Brutes or Angels: Human Possibility in the Age of Biotechnology

359 Pages·2013·2.17 MB·English

by  James T Bradley

Brutes
or
Angels

Brutes
OR
Angels
Human Possibility
in tHe age of
biotecHnology
james t. bradley
The UniversiTy of AlABAmA Press
Tuscaloosa
Copyright © 2013
The University of Alabama Press
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487- 0380
All rights reserved
manufactured in the United states of America
Typeface: Perpetua and helvetica
Cover art: man x-ray, ©istockphoto.com/cosmin4000;
Genetic rain, ©istockphoto.com/mstay.
Cover design: erin Bradley Dangar / Dangar Design
∞
The paper on which this book is printed meets the minimum requirements of Ameri can
national standard for information sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed library
materials, Ansi Z39.48- 1984.
library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bradley, James T., 1948–
Brutes or angels : human possibility in the age of biotechnology / James T. Bradley.
pages cm
includes bibliographical references and index.
isBn 978-0-8173-1788-1 (trade cloth : alk. paper) —
isBn (invalid) 978-0-8173-8658-0 (ebook)
1. Genetic engineering—moral and ethical aspects. 2. human Genome Project—
moral and ethical aspects. i. Title.
Qh442.B72 2013
174.2—dc23
2012035096
for my grandchildren and their descendents

Contents
list of illustrations ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
introduction 1
1. Cells and molecules: The Unity of life 4
2. stem Cells: embryos, Therapeutic Cloning, and Personhood 37
3. embryo selection: Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis 81
4. The human Genome Project: spin- offs and fallout 110
5. human Diversity, Genes, and medicine: richness and Dangers 135
6. Genetic enhancement: humankind healing and redesigning itself 158
7. human reproductive Cloning: sameness, Uniqueness,
and Personal identity 182
8. Age retardation: Chasing immortality for Better or Worse 206
9. The mind: neuroenhancement and neuroethics 226
10. synthetic Biology: from Cocreator to Creator 254
Conclusion 288
epilogue 291
Glossary 297
references 313
index 331

illustrations
fiG Ures
1.1. The three kingdoms of life 6
1.2. Water and glucose molecules diagramed 7
1.3. Cell structure seen by light microscopy (lm) and transmission
electron microscopy (Tem) 9
1.4. Prokaryotic and eu karyo tic cell structure 12
1.5. mitochondrion structure and function 13
1.6. Three- dimensional protein structure 18
1.7. The central dogma of biology 19
1.8. relationships between DnA, genes, and chromosomes 22
1.9. life cycle of humans and other sexually reproducing organisms 23
1.10. Comparison of mitosis and meiosis 25
1.11. The endosymbiotic ori gin of mitochondria 28
2.1. Generalized stem cell biology 39
2.2. Blastocyst-s tage embryo characteristic of humans
and other mammals 40
2.3. Assisted reproduction by in vitro fertilization 42
2.4. Creation of an embryonic stem cell (esC) line 43