BOOKS
Biotechnology for the Layman Reviewed by Jonathan J. MacQuitty
The cover of "A Revolution in Biotechnology" epitomizes the dilemma of communicating biotechnology to the nonexpert. An eerie green phosphorescence highlights the veins of a plant. The image very effectively conveys the power of the technology, but it also hints of mysterious forces held in check. I commend Jean L. Marx and the other contributors to this compendium book, sponsored by the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), for tackling the difficult task of trying to educate the public about biotechnology. No question about it, bringing technological understanding to the lay person is essential with biotechnology, as with other scientific endeavors, if informed decisions are to be made about its role in society. Associations such as ICSU can and must lead the way in this educational process, and other organizations in both the private and public sector need to take up the challenge as well. Unfortunately, the technical community is noticeably reticent about accepting this challenge. Other priorities—research objectives, administrative duties, commercial goals, and the like—are responsible, in part, for this reticence. Some of it, however, is based on a somewhat elitist aversion to educating the public, of being labeled a populist. Some, perhaps, is based on a natural suspicion of publicity seeking and of the media in general. These forces have conspired to limit efforts to improve public understanding of biotechnology. The task, however, is increasingly important. The public, both directly through elected representatives and indirectly through pressure groups, is becoming more and more vocal about its role in overseeing biotechnology. As new technologies, such as biotechnology, develop with increasing speed, the public's need for 42
January 15, 1990 C&EN
Communicating biotechnology to the nonexpert is difficult but vital if informed decisions are to be made "A Revolution in Biotechnology" edited by Jean L. Marx, Cambridge University Press, 32 East 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10022, 1989, 227 pages, $44.50
appropriate education is becoming critical. The consequences of doing the job poorly are clear. Consider the case of the nuclear power industry—perhaps a classic example of doing too little, too late. The chemical industry has woken to the challenge, but some would say only at the last moment. The Alar growth regulator controversy, and public reaction to it, is only one example of how much remains to be done. The biotechnology community needs to avoid this trap. Yet, as the recent decision by some supermarket chains not to carry dairy products containing bovine somatostatin indicates, biotechnology's educational gap has not yet been closed.
Positive role models do exist. The National Aeronautics & Space Administration's educational efforts in the 1960s effectively increased public awareness of that agency's mission and its activities in space. The National Geographic Society, too, has had programs with widespread public impact. The heady combination of information and wonder that these organizations so successfully provide shows what effective communication can be. The biotechnology community, aware of the issue, has many communication initiatives currently under way. These include a series of excellent films developed by the Industrial Biotechnology Association (IBA) and Monsanto on the impact of biotechnology on various fields, such as agriculture. Cornell University, with sponsorship from Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is setting up an institute to strengthen the teaching of secondary school biology teachers. This program includes projects examining the social consequences of biological research. A teacher-training program set up by the California Section of IBA trains high school teachers in biotechnology and makes them aware of work occurring in industry and academia. Such approaches, which focus on improving curriculum content and teachers' understanding, are the ones I find most promising for producing long-term changes in public perceptions of biotechnology. Right below them in importance are programs to help the lay press become more informed about biotechnology. Without such programs, the pressure of deadlines means that only a handful of specialized reporters will have a detailed understanding of the technical issues they report on. More work is needed here, by both private and public organizations, if the underlying issues of biotechnology are to be communicated. Successful programs need participants with highcaliber communication skills, as
