I don’t know how I got this recommendation. It could have been from The Economist, or the Financial Times. “As Gods” by Matthew Cobb is a book that examines the history of molecular and genetics development in the last 50 years (or so)
The book starts outlining the sketches of a controversy that happened in academic circles (with occasional spillovers into the wider public debate) in the 70s. Back then, as genetics were becoming more sophisticated (e.g., scientists were able to ‘copy and paste’ DNA sections), the possibilities of dong so became increasingly exciting. For once, scientists dreamt of injecting cancer into an E. Coli bacteria to study its development. People envisioned this step as the first in a promising path that could lead to an effective cancer treatment.
However, some of the risks of this approach terrified many. For once, E. Coli routinely infects humans, and people were afraid that creating a new E. coli bacteria with cancer could rapidly get out of control if such a bacteria could then infect humans with cancer. The seventies were an era when western society was afraid of the terrifying power of science. The atomic revolution had been heralded like a breakthrough that could help humanity address critical challenges, like the supply of cheap and (somewhat) clean energy. The horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, coupled with the cold-war arms race that threatened to wipe out the planet, changed the public’s mood around science.
As scientists were trying to experiment with these new genetic possibilities, the public was understandably wary of such efforts. Some scientists were also worried, and thought that science needed to be more mindful as it developed new techniques that had the chance of creating a new world. The Asilomar conference, was a collective scientific effort that brought together some of the best minds of the time to discuss what was the best course of action to proceed. The conference concluded by suggesting a temporary moratorium on all recombinant DNA experiments until the consequences could be more clearly gleaned.
The moratorium have scientists the space to think clearly about the risks, and perform tangential experiments that started providing data on the bigger question of recombinant DNA and its potential effects.
The book makes a thorough review of the commercial efforts that were spun off from these breakthroughs. Genetically Modified (GM) plants are an example. By creating a mechanism to target specific areas of the DNA, people were able to ‘program’ plants to do specific things, like produce substances that would scare insects.
GM foods, as many other developments in the field, were hyped by its proponents as a holy grail to solve many of humanity’s nourishment problems. For instance, in South East Asia, a lot of people lack vitamin B. An idea to solve this problem is to create a strain of rice with vitamin B. Since so many people in Southeast Asia rely on rice, this would help reduce the problem.
While these scientific ideas sound like a silver bullet, the author shows how oftentimes, scientists do not engage the affected communities appropriately, and dismiss their concerns on the basis of a lack of knowledge. This has created an understandable skepticism around these technologies. Some countries have banned GMOs.
Perhaps, the most fascinating chapter, is the one that talks about gene editing in humans. Some time ago, a Chinese scientist declared that he had modified the DNA of two girls, with the intention of giving them HIV immunity. He did so by ignoring the common sense that was prevalent in the genetics community at the time. The author portrays this scientist as a delusional actor who was hoping to win the Nobel Prize. Instead he became a pariah and was sentenced to jail. The results he showed demonstrated that he did shoddy science, and that the result was a series of unintended mutations in the kids. We do not know the fate of these kids: whether they are alive, or healthy.
At times dry, at times thriller, this well balanced book did offer some interesting perspectives I wasn’t aware. Having grown up in Mexico, I had always heard a constant hostility towards GMOs. I didn’t know that these GMOs have prevented many tons of fertilizer to be used.
On the other hand, I was reminded of an anecdote I heard in the US. An Indian professor at Stanford, became allergic to peanuts while living in the US. He was amazed, as peanuts are commonplace in India and according to him, it is unheard of people becoming allergic to peanuts. The book emphasizes that the US is one of the biggest GMO markets in the world, and GMO companies have lobbied against any food labeling indicating GMO presence. I don’t know if peanuts in the US are GMO, or whether they are not in India. However, I myself have also been amazed at the amount of allergies that exist in the US, and have wondered if GMOs have a part to play on it. I suspect that many of the effects of GMOs will only be visible in the next twenty or so years, if they materialize. In the meantime, if I were given a choice, I wouldn’t eat GMOs. It seems like big farmers are the ones capable of buying these seeds, so perhaps buying from a small farmer is the best way to avoid GMOs.
I wasn’t interested in the topic when I read the book, but my curiosity was definitely stirred after reading it.