Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Potpourri of Gene-Editing Perspectives

The Mutant Project: Inside the Global Race to Genetically Modify Humans by Eben Kirksey

by Leave a Comment

Earlier this summer, I started reading and reviewing a number of books related to gene technology with a specific focus on CRISPR. This was not just for my own enjoyment; I’m teaching a class on Gene Technology this winter so I thought I better brush up on everything. And since I’ve been asked to attract as many non-majors as possible, I’ve decided not to focus on just the technical aspects, but also the social and legal aspects as well. This brings us to the next […]

Why You Shouldn’t Cut-and-Paste a Genome Like a Word Document

CRISPR People: The Science and Ethics of Editing Humans by Henry T. Greely

by 2 Comments

I made quick promise at the end of my review of Gene: An Intimate History, that I would be reviewing a number of books about a certain individual who wanted to ‘win’ the gene editing arms race. And how very reckless he was. That man, of course is Hè Jiànkuí. This is the man who tried—and succeeded—in inducing heritable CRISPR-mediated genome modifications in human embryos that then resulted in live births. Hank Greely’s CRISPR People: The Science and Ethics of Editing Humans is a rather […]

No One Else Can Come in and Copy You

Patenting Life: Tales from the Front Lines of Intellectual Property and the New Biology by Jorge Goldstein

by 2 Comments

Ok, keeping with the gene-theme this summer, I’ll now be briefly turning my attention to gene patents. Jorge Goldstein’s Patenting Life: Tales from the Front Lines of Intellectual Property and the New Biology is a great introduction to biological patents in the US (and beyond). It’s also a rather personal narrative; Goldstein entered the field of patent law at a time when biotechnology was experiencing some rapid advances (many of them mentioned in the previous book I reviewed), and he describes his career as like […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo