The Gene Industry

Major companies arealready in pursuit of commercial applications of the new biology.They dream ofplacing enzymes in the automobile to monitor exhaust and send data on

pollution to amicroprocessor that will then adjust the engine. They speak of what the NewYork Times calls "metal-hungry microbes that might be used to minevaluable

trace metal fromocean water".They have already demanded and won the right to patent newlife forms.

Nervous critics,including many scientists, worry that there is corporate, national,international,and inter-scientific rivalry in the entire biotechnological field.Theycreate

images not of oilspills,but of"microbe spills"that could spread disease and destroyentire populations.The creation and accidental release of extremely poisonous

microbes,however,isonly one cause for alarm.Completely rational and respectable scientists aretalking about possibilities that stagger the imagination.

Should we breedpeople with cow一withstomachs so they can digest grass and hay,thereby relieving the food problem bymodifying us to eat lower down on the food chain?

Should webiologically alter workers to fit the job requirement,for example,creatingpilots with faster reaction times or assembly-line workers designed to do ourmonotonous

work for us?Shouldwe attempt to eliminate "inferior" people and breeda"super-race"?(Hitler tried this,but without the genetic weaponrythat may soon issue from our

laboratories.)Shouldwe produce soldiers to do our fighting?Should we use genetic forecasting topre-eliminate"unfit"babies?Should we grow reserve organs forourselves,

each of us having,asit were,a"savings bank"full of spare kidney,livers,or hands?

Wild as thesenotions may sound,every one has its advocates(and opposers)in the scientificcommunity as well as its striking commercial application.As two critics ofgenetic

engineering, JeremyRifkin and Ted Howard,state in their book Who Should Play God?,"Broadscale genetic engineering will probably be introduced to America much the

same way as assemblylines,automobiles,vaccines,computers and all the other technologies.As each newgenetic advance becomes commercially practical,a new consumer

need will beexploited and a market for the new technology will be created."According to thepassage,which of the following would worry the critics the most?

A.The unanticipatedexplosion of population.

B.The creation ofbiological solar cells.

C.The accidentalspill of oil.

D.The unexpectedrelease of destructive microbes.