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Books well as an understanding of how the media operate. It is clearly in the best interests of the biotechnology industry to communicate its position effectively, for without this communication it faces a misguided public that may not purchase its products—and may even legislate it out of existence. However, this very self-interest brings with it a lack of credibility. To fill the void, professional organizations like ICSU and the American Chemical Society must speak out clearly and in an objective way. In addition, academic researchers need to respond more willingly to the press and feel less squeamish about doing so. Not to respond is to run the risk that the more extreme members of the public will interfere with academic research, as is already happening in the case of animal rights organizations. The specter of Congressional efforts to allocate research funds based directly on public perceptions serves only to heighten the importance of better communication. It is a pity, then, to find that "A Revolution in Biotechnology" is somewhat lacking. The book begins with an excellent overview chapter by Marx, a writer for Science magazine who also served as the book's editor. Her chapter is followed by 15 others on different aspects of the biotechnology revolution, such as using microorganisms to produce chemical feedstocks, introducing new genes into crop plants, diagnosing genetic diseases, and the prospects of gene therapy. Each is written by one or more experts, who as a group are quite international, with a good cross section from academia, industry, and government organizations. The book says it is intended for "students, professionals, and laymen alike/' At first glance that seems a singularly difficult target to hit, and, indeed, the book misses each of these groups to some extent. The professional will find a good but somewhat superficial overview of biotechnology here with little current detail on the field's commercial progress. The student will find an unexciting layout, especially compared with modern textbooks, with too much space given to 44
January 15, 1990 C&EN
lists and tables and not enough to color diagrams. The lay person will likewise find this a rather dry text. These limitations are offset, in part, by Marx's introduction. The book also does a good job of reviewing the sociological issues involved with biotechnology. "A Revolution in Biotechnology" is a useful start in getting the public to appreciate biotechnology. We need to have professional associations, companies, and universities take up the challenge. We need to ensure that the public understands much more clearly the capabilities and limitations of this field if its role in
society is to be sensibly discussed. Researchers in both industry and universities need to be involved if they are to avoid Luddite reactions to their activities. The days of hiding out from the public are over. In that light, "A Revolution in Biotechnology" is a step in the right direction. Jonathan J. MacQuitty is president and chief executive officer of GenPharm International a biotechnology company based in San Francisco, Calif. For the past seven years, after earning a Ph.D. in chemistry and an MBA, he has worked to commercialize biotechnology for the food, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries. •
Activation and Functionalization of Alkanes. Craig L. Hill, editor, xi + 372 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $49.95.
C7+ Fraction Characterization. Larry G. Chorn, G. Ali Mansoori, editors. 235 pages. Taylor & Fancis Inc., 242 Cherry St., Philadelphia, Pa. 191061906.1989. $65.
Adsorption and Catalysis on Transition Metals and Their Oxides. V. F. Kiselev, O. V. Krylov. ix + 445 pages. Springer-Verlag, New York, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010. 1989. $101.50.
The Challenge of d and f Electrons: Theory and Computation. ACS Symposium Series 394. Dennis R. Salahub, Michael C. Zerner, editors, x + 405 pages. American Chemical Society, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.1989. $89.95.
Amino Acids and Peptides. Vol. 20. J. H. Jones et al. xi + 336 pages. Royal Society of Chemistry, Distribution Centre, Letchworth, Herts SG6 1HN, England. 1989. $158, £75. Annual Review of Biochemistry. Vol. 58. Charles C. Richardson et al. viii + 1167 pages. Annual Reviews Inc., 4139 El Camino Way, Palo Alto, Calif. 94306. 1989. $35 U.S. & Canada, $39 elsewhere. Applied Superconductivity. A. M. Wolsky et al. xvi + 365 pages. Noyes Publications, Mill Rd. at Grand Ave., Park Ridge, N.J. 07656.1989. $59. Atlas of Polymer Morphology. Arthur E. Woodward, x + 531 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1989. $185. Biologically Active Molecules: Identification, Characterization and Synthesis. The Association of Swiss Chemists. 252 pages. Springer-Verlag, New York, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010.1989. $76.20. Biotechnology Japan. Mark D. Dibner, R. Steven White, xi + 313 pages. McGraw-Hill, 1221 Ave. of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020.1989. $180.
Chemical Safety Data Sheets. Vol. 1: Solvents, xiv + 344 pages. Royal Society of Chemistry, Distribution Centre, Letchworth, Herts SG6 1HN, England. $89, £39.95. Chemical Sensing with Solid State Devices. Marc J. Madou, S. Roy Morrison, xv + 556 pages. Academic Press, 1250 Sixth Ave., San Diego, Calif. 92101.1989. $89.50. Chemical Structure Information Systems: Interfaces, Communication, and Standards. ACS Symposium Series 400. Wendy A. Warr, editor, x + 132 pages. American Chemical Society, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.1989. $34.95. The Chemistry of Macrocyclic Ligand Complexes. Leonard F. Lindoy. viii + 269 pages. Cambridge University Press, 32 East 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10022.1989. $69.50. Cohesion in Metals: Transition Metal Alloys. F. R. de Boer et al. xvi + 758 pages. Elsevier Science Publishers, 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017.1988. $131.50.
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COKE: Quality and Production. Roger Loison, Pierre Foch, Andre Boyer. xiii + 555 pages. Butterworths, 80 Montvale Ave., Stoneham, Mass. 02180. 1989. $265. The Condensed Encyclopedia of Sur factants. Michael Ash, Irene Ash. ix + 669 pages. Chemical Publishing Co., 80 Eighth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10011. 1989. $125. Density-Functional Theory of Atoms and Molecules. Robert G. Parr, Weitao Yang, ix + 333 pages. Oxford Univer sity Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $55. Electron Spin Resonance. Vol. 1 IB. M. C. R. Symons. xv + 294 pages. Royal Society of Chemistry, Distribution Centre, Letchworth, Herts SG6 1HN, England. 1989. $195. Fiber Optic Component Design, Fab rication, Testing, Operation, Reliabil ity and Maintainability. N. L. Chris tian, L. K. Passauer. xiv + 434 pages. Noyes Publications, Mill Rd. at Grand Ave., Park Ridge, N.J. 07656. 1989. $64.
Fire Safety Science — Proceedings of the Second International Symposium. Takao Wakamatsu et al. xvii + 956 pages. Hemisphere Publishing Corp., 79 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016-7892. 1989. $160.
Handbook of Fiber Science and Tech nology. Vol. 3: High Technology Fi bers (Part B). Menachem Lewin, Jack Preston, editors, xx + 332 pages. Mar cel Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1989. $150.
Flow Injection Atomic Spectroscopy. Jose Luis Burguera, editor, xii + 353 pages. Marcel Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $125.
Handbook of Ion Beam Processing Technology: Principles, Deposition, Film Modification and Synthesis. Je rome J. Cuomo, Stephen M. Rossnagel, Harold R. Kaufman, editors, xviii + 438 pages. Noyes Publications, Mill Rd. at Grand Ave., Park Ridge, N.J. 07656. 1989. $72.
Friction and Wear Transition of Mate rials: Break-in, Run-in, Wear-in. Pe ter J. Blau. xiii + 476 pages. Noyes Publications, Mill Rd. at Grand Ave., Park Ridge, N.J. 07656. 1989. $72. Glutathione: Chemical, Biochemical, and Medical Aspects. Part B. David Dolphin, Olga Avramovic, Rozanne Poulson. xvi + 848 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $125. Handbook of Adhesives Raw Materials. 2nd Ed. Ernest W. Flick, xx + 501 pages. Noyes Publications, Mill Rd. at Grand Ave., Park Ridge, N.J. 07656. 1989. $69.
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Heat and Mass Transfer in Gasoline and Diesel Engines, x + 746 pages. Hemisphere Publishing Corp., 79 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 100167892.1989. $120. High-Performance Single-Phase Heat Exchangers. (Revised and augmented edition) A. Zukauskas, J. Kami, xvi + 515 pages. Hemisphere Publishing Corp., 79 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016-7892.1989. $175. High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy and Associated Tech niques. Peter R. Buseck, John M. Cowley, Leroy Eyring, editors, xix + 645 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $67. High Temperature Corrosion of Ceram ics. J. R. Blachere, F. S. Pettit. ix + 188 pages. Noyes Publications, Mill Rd. at Grand Ave., Park Ridge, N.J. 07656. 1989. $39. Inherently Conducting Polymers: Pro cessing, Fabrication, Applications, Limitations. M. Aldissi. viii + 96 pages. Noyes Publications, Mill Rd. at Grand Ave., Park Ridge, N.J. 07656. 1989. $39. Instrumentation for Thermoplastics Processing. James M. Margolis, edi tor, xix + 99 pages. Oxford Universi ty Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1989. $35.
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Introduction to Continuum Mechan ics for Engineers. Ray M. Bowen. ix + 261 pages. Plenum Press, 233 Spring St., New York, N.Y. 10013.1989. $45. Introduction to Industrial Polymers. Henri Ulrich. 154 pages. Oxford Uni versity Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.1989. $39.95. Kinetics of Diffusion Controlled Chemi cal Processes. A. A. Ovchinnikov, S. F. Timashev, A. A. Belyy. vii + 239 pages. NOVA Science Publishers, 283 Commack Rd., Commack, N.Y. 117253401.1989. $67. •
