...to want to live,
no matter what? Would it be better to die then to have an
animal or prosthetic part?
Cloning human organs simply refines the above procedures, and
nothing more.

In the 21st Century we already know that machines are putting many out of work. We know that computers can "think" faster than most humans, and yet we want them to make our lives more
convenient. Our desire to choose our own destiny could come to
an end if we were NOT to enhance our brain power vis a vie these
existing machines. What is wrong with that?

Is it unnatural to want to have higher intelligence than the machines in our lives?
Through the development of machines, computer chips, satellites,
space ships, and the e*world in general, we have changed our
environment. The "medium is the message" should be pretty clear
here. Now, we need to adapt to the very environment that we
have wrought. The reason that homo sapiens have come this far, is the ability of our brains to adapt to an assortment of environments. Of course, we need to develop our intelligence so
that we are the masters of the machines and...beyond. Wouldn't
it be grossly unnatural NOT to be smarter than the machines we
build?

There's no doubt that most humans who think about space travel,
are smart enough, in the present time, to know that we humans
will NOT be able to do this, in our present form. If we ever reach the point of being able to chart a destination...it wouldn't be possible to arrive at that goal, in our present state. No doubt, to send a space ship out into the universe to
some distant planet or moon with humans on board to inhabit that
celestial place, our Planet Earth ancestors will have to create
a nearly new species... a more sophisticated primate. Perhaps,
humanoids with highly enhanced brains and no legs will navigate
a cargo of suspended fertilized eggs, as well as humans long in
hibernation. But how is this not natural? Isn't it very natural to want to explore our universe? Isn't it extremely
natural to want to survive a collision with a meteor or comet, if
it's "humanly" possible?

It would seem that NOT to do all of the above, would hold back
our VERY NATURAL human drives of survival and exploration.
I applaud the author for pointing out some pitfalls that technology might lead us into. Taking these into consideration,
we humans, have no choice but to move forward into gradually
expanding brave new worlds, which is what we have always done, in
order to make our species stronger and able to survive.

He's right!!!!! .....ENOUGH
Very readable. A minor knowledge of genetics and cursory knowledge of robotics will get you through this book without confusion. Nanotechnology is so new that few of us have even a fundamental knowledge of its workings. Fortunately, Mr. McKibben recognizes this and spares us baffling jargon on most all issues. Recommended reading for any parent having more than half a child, or considering having a child.

Perhaps I was fortunate to have read Francis Fukuyama's "Our Posthuman Future" and Greg Stock's "Redesigning Humans" just prior to reading Mr. McKibben's book. As Mr. McKibben says in his book, Fukuyama used an [unremarkable] style to get the message across that something must be done now to begin to internationally regulate the ethical boundaries of, and path forward for, genetics.

Mr. McKibben is clearly well read on a number of subjects and takes a pragmatic yet fatalistic view of the future considering the current trend of science. He talks of the perils and pitfalls that could accompany the genetic revolution, while giving a fair and balanced view of the merits of the field in disease prevention. What he does extremely well in this book, "Enough", is to draw attention to the paralleling emerging technologies of genetics, nanotechnology and robotics (GNR as he has labeled it), and the confluence of these three fast-paced advancing technologies.

Although an interesting and well written book, I cannot refrain from commenting (as Mr. McKibben politely did) on the conclusions drawn in Gregory Stock's book. Mr. Stock takes the view that the momentum is too great now and is unstoppable (heaven forbid that he is correct). Mr. McKibben is thorough and visionary in helping us understand the burning issue at hand in the bioethical decisions we must make in thwarting this burgeoning push towards germinal technology. The burning issue.... the future of our children (or wandering humans without meaning...whatever...) in that they will inevitably bear the consequences of inaction within the coming ten, twenty or fifty years from now if this current generation of commercial decision makers is left to their own devices. The exact timing is debatable. The outcome, if unchecked, is only a question of severity of the consequences, not when.

Mr. McKibben's forward thinking scenarios of what the human may evolve to if some or all of this modification occurs paints a stark... no dark, picture of the "human" of the future. Wandering aimlessly without family ties and wondering if the enhancements bequeathed upon them by their ancestors predisposed them to their calling in life, or if their physical and intellectual successes were of their own ability, or the results of their modifications.

He closes with several brief conclusions shared by other academics in that it is a "freight train" (my words) that could only be stopped by a police state. The choice...Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", a return to a caste system liking that of India in past years, or George Orwell's "1984". Take your pick.

I admit to be one to worry about what the future holds for my children in any event. That's my job. However, this book helped me to finally draw a clear conclusion that a sad destiny is upon us if something is not done. As Mr. McKibben points out, we are a species that has, in the past, said "Enough" when the consequences were unmistakably too grave. It can be done again. I am of the mind that we should do it again. That we just say enough, and begin to regulate it in the face of the commercial proponents.

I was truly taken aback by Mr. McKibben's simple comment that we may be the last generation to be able to make this choice. The Mother of all choices as it may turn out.

For the immediate, the best thing we could do would be to see a few more books realizing the need for a fast track plan to educate our children about the oncoming freight train. This would allow them to at least begin to understand and be aware of the potential danger of the outcome, and hopefully, to choose to oppose it in the coming years.

Well done Bill. One of the best books on bioethics I have read to date. It should be mandatory for all parents. Five Stars in my book.

By Stephan Agnitsch, an American in Malaysia
sagnitsch@pc.jaring.my

Look out Galileo, Copernicus, Dr. Frankenstein, et al!
The only thing new about this book is the author and the printing date. Its premise is as old as recorded history. "Man dare not venture into some areas or he risks waking the demon, being eaten by the sea monster, incurring the wrath of the gods, creating the Frankenstein monster, etc."

First of all, these dire predictions seldom (if ever) come to pass. Nuclear power is an excellent example. In spite of the dire warnings and gloomy scenarios, some how we've managed to avoid annihilation (I can hear the collective "well, not yet" issuing from the Naderites), much to the chagrin of doom-prophets like McKibben, I'm sure. We seem to manage to stay alive and even prosper whatever technologies we happen develop.

Most importantly, McKibben's proposal that we ban, cease, outlaw, restrict, move backwards, whatever, is untenable. You cannot stop people from eventually exploring these areas. The technologies will be developed. Pass all the laws you want. Set up all the inquisitions you can muster. Burn all the heretics you can round up. The Bible will still be translated into English. The printing press will still disseminate information to the masses. The world will still revolve around the sun, not vice versa. Even though God didn't give man wings he can still fly. The automobile will replace the horse. It will still be possible to exceed the speed of sound. Man will still be descended from lower life forms, and on and on.

McKibben challenges us to face the "fact" that things are as good as we need them to be. He asks us to imagine how life could actually be any better and believes that we must admit that we can't. Well, horse hockey! Ask someone at the end of the 19th century the same question and they would probably not be able to imagine the world we live in. They would probably have agreed with the statement, "Life can't get any better than it is right now." Point is we can't know what all this will mean for the future of mankind. I, for one, am not willing to abandon possibilities based on the fear mongering of a twenty-first century naysayer.

As for his argument that all this is somehow dehumanizing, nothing is more human than improving who we are and how we live. That is exactly how we've survived for the past 3.5 million years. Sorry Bill, but you can take your place with the old wives and leave the rest of us alone.

I'm glad McKibben has the ability to say what he says. He needs to thank technological advancement for the opportunity. Other wise, he'd still be plowing a field to put bread on the table instead of cashing a check and going to the store. This book is one of the best examples of cultural lag that I've seen lately. The sad thing is that so many agree with the premise out of ignorance and fear. But, that too has had it evolutionary advantages. Fortunately, it's always been the progressives that adapted and survived. Sorry Bill, I think you're headed for extinction.

Good enough
The book is a discussion of McKibben's opinions of genetic manipulation of humans, the history of stem cell and cloning research and the possible outcomes. It is not a scientific work, but succeeds as a discussion in bioethics.
The book would be very useful for those who are unfamiliar with the subject and those who are only beginning to study bioethics. Some of the information seems too superficial for me, since I am a Family Physician studying for a Master's in Bioethics. I still learned new information and am definitely informed by the author's viewpoint.
I disagree with some of his pessimism about the reaction of the subjects of genetic manipulation since all children have struggled with identity and we've done fairly well so far. However, Dr Leon Kass and other more informed minds agree with McKibben. (I wonder how much of our differing opinions and optimism/pessimism are due to *our* genetics and how much due to that very struggle? How much is nature, how much nurture and the specific portion of our environment that includes these discussions?)

Are we about to make ourselves obsolete? Read the book!
This is one of the most thoughtful, and sobering, books I've ever read. McKibben takes a deep, serious and well-researched look at the implications of genetic engineering, nanotechnology, robotics and artificial intelligence, and the view is chilling. Whether you are a technophile or a technophobe, read this book. Some version of the post-human future McKibben envisions is racing toward us. Robert Adler, author of _Medical Firsts: From Hippocrates to the Human Genome_ and _Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation_. ... Read more

Book Description

This second edition is a well-rounded, up-to-date handbook of fermentation and biochemical engineering presenting the latest techniques for the commercial production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals via fermentation. Emphasis is given to unit operations fermentation, separation, purification, and recovery. Principles, process design, and equipment are detailed. Environment aspects are covered.

The practical aspects of development, design, and operation are stressed. Theory is included to provide the necessary insight for a particular operation. Problems addressed are the collection of pilot data, choice of scale-up parameters, selection of the right piece of equipment, pinpointing of likely trouble spots, and methods of troubleshooting.

The text, written from a practical and operating viewpoint, will assist development, design, engineering and production personnel in the fermentation industry. Contributors were selected based on their industrial background and orientation.

The book is illustrated with numerous figures, photographs and schematic diagrams.

Book Description

Richly illustrated throughout, this book provides a comprehensive, approachable summary of the field of crystallography, fundamental theory of diffraction and properties of crystals, applications in determining macromolecular structure. Dedicated to providing a complete introduction to the subjectthat does not assume a background in physics or math, books contents flow logically from basic principles to methods, such as those for solving phase problems, interpretation of Patterson maps, and the difference Fourier method. This introduction includes practical instruction on interpretation of data and methods for determining phases and also: 

• Illustrates concepts throughout to clarify difficult ideas
• Integrates analogies to illuminate the text
• Equips the reader to employ the range of programs in crystallography

Reviews (4)

Highly Recommended
"...I highly recommend this book...in fact, I foresee it finding its way to the bookshelves of many faculty members, albeit with frequent removal for consultation as an educational tool!" (Clinical Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 7, 2003)

Recommended Book
"...this welcome addition to the introductory crystallographic literature should be well received...recommended..." (Choice, Vol. 40, No. 8, April 2003)

Excellent
"...an excellent introductory text..." (Journal of Proteome Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, March/April 2003)

Masterful
"...a masterful presentation of the theory and practice of crystallography as applied to large molecules. Any student or professional who wants to deepen his or her understanding of the field should work through this text. The clarity, completeness, and simplicity of [Dr. McPherson's] treatment are impressive." --Andrew J.Howard, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, and Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois ... Read more

Book Description

A riveting tale of the battle over genetically engineered foods, and an inside look at a biotech food empire.

Once confined to the research laboratory, the genetic engineering of plants is now a big business that is changing the face of modern agriculture. Giant corporations are creating designer crops with strange powers-from cholesterol-reducing soybeans to plants that act as miniature drug factories, churning out everything from vaccines to insulin. They promise great benefits: better health for consumers, more productive agriculture-even an end to world hunger. But the vision has a dark side, one of profit-driven tampering with life and the possible destruction of entire ecosystems. In Lords of the Harvest, Daniel Charles takes us deep inside research labs, farm sheds, and corporate boardrooms to reveal the hidden story behind this agricultural revolution. He tells how a handful of scientists at Monsanto drove biotechnology from the lab into the field, and how the company's opponents are fighting back with every tool available to them, including the cynical manipulation of public fears. A dramatic account of boundless ambition, political intrigue, and the quest for knowledge, Lords of the Harvest is ultimately a story of idealism and of conflicting dreams about the shape of a better world. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great storytelling
Daniel Charles' "Lords of the Harvest" succeeds in bringing perspective to the biotech industry and the contentious issue of genetically modified food. The author does this by personalizing the protaganists at the heart of the story: the scientists who were driven mainly by the quest for knowledge and discovery; the businesspeople who sought dollar returns from their laboratory investments; and the environmentalists who felt that genetic engineering was simply the latest ugly manifestation of an out-of-control agribusiness industry. The result is a highly entertaining and readable book that should interest a wide audience.

The scientists who invented and nurtured the industry tend to get much better treatment from Charles than either the businesspeople or the environmentalists. As a former science reporter for NPR, Charles seems most comfortable painting psychological portraits of the researchers at Monsanto and elsewhere. Charles lovingly details the innovative and pioneering work that these scientists undertook and the intriguing problems they solved. Charles shows how these early projects gave shape to the modern biotech industry, and his writing in these sections is vivid and interesting. And in the chapter "Infinite Horizons", Charles enthuses about the potential of biotechnology to help solve the world's problems. Throughout, Charles' enthusiasm for science and biotechnology is unmistakable.

On the other hand, the businesspeople of biotech get beat up pretty badly in the book. You get the feeling that Charles seems slightly upset that big business can't figure out how to bring the benefits of painstaking scientific discovery to the people. Specifically, Charles relates the numerous and sometimes humorous mistakes made by executives at Monsanto and Calgene (the inventor of the ill-fated "Flavr Savr" tomato) in their quests to dominate their respective markets. Charles successfully uses these case studies to add color and context to the larger story that he is telling (for example, the author's profile of Monsanto CEO Robert Shapiro and his messianic-like appeal to the company's scientists to help save the world with biotechnology). Charles does an excellent job describing the corporate cultures and the motivations of key individuals, rendering his descriptions of the business wheeling-and-dealing that went on behind the scenes that much more interesting. However, I think that Charles is correct in concluding that it was the arrogance of Monsanto's top executives, more than any other single factor, that ultimately led to the company's demise and the public backlash against biotechnology.

Unfortunately, the environmentalists don't get treated much better. Although Charles appears to have abundantly interviewed scientists and businesspeople to gather original material for the book, it doesn't seem that he had much success contacting environmentalists; the profiles of well-known biotech opponents such as Jeremy Rifkin and Benny Sharlin appear to have been drawn from secondary sources. Consequently we don't enjoy the same level of insight regarding their motivations compared with the scientists. So although Charles does a respectable job of reporting why the environmentalists opposed biotech products and the actions that they took, the author's sympathies do not appear to lie with the environmentalists. Instead, Charles deftly swats aside several of the well-known studies that purport to show risks associated with genetically modified crops (such as Dr. Pusztai's rat and John Losey's Monarch butterfly studies). In fact, a certain level of hostility arises when the author makes the charge that environmentalists nevertheless publicized such "murky and ill-defined" (p. 208) studies purporting risk merely as a way to further their own agendas. But it does not seem to occur to Charles that many environmentalists might have organized the challenge to genetically modified food out of genuine concern for the welfare of consumers.

I also take slight issue with Charles on two other issues. First is his silence concerning regulation of the biotech industry. His techno-utopian bias leads him to claim that biotech is not substantially different compared with traditional plant and animal breeding practices, with the implication that the public should not be overly concerned about regulation of the industry. But the scientists' tools to recombine DNA in novel ways are so powerful and the effects are so little understood that it is not unreasonable to suggest that a greater level of corporate accountability should be required to ensure that the public interest is protected.

Second, Charles should have addressed the recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) controversy more adequately, given that this was a major Monsanto initiative (the heart of the book was about Monsanto and its scientists). His relative silence on this issue is defeaning: could it be that the environmentalists' charges about the risks of rBGH have at least some merit?

Still, I believe that Charles has done a good job of navigating some very tricky ideological terrain. "Lords of the Harvest" is probably as balanced a book on the subject of biotechnology as any other you'll likely find, and I highly recommend it.

Right facts, wrong story
As one of Daniel Charles's sources and a very minor character in this book, I was disappointed at how a writer with so much inside information about what happened could tell a story that got what happened so wrong in an effort to make it dramatic and appealing.

Arthur Hailey's novels Airport, Hotel, Wheels, etc. comprise some of the better books that expose and glamorize the inside workings of an otherwise mundane industry. Of course, if it were really that enjoyable and interesting, they wouldn't call it work, they'd call it fishing and we'd do it for free. But Arthur Hailey wrote fiction, and he was smart enough to stay off the farm. Not so with Daniel Charles.

The enterprise of agriculture is more mundane than most, if only because it takes months of gradual growth and development to produce a crop, and years of almost imperceptible change to develop a new product. Much of the time is spent just waiting. Turning science into technology can produce beautiful and interesting results without the process itself being either glamorous or interesting. It's people going to work and doing their jobs. Most of us working in the field believed we knew what could be done and thought we could figure out how to do it. What made the process so difficult were the different visions of that same reality, visions sufficiently disparate that two people coming out of the same meeting had diametrically opposite understandings about what had been said and what had been agreed to. If that sounds like standard operating procedure in corporate America, welcome to the real world. It's three steps forward, two steps back, day after day. You might as well try to glamorize a trip to the barber shop.

Fact-based? It is. Balanced? It may be. But to at least some of us who were (and are) there, it still reads like fiction.

A wonderful storyteller, a thoughtful book
In the epilogue of Lords of the Harvest, Daniel Charles talks about the power of stories to illuminate, and also to obscure. He talks about the mythologies that drive agribusiness and other competing mythologies that drive it's opponents. He can stand at a distance from both kinds of stories, and reflect on how well they are illuminating and obscuring.

On the other hand, Daniel Charles is himself a great storyteller.

I appreciated the way Daniel Charles helped me to think about both these kinds of stories, and what they have to do with food and science, religious faith and moral values in the 21st century. Mostly, Charles stays very close to the "everyday stories of ordinary people," end of the spectrum. How he managed to get so close to the lives of these people is something I wonder about! People on both sides of this issue obviously trust him a great deal, or he would never have been able to write this book.

The "grand myths" he talks about in the epilogue, this was a very nice way to wrap it all up. Part of the difficulty of these issues is that there is no overarching spiritual/ ethical framework that can encompass this conversation. Just competing ideologies, and very little common ground. (Where common ground does exist, Charles is good at finding it.)

It irritates me when scientists who write about agribusiness and genetic engineering castigate others who don't have their scientific credentials for being "sentimental" or ignorant. They do this in a way that intimidates ordinary people