Good morning everyone. I am Song Ming Jie from 3B. The book I want to share with you today is called Genetic Engineering. Genetic engineering is a rather new frontier of modern science. It originated from the isolation of DNA in 1869. But DNA was not recognized as genetic material until 1944. Since its discovery, the science of genetic engineering has been developing by leaps and bounds. For example, in 1997, the first cloned sheep in history was born. Its name was Dolly. Nowadays, genetic engineering of crops and cattle is becoming popular. Its applications can be extended to gene therapy on human beings. From the ideas presented in this book, I believe this technology will achieve far-reaching advancement in the future.

        Since genetic engineering is quite a revolutionary technology, it is not totally accepted by everyone. Collecting articles from different experts and scholars, the editor divides the book into four chapters. At the beginning of each chapter, there is a brief introduction. Opposing views are then presented in the following sections so as to give readers a clear picture of the pros and cons of different areas of genetic engineering. Reading this book is like attending a debate in science. You can play the role of a judge or an audience, depending on your interest. Regardless of the role you play, through various arguments and counter-arguments presented in the book, you can surely get a more comprehensive and balanced understanding of different themes in genetic engineering. That is why I recommend this book to you.

In general, supporters of genetic engineering believe that it can extend our life span, children will no longer suffer from disability due to defective genes, and production of food can be increased. In other words, this new technology is beneficial to the society as a whole. However, it is also frequently attacked for its stupendous cost and unfairness to the poor who cannot afford it. Immature as it is, it is criticized as unsafe, unpredictable and not absolutely controllable. Unintended creatures like Frankenstein’s monster might be produced accidentally or on purpose, causing ethical problems and even big disasters.

        So, which side should we take? It appears to me that we should not draw our conclusion in a hurry, before understanding its advantages and disadvantages thoroughly. An objective approach should be to explore, elaborate and analyze both positive and negative views on the field in detail exactly as this book has done.

        Undoubtedly, genetic engineering is debatable. For instance, the former president George Bush of the USA had been forbidding research on stem cells; yet the new president Barack Obama had decided to lift the ban when he was in office. A coin always has two sides. Nothing is perfect. For every new technology, we should consider its positive and negative effects. When the positive effects prevail over the negative ones, we can further develop this technology, trying our best to maximize its advantages and minimize its disadvantages. As an English proverb runs, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”. I am looking forward to seeing the healthy development of genetic engineering in the future. That is all I would like to share this morning. Thank you!