Page 11 - Glowing Bunnies!? Why We're Making Hybrids, Chimeras, and Clones

Good science fiction always tells a cautionary tale. It asks
“what if?” and then speculates about what could happen—usually
by imagining all the ways things could go wrong. With genetic
engineering, scientists don’t need to ask “what if?” anymore. Almost
anything is becoming possible.
The only question left is, Why not?

THE ANTHROPOCENE: A WORLD
SHAPED BY US
The first reason scientists and researchers typically give for using
genetic engineering is curiosity. Because we can. That’s how it’s
always been. If humans can do something, we try it out. The curiosity
to discover how life works is what drives all science, and many
bioengineering projects start with the itch to answer the question,
What would happen if we altered life this way?
As you’ll see, these experiments have revealed a great deal about
the way life, and genetics, work. Of course, sometimes scientists pursue
genetic engineering with a specific goal in mind, but either way, the
questions that motivate researchers tend to be similar: Could this
new creation or being serve a useful purpose? How might we use our
new tools and knowledge to help solve problems, repair damage, and
improve our existence?
This is where things get complicated, and no single book could
cover all the possibilities. Glowing Bunnies!? focuses primarily on
animals (not plants, microorganisms, or humans). It describes how and
why people are modifying animals and explores some of the issues this
raises. Here is what you will find in this book:
Part 1 focuses on animal conservation and the extinction
crisis. Because of human impacts, habitat destruction, and climate
change, more and more wild species are becoming endangered and
going extinct, but by using genetic engineering, we might help wild
species survive.

9
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS