![]() Transgenic animals have been developed to be disease resistant or less environmentally harmful, but in the course of evolution, what will their impact be? Should society produce smarter, taller people? Should certain traits, such as homosexuality, be suppressed? The salient question Quintyn raises is: what are, or should be, the limits of such scientific exploration?. ![]() It involves, Quintyn asserts, "modifying nonhumans to benefit homo sapiens." The chemical engineering of plants and producing genetically altered pigs, monkeys, and other animals are examples of potentially useful areas of study, but all carry dangers, many as yet unknown. The "new eugenics," controlled by determined scientists whose limitations are few, can have equally powerful if more subtle implications. The term "eugenics" harks back to an earlier era when it was deemed medically and scientifically appropriate to modify or eliminate people-whether adult or embryo-who were considered mentally or physically less-than-perfect specimens. "There has been a long-standing belief in human civilization that technology can solve any problem that arises." ![]()
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