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Article: Genetic Engineering: Dangers and Opportunities.
- Article from:
- The Futurist
- Article date:
- March 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 World Future Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Genetic engineering could be a boon to sustainable farming or an ecological nightmare, a path to human perfection or a march toward eugenic dystopia.
Ready or not, the world is entering the age of genetic engineering. Altered environments and human-created life-forms will be part of the new millennium. Plants may be transformed into miniature factories producing plastics, medicines, or perfumes. Animals with human genes may provide hearts and other organs for critically ill people.
Scientists have cloned animals, and human cloning may not be far behind. Gene therapy research is exploring ways to treat cystic fibrosis, fragile-X syndrome, and other ...