The Gene Hunters : : Biotechnology and the Scramble for Seeds / / Calestous Juma.

The world is on the verge of receiving new life forms that will profoundly and irrevocably change the global economy: the "gene hunters" who first cloned the gene in 1973 are now not only modifying existing species but also creating new plants and animals. Ready or not for such awesome pow...

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Superior document:Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Princeton Legacy Lib. eBook Package 1980-1999
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Place / Publishing House:Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2014]
©1989
Year of Publication:2014
Edition:Course Book
Language:English
Series:Princeton Legacy Library ; 996
Online Access:
Physical Description:1 online resource (304 p.)
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Other title:Frontmatter --
Contents --
Acknowledgements --
Abbreviations --
Glossary --
Introduction --
1. Genetic Resources and Socio-economic Evolution --
2. Explorations in Historical Botany --
3. Genetic Resources and World Agriculture --
4. Branching Points in Biotechnology --
5. Life as Intellectual Property --
6. Germplasm and Kenya's Agriculture: A Case Study --
7. The Way Ahead: Policy Options for Africa --
Appendix: Institutions Conserving Genetic Resources --
Bibliography --
Index
Summary:The world is on the verge of receiving new life forms that will profoundly and irrevocably change the global economy: the "gene hunters" who first cloned the gene in 1973 are now not only modifying existing species but also creating new plants and animals. Ready or not for such awesome power, the human race has put itself in a position to govern evolution. What will we do with the abilities we now command? asks this broad and stimulating book on the role of plant material in economic development. Writing in a style that is easily understandable even to those with no background in biotechnology, Calestous Juma begins by showing how the importation of plants strengthened the British Empire and brought the United States to global agricultural superiority. He goes on to explore the current international competition for genetic material and the potential impact of biotechnology on the relationship of the developed and developing world. Juma points out that biotechnology poses real dangers to the third world. Often one of the few exportable resources that a developing country possesses is an unusual or rare crop, but biotechnological techniques make possible the cultivation of many such crops outside their natural habitats, potentially eliminating the need to import the crops from the countries in which they grow indigenously. After discussing the threat of biotechnology, Juma comes full circle and points out that it does not have to be a threat. Actually, tremendous benefits could accrue to the third world from biotechnology--if and only if that new technology is adapted to its needs.Originally published in 1989.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Format:Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
ISBN:9781400860258
9783110413441
9783110413601
9783110442496
DOI:10.1515/9781400860258
Access:restricted access
Hierarchical level:Monograph
Statement of Responsibility: Calestous Juma.