96 pages • 3 hours read
Walter IsaacsonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
In 1972, Paul Berg published his seminal paper on recombinant DNA, ushering in the era of genetic engineering. Simultaneously, ethical and philosophical debates around genetic engineering kicked into high gear. In the following decades, three conferences around the possibilities and limitations of genetic engineering would stand out.
The first two were Asilomar I and II of 1973 and 1975, held in Monterey, California. Asilomar I ended with a moratorium on recombinant DNA technology until safety guidelines about creating hybrid genetic material were formulated. David Baltimore—who showed that viruses containing RNA (like coronaviruses) can insert their genetic material into a host cell to hijack its DNA in a process called “reverse transcription”—was one of the stars of Asilomar II. While Berg argued for banning recombinant technology for fear of misuse, Baltimore suggested a more middle-of-the-road approach: restricting the use of recombinant DNA to viruses that were “crippled” so they would not spread. In the end, the attending scientists agreed to lift the moratorium on recombinant DNA technology, but with many safeguards in place. However, both conferences elided another important question: Even if genetic engineering was safe, was pursuing it to every possible end ethical?
By Walter Isaacson
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Walter Isaacson
Einstein: His Life and Universe
Einstein: His Life and Universe
Walter Isaacson
Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Walter Isaacson
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci
Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
The Innovators
The Innovators
Walter Isaacson
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection