As Gods: A Moral History of the Genetic Age
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- Create Date：2023-01-10 06:51:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Matthew Cobb
- ISBN：1541602854
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Summary
The thrilling and terrifying history of genetic engineering
In 2018， scientists manipulated the DNA of human babies for the first time。 As biologist and historian Matthew Cobb shows in As Gods， this achievement was one many scientists have feared from the start of the genetic age。 Four times in the last fifty years， geneticists， frightened by their own technology， have called a temporary halt to their experiments。 They ought to be frightened: Now we have powers that can target the extinction of pests， change our own genes， or create dangerous new versions of diseases in an attempt to prevent future pandemics。 Both awe-inspiring and chilling， As Gods traces the history of genetic engineering， showing that this revolutionary technology is far too important to be left to the scientists。 They have the power to change life itself， but should we trust them to keep their ingenuity from producing a hellish reality？
In 2018， scientists manipulated the DNA of human babies for the first time。 As biologist and historian Matthew Cobb shows in As Gods， this achievement was one many scientists have feared from the start of the genetic age。 Four times in the last fifty years， geneticists， frightened by their own technology， have called a temporary halt to their experiments。 They ought to be frightened: Now we have powers that can target the extinction of pests， change our own genes， or create dangerous new versions of diseases in an attempt to prevent future pandemics。 Both awe-inspiring and chilling， As Gods traces the history of genetic engineering， showing that this revolutionary technology is far too important to be left to the scientists。 They have the power to change life itself， but should we trust them to keep their ingenuity from producing a hellish reality？
Reviews
Nigel McCarter
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I assume this is the US edition of The Genetic Age; Our Perilous Quest to Edit Life。 Profile Books London， ISBN 978 1 78816 700 0If so， it should be compulsory reading for all health and/or science policy makers， and all scientists whether or not they work in genetics or other molecular biology fields。 It is a well written， sometimes wry account of the development of genetic manipulation techniques over the last 40 years。 The writing describes repeated contrasts between the potential to eliminat I assume this is the US edition of The Genetic Age; Our Perilous Quest to Edit Life。 Profile Books London， ISBN 978 1 78816 700 0If so， it should be compulsory reading for all health and/or science policy makers， and all scientists whether or not they work in genetics or other molecular biology fields。 It is a well written， sometimes wry account of the development of genetic manipulation techniques over the last 40 years。 The writing describes repeated contrasts between the potential to eliminate or reduce disease， restore ecosystems， and hubris， unnecessary or potentially dangerous experimentation， and inequality。 Cobb remarks that it is essential to understand the background to these developments and that local communities should be involved in the decision making before the deployment of genetic techniques。 For example should we deploy gene drive technology to eliminate Malaria， the worlds most deadly disease， or develop technology to exterminate introduced pests in New Zealand。 Where does it stop， who should take the decisions， what are the real risks。 。。。more
Maher Razouk
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ظل البشر يغيرون الجينوم منذ آلاف السنين。 منذ أيامنا الأولى في إفريقيا ، منذ مئات الآلاف من السنين ، قمنا عن غير قصد بتغيير جينات الحيوانات والنباتات التي نأكلها ، حيث عملنا كقوة للانتقاء الطبيعي تمامًا مثل الحيوانات المفترسة الأخرى。 كانت بعض الحيوانات والنباتات قادرة على التكيف مع اهتماماتنا ؛ لم يستطع الآخرون ذلك وانقرضوا ، ولا سيما الحيوانات الضخمة - الماموث ، ووحيد القرن الصوفي ، والكسلان العملاق ، وما إلى ذلك。 بعد ذلك ، مع التطور البطيء للزراعة منذ حوالي 10000 عام ، بدأنا في تدجين الحيوانات ظل البشر يغيرون الجينوم منذ آلاف السنين。 منذ أيامنا الأولى في إفريقيا ، منذ مئات الآلاف من السنين ، قمنا عن غير قصد بتغيير جينات الحيوانات والنباتات التي نأكلها ، حيث عملنا كقوة للانتقاء الطبيعي تمامًا مثل الحيوانات المفترسة الأخرى。 كانت بعض الحيوانات والنباتات قادرة على التكيف مع اهتماماتنا ؛ لم يستطع الآخرون ذلك وانقرضوا ، ولا سيما الحيوانات الضخمة - الماموث ، ووحيد القرن الصوفي ، والكسلان العملاق ، وما إلى ذلك。 بعد ذلك ، مع التطور البطيء للزراعة منذ حوالي 10000 عام ، بدأنا في تدجين الحيوانات والنباتات بشكل منهجي ، وتعمُّد تربية تلك الأنواع التي تناسب احتياجاتنا。يمكن أن تكون النتائج مثيرة。 يُظهر التحليل الجينومي أن جميع الخيول الحديثة تنحدر من مجموعة صغيرة من الحيوانات التي تم تدجينها في سهول أوراسيا الغربية منذ حوالي 4000 عام。 يمكننا أن نرى هذه العملية في جينوم الحصان - تم اختيار أسلافه للخصائص السلوكية والفسيولوجية التي سمحت للحيوانات بالسير لمسافات طويلة وجعلتها أكثر هدوءًا ، ولكن كانت وراء هذه العملية تغييرات وراثية جزيئية غير مرئية يمكننا فهمها الآن。 بل من الممكن أنه على مدى مئات الآلاف من السنين ، قمنا بتدجين أنفسنا ، والاختيار - بشكل حدسي - ضد السلوك العدواني لصالح جميع أنواع الخصائص التعاونية。 مع تطور الزراعة ، بدأنا أيضًا في استخدام أبسط أشكال التكنولوجيا الحيوية ، وتسخير نشاط الميكروبات عن غير قصد لصنع الخبز والجبن والبيرة والنبيذ ، واختيار الأنواع التي تناسب غرضنا عن غير قصد。。Matthew CobbAs GodsTranslated By #Maher_Razouk 。。。more
Michael McCormick
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WOW！ I'm a warrior and a worrier， too。 Professor Cobb presents a well-researched and documented book。 After I read the review of "As Gods" in the WSJ I used my last few bucks to get a copy from B&N， using a gift card that I got for doing a survey （$20 off）。 The final price was $18。11， which is a really good deal for an up to the minute text like this book。 To qualify my impression of "As Gods" in the review， I probably have about 460+ books that I have lying around this cramped and oppressive on WOW！ I'm a warrior and a worrier， too。 Professor Cobb presents a well-researched and documented book。 After I read the review of "As Gods" in the WSJ I used my last few bucks to get a copy from B&N， using a gift card that I got for doing a survey （$20 off）。 The final price was $18。11， which is a really good deal for an up to the minute text like this book。 To qualify my impression of "As Gods" in the review， I probably have about 460+ books that I have lying around this cramped and oppressive one-bedroom apartment， but I read "As Gods" immediately， before all the others。 It didn't get tossed onto a pile like all the other new books I get， even the ones on politics and defense and warfighting and all of that etc。 etc。 And what do you know: that is why "As Gods" is so successful: it jumps to the head of the line because it's about really important stuff。 It， by its very "nature"， is important。 We have to get a handle on all this stuff as a collective humanity。 What really bugs me is that all of this could have been solved back in 1989 when the Wall came down， but there was a fly in the ointment， and we got Putin and Xie Jingping。The Soviet "bioweapons" program openness went dark right around the time Putin's dictatorship began， and dollars to donuts the criminal enterprise that is the Russian Federation government， from top to very bottom， is doing bioweapons research。It was a little surprising to read Professor Cobb's thoughts about how atomic fears have faded considering the news about "This is not a bluff" from the main thug himself about using nukes in Ukraine？ Professor Cobb did not mention Ukraine at all。 But the professor is right: there are a lot of better ways of solving the world's problems not through genetic engineering， but by fixing sewage and better irrigation of crops， things like that。 I kept thinking of Bjorn Lomborg's "The Skeptical Environmentalist" which I have not read because years ago when I ordered it from Amazon， they sent me the wrong book， really applies here， too。Part of this all scares me because I ask myself if I would just release my gene drive mosquitos just like that "He" Chinese guy went ahead and brought those three female embryos that he edited to term， to the subsequent horror of the world。 But probably not: I'd rather just have a burger。To make a long story short: I read this book in three days over the Thanksgiving 2022 holiday weekend。 What is the bottom line？ We've got to come up with something to regulate this stuff on an international level， and we have to give the organization TEETH。 I'm surprised that the Professor did not mention Daniel Suarez's "Change Agent，" which came out before the pandemic， which， while having a lot of science and technology based futuristic stuff in it， was basically about a fellow who was like a cop and who was going around policing rogue genetic age criminals doing genetic age crimes。The character was based in Singapore。 Maybe I could be like that guy。 One can dream。 。。。more
Rhiannon Johnson
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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。This was very similar to Metzl's Hacking Darwin。 A great primer for discussions about genetic engineering beyond the common response of "designer babies。"Come chat with me about books here， too: Blog | Instagram I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。This was very similar to Metzl's Hacking Darwin。 A great primer for discussions about genetic engineering beyond the common response of "designer babies。"Come chat with me about books here， too: Blog | Instagram 。。。more
Dayton
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I entered this book most excited about reading through the implications of CRISPR， but perhaps the most thrilling part was the history of prior genetic engineering breakthroughs dating back to the 70s， and the scientists who attempted to grapple （or not） with societal implications。 Cobb argues eloquently and convincingly for greater democracy and public input as we figure out how， when， and whether to apply these technologies。As far as the new CRISPR tech itself， in some ways Cobb left me less a I entered this book most excited about reading through the implications of CRISPR， but perhaps the most thrilling part was the history of prior genetic engineering breakthroughs dating back to the 70s， and the scientists who attempted to grapple （or not） with societal implications。 Cobb argues eloquently and convincingly for greater democracy and public input as we figure out how， when， and whether to apply these technologies。As far as the new CRISPR tech itself， in some ways Cobb left me less alarmed （some breakthroughs seem further away than I would have thought） but in other ways more （if something *can* be done， it seems like some scientist will try it）。 Excited to interview the author on my podcast， Storytelling Animals， next week。 。。。more
Nicole Barbaro
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Cobb delivers an excellent book as expected。 As Gods follows the ethical， political， and scientific history of a range of genetic technologies from early recombinant DNA to CRISPR and gene-drive technologies at the forefront today。 Great content， writing， and overall book。
Maria Beltrami
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The title of the book is very evocative: the moment we humans learnt to mess with the genetic code， we somehow put ourselves on the same level as God。 Now， religious implications aside， human beings have actually been messing with the genetic code of their fellow travellers， be they plants or animals， for as long as they have been such。 We have done it through selective agriculture and breeding， which have led to the appearance of new varieties and the extinction of others， for example， and we h The title of the book is very evocative: the moment we humans learnt to mess with the genetic code， we somehow put ourselves on the same level as God。 Now， religious implications aside， human beings have actually been messing with the genetic code of their fellow travellers， be they plants or animals， for as long as they have been such。 We have done it through selective agriculture and breeding， which have led to the appearance of new varieties and the extinction of others， for example， and we have also done it on ourselves through certain marriage policies。 The difference is that we can now intervene directly on the code instead of forcing it to do what we want indirectly。 So， is what humans are doing right or wrong？ What are the limits？ Is this a matter for scientists alone or should the decision to proceed in a certain way be taken by the entire human assembly？ Well， in principle I would say that it is right to make certain decisions as participatory as possible， then I remember that many very participatory decisions have led to epic disasters， and this is something that is not mentioned at all in the book。 I refer， for example， to the referendum in Italy that led to the total abandonment of nuclear policy， despite the fact that the arguments of the campaign against had no real scientific value and were based only on irrational fears。 Wanting therefore to express the real underlying flaw of the book， it is its saying that it is necessary to address the people in order to gain consensus but actually only speak to those who are able to understand the arguments。 The iconic 'strawberry 81' of twitter， for example， would not be able to understand a single word of this text， and would never be able to make a truly informed decision （I use this term paradoxically， borrowing it from the language of these people）， yet nowhere does it say that first of all， before you can have a true participatory decision， you need to bring the various 'strawberries 81' of the world to a level of education that allows them to understand the topic they are deciding on and to argue yes or no。 。。。more
Brian Clegg
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This big book is a deep dive into the history of a relatively new aspect of science - genetic modification - from the first crude steps to the sophistication of CRISPR-based gene editing。Matthew Cobb takes us through the basics of what is involved in genetic modification technically， from attempts dating back to the late 60s using a phage （a virus that attacks bacteria） to extract a gene from a bacterium up to the apparent precision of modern gene editing。 But the importance of this book is not This big book is a deep dive into the history of a relatively new aspect of science - genetic modification - from the first crude steps to the sophistication of CRISPR-based gene editing。Matthew Cobb takes us through the basics of what is involved in genetic modification technically， from attempts dating back to the late 60s using a phage （a virus that attacks bacteria） to extract a gene from a bacterium up to the apparent precision of modern gene editing。 But the importance of this book is not in giving us an increased understanding of plasmids or homologous recombination （don't biologists love vast numbers of technical terms？）， but rather in getting a clear picture of how the science of genetic modification has developed and the disputes that have taken place over the ethics of undertaking these experiments。One thing that surprised me， as someone with no familiarity with this aspect of science， was how much of the ethical concerns came from the scientists themselves。 Possibly because scientific debate tends not to be undertaken through the media， I was more familiar with protestors destroying GM crops， or politicians debating the rights and wrongs， but Cobb opens up the efforts by some within the field to have controls or even moratoria， while others wanted to forge ahead， arguing that science should not be held back。It's all interesting， but everything moves up a notch when we get on the gene editing capabilities of CRISPR， and particularly the potential and risk of using it to do germline editing on human embryos that would lead to an inheritable genetic change。 Cobb describes well the shock when this was undertaken for real by a Chinese scientist， making clear that what was done to these （now） children was nowhere near as precise and targeted as the hype around CRISPR suggests and produced 'mosaics' where not all cells had the same versions of their genes。 In referring to another CRISPR experiment， Cobb bluntly puts it 'CRISPR is described as "editing"， but this looked like someone had been using a word processor while wearing boxing gloves。' He also highlights how much the vagueness of the scientific establishment in what was and wasn't considered acceptable was part of the problem。All the way through， Cobb is even handed in that he emphasises both the potential benefits and risks of different genetic modifications。 （This was one of the damning aspects of the CRISPR experiment producing children - there were plenty of risks but no benefits。） Often， given the huge amount of hype around these technologies， it seems that things are significantly more complicated than the sales pitch suggests - and it's arguable whether the benefits are worth what has been done。 There is no doubt that much genetic work has had benefits in understanding genetics， but even widely recognised positive outcomes， such genetically modified golden rice， are shown to be mixed bags。 One little aside - I don't know if Cobb has had a bad experience with the journal Nature at some point， but he mentions them a lot， and it's rarely in a positive light。It's interesting that a number of the puffs in the blurb make a point of emphasising the depth of the research。 This is obviously true - while never getting too heavily into the science to make it unapproachable， Cobb gives us lots of detail on exactly who did what when。 This is great to an extent - but for me， it was too much。 My first instinct was to say that the book is too long - but on checking， there are only 368 （admittedly large） pages of main text。 It's more that there is so much detail that it feels long。 It's always difficult to know what to cut， especially when you've invested as much time and effort as Cobb clearly has in this book， but the manuscript would have benefited from some pruning to make it perfect。That doesn't stop this being a truly valuable book， though。 Most of us get very big picture ideas of what's going on with gene editing and other genetic modifications from the media。 Now we've got the real story。 。。。more
Emma Hinkle
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