Product Description
The first two editions of this manual have been mainstays of molecular biology for nearly twenty years, with an unrivalled reputation for reliability, accuracy, and clarity. In this new edition, authors Joe Sambrook and David Russell have completely updated the book, revising every protocol and adding a mass of new material, to broaden its scope and maintain its unbeatable value for studies in genetics, molecular cell biology, developmental biology, microbiology, neuroscience, and immunology. Handsomely redesigned and presented in new bindings of proven durability, this three-volume work is essential for everyone using todays biomolecular techniques. The opening chapters describe essential techniques, some well-established, some new, that are used every day in the best laboratories for isolating, analyzing and cloning DNA molecules, both large and small. These are followed by chapters on cDNA cloning and exon trapping, amplification of DNA, generation and use of nucleic acid probes, mutagenesis, and DNA sequencing. The concluding chapters deal with methods to screen expression libraries, express cloned genes in both prokaryotes and eukaryotic cells, analyze transcripts and proteins, and detect protein-protein interactions. The Appendix is a compendium of reagents, vectors, media, technical suppliers, kits, electronic resources and other essential information. As in earlier editions, this is the only manual that explains how to achieve success in cloning and provides a wealth of information about why techniques work, how they were first developed, and how they have evolved. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Great reference book
For all biology scientists, this is a great buy and price is a bargain.Came in great condition.

Molecular Cloning Manual
The books arrived in good condition, but it took a long time to arrive here.

Molecular cloning: a lab Manual
This manual is high quality for the study of biotechnology. The authors collected lot of protocols and provided more detail of principle than previous two editions. The third edition involved three volumes. The manual is very useful for lab researcher.

Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (3-Volume Set)
This revised version of the Standard Lab Handbook has been improved, completed with new techniques and search is facilitated by the indices added at the end of each volume.

a formerly essential classic
For many years the previous edition of this set was an essential reference in molecular biology labs.At present however, there are too many good protocol books out there to really make this argument.The book is pretty strong in explaining theory, and answering the question of why certain procedures are either necessary, useful, or worthless, however it is not as practical as many other books, such as Short Protocols.Still a good reference overall, but no longer stands alone, and I recommend checking out as much of the competition as possible before deciding whether to make the investment in it. ... Read more

Product Description
Known world-wide as the standard introductory text to this important and exciting area, the sixth edition of Gene Cloning and DNA Analysis addresses new and growing areas of research whilst retaining the philosophy of the previous editions. Assuming the reader has little prior knowledge of the subject, its importance, the principles of the techniques used and their applications are all carefully laid out, with over 250 clearly presented four-colour illustrations.

In addition to a number of informative changes to the text throughout the book, the final four chapters have been significantly updated and extended to reflect the striking advances made in recent years in the applications of gene cloning and DNA analysis in biotechnology.

Gene Cloning and DNA Analysis remains an essential introductory text to a wide range of biological sciences students; including genetics and genomics, molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology and applied biology. It is also a perfect introductory text for any professional needing to learn the basics of the subject. All libraries in universities where medical, life and biological sciences are studied and taught should have copies available on their shelves.

"… the book content is elegantly illustrated and well organized in clear-cut chapters and subsections… there is a Further Reading section after each chapter that contains several key references… What is extremely useful, almost every reference is furnished with the short but distinct author's remark."
–Journal of Heredity, 2007 (on the previous edition) ... Read more

Product Description
From the author of Educating for the New World Order and its sequel Microchipped: How the Education Establishment Took Us Beyond Big Brother. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Have wanted this book for a long time
This book has been out of print for a number of years, but the underlying message is likely more relevant-and more evident - today than any time in the past.If you've ever puzzled over the apparent breakdown in morals and ethics in today's society, even among youngsters who've been raise with these principles, you will find, in "Cloning of The American Mind" the reasoning and methodology used to accomplish this. Because it IS intentional, insidious and dangerous for our future as a sovereign nation.

Excellent Book
by Bruce Collins
RaidersNewsNetwork.com
April 27, 2007

`Cloning Of The American Mind: Eradicating Morality Through Education' is a comprehensive indictment on the sinister nature of the modern day education system.

The book begins with the deliberate big brother testing tactics from Pennsylvania. Through the Educational Quality Assessment (EQA), our tax supported public schools have collected personal information via "attitudes, worldviews and opinions" culled from non-educational queries. Forget the fact that student IQs have been sliding downward, let's mold their independent ideas into a programmed state with suggestive questions. Then, repeat those questions through the life of their public education until they yield to the pressure of conformity.

Collecting information extends beyond the classroom as surveys by mail flood post office hubs nationwide. Most effective are the political party surveys meant to extract contributions, in the guise of collecting constituent's views on `hot button' issues, and to permanently affix a label on each contributor as a future source of income.

Today, marketing deals with information gathering in an invasive manner to determine predictors using individual variables.

Then, there is the "information underground" who unearth your `private' data for resale. As Ms. Eakman explains," For a price, the intelligence underground superbureaus like Tracers Worldwide in Elmhurst, Illinois, will produce your unpublished phone number, the location of your safe deposit box, the latest credit charges on all your various accounts, a list of your phone calls (local and long distance), your income tax forms, workman's compensation records, mortgage payment records, marital history and driving records."

Big brother isn't the only one watching you these days. He's been joined by little sister, third cousin `what's his name' and crazy uncle, Leroy.

Getting back to the children, when the tests are completed, many groups have access to the results. For example, 29 organizations can view the National Assessment.

To expedite the transfer of information among school institutions, a system called SPEEDE/ ExPRESS was implemented. SPEEDE/ExPRESS stands for Standardization of Postsecondary Education Electronic Data Exchange/ Exchange of Permanent Records Electronically for Students. No doubt a child with ADD would never be able to spit out that entire title in one sitting! On a side note, my father cured ADD years ago with one really good, politically incorrect spanking.

The danger of SPEEDE/ ExPRESS is that it also easily enables the "transfer of records among government agencies, corporations and countless other entities."

In addition to students, B.K. Eakman's "Cloning Of The American Mind" also touches on the pressure of conformity applied to teachers.

"Thus, teachers of students whose beliefs do not change over time, and who will not use the "psychological strands" provided by the department head in his or her subject area, may be judged "ineffective." While tenure may protect some teachers for a time, there are other ways to get rid of them- such as giving them students with the worst behavior problems every year."

Through the "unified coding system", students now have a "permanent record" that can be referenced by law enforcement agencies, potential employers and, no doubt, a litany of hackers, creeps and people that go bump in the night. The book explains that this is one short step before DNA microchipping.

The author spends time explaining the causes that led to the cavernous moral changes in American culture. Among them, she lists the introduction of rock music, drugs and behavioral sciences.

Eakman exposes some interesting techniques in use today, such as: opinion molding, consensus building and the science of coercion. She also points the finger at tax exempt foundations; many formed by the Rockefeller dynasty.

The connections are made to a harvesting of molded minds with the vision of a New World Order. Nationalism is treated as a "mental illness." What ever happened to reading, writing and arithmetic?

This book is not a one sitting read but I can honestly say that no pages are wasted. The information is invaluable particularly if you had no clue (like me) about what is going on today in our schools. It's absolutely dreadful.

However, unlike many books that cry foul but leave no solutions, Bev Eakman lays out a solid plan on how to take back our schools from the `mad scientists.'

"Cloning Of The American Mind" by B.K. Eakman is an extremely important book to add to your reading list.

The Same Old Stuff
Beware the liberals are after your children.They will brainwash them with Harry Potter books and all the psychological testavailable to them.They may even attempt to manipulate their self-esteem.A real whaco read.The authors web site really reveals where she stands.

Warning for parents on school "committees"
Part IV of this book should be read by anyone who has ever sat on a school committee or is thinking about it. Even more urgently, it should be read by all members of all school boards which are being told that some recommendation or another was developed by a teacher or parent-teacher committee.

I participated in two committees like this in our local public school, and found that the whole process was deliberately manipulated to cultivate an intended results, while suppressing dissent or discussion.

Eakman warns that such "rigged consensus building" thwarts opposition or original thinking, while enshrining and preserving the status quo. It is a powerful tool for manipulating public opinion in such a way to gain apparent approval for dubious management directions.

These manipulative techniques are both employed with, and taught to, students in ed schools. By the time that someone leaves ed school with administration credentials, they are well-trained to set up the same dangerous practices in the districts where they are employed.

This book is a Scientology Propaganda Piece 100%
As a Health Educator with Master's level training, I took an interest in this book. After reading nearly a third (200 pages) or so of the book, I began to realize that this was a propoganda piece by the enemy of free speech known as the Church of Scientology. Ironically, the Church is not a church nor is there ANY science behind any of their malicious claims and attacks. It may be true that there are abuses within psychiatry, medicine or the mental health fields, AS THERE ARE IN EVERY OTHER PROFESSION INCLUDING THE CLERGY. I strongly advise readers not to buy this cleverly crafted collection of half-truths, misinformation and slander. The internet is a great instrument for exposing the lies and fraud from organizations like "The Citizens Commission for Human Rights" which is analogous to Hitler's SS in its assault on psychiatry. ... Read more

Product Description
Now fully updated to reflect recent advances, this introduction provides a broad, but concise, coverage of recombinant DNA techniques. Emphasis is placed on the concepts underlying particular types of cloning vectors to aid understanding and to enable readers to devise suitable strategies for novel experimental situations. A series of 'real-life' biological problems are also presented to enable readers to assess their understanding of the material and to prepare for exams. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent overview of techniques in genetic engineering
This book is a "wet" approach to genetic engineering and outlines for the reader modern laboratory techniques in cloning and gene sequencing. It is well suited for a mathematician or an aspiring bioinformatics specialist who needs an overview of the experimental side of genetic engineering. The treatment is very detailed and a lot is covered given the size of the book, but it is well written and an interesting read. It does require a fair amount of background in biochemistry but even readers without such a background can follow the dialog if close attention is paid to the definitions. A little elementary physics background is required in the discussion on gel electrophoresis, and in the discussion on biolistic transformations with a particle gun. For the mathematician/bioinformaticist the most useful chapters will be the chapters on the making and screening libraries. The validation of gene sequence data is an important but tedious exercise and these chapters introduce the reader to what must lie ahead if such activities are pursued. Even if read leisurely the book is fascinating and one takes away a deeper appreciation of the tools and techniques used in this new century of biology. ... Read more

Product Description
With DNA and gene cloning all over the news, readers need to understand the ongoing genetic revolution. In this highly acclaimed guide, Karl Drlica fully explains the basic science and technology readers need to understand the issues and make crucial decisions. Each step of the way he explains complex topics using easy-to-understand analogies. The new edition is now completely up-to-date. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent
Two DNA arise out of one.Each daughter cell will receive a DNA molecule have the exact same nucleotide sequence as the parent.

DNA polymerase travels down the DNA and produces an messenger RNA.The DNA strand separates as DNA polymerase and other proteins bind to the DNA.Nucleotides are added to the growing chain of the old strand which has been unzipped.The (A) DNA polymerase moves continueously in the direction of the unzipping and (B) DNA polyermarse moves in the opposite direction.DNA ligase join the fragments.Mutations occur during the replication, for example a T may mutate to a U.

Gene Expression. In RNA polymerase generates Messenger RNA strand. The RNA polymerase connects to a recognition site.
An amino acid connects to an enyzme and Transfer RNA connects to the amino acid then the amino acid and tRNA are released.The tRNA connects to the codon sugar on the mRNA as the Ribosome translates the mRNA.Each gene has a start and terminator codon.When the ribosome encounters the terminator codon the protein chain is released.

A ribosome connects to the mRNA and produces a peptide chain of amino acids.The ribosome creates the protein chain with the help of tranfer RNA.There are 20 amino acids and each one has a corresponding tRNA.The tRNA, enzyme, and Amino Acid are assembled into a peptide; the ribosome reads the mRNA code and a matching tRNA links too it; as new codons are read the previous tRNA is released with the previous amino acid bond too the new amino acid; at the end of the mRNA the amino acid chain is released.

RNA polymarse primes, connects at the origin, and traverses a section of DNA sugars producing a mRNA for a specific gene.mRNA is created and the ribosome creates the protein.

Gene splicing. Enzymes cut the dna into fragments at specific locations called restriction sites.These enzymes are called restriction nucleases.A bacteria or phage can be used as a host.Plasmids and DNA are cut by the enyzems, the fragments are separated and recombined using DNA ligase resulting in a plasmid that contains human DNA fragments and plasmid fragments.The plasmid are reintroduced to the bacteria and grown producing the desired proteins. A bacteria contains the chromosomes, plasmid, and phila.A male bacteria uses the phila to pull in the female bacteria and injects the plasmid into the female making it male.The bacteria divide with the new dna.

Cell division. The DNA unzips and forms two daughter cells.The nucleus wraps around each of the replicated DNA strands. What is interesting about cell division is that one strand replicates in the direction of the unzipping and the other replicates in the opposite direction and leaps back to the point of unzipping creating segments of replication connect by ligase.

Excellent introduction for non-specialists
This is the book that we ask all new undergraduates, time-slip students, high school students, and technicians to read before they start work in our lab.It is also the book I recommend to non-specialists like my father whowant to know what I am doing.It is an excellent introduction.

A good replacement for a MolCell text
For someone who already went through a college-level molecular biology course, Drlica's book is an especially good refresher.The book also goes into good detail on various protocols used by biochemical and mol/cell labs today. ... Read more

Product Description
The third edition of "Gene Cloning" is a fully revised and updated version of this introductory text on the subject. It is longer and contains greater detail, yet is still aimed at undergraduates and at those who have little or no previous experience of cloning techniques. There are two additions to the contents. The first is a chapter on the polymerase chain reaction, a technique that has assumed great importance in molecular biology. The second is a final chapter on plant genetic engineering, reflecting the increasing research interest, and general concern, in promoting environmentally sensitive practices in agriculture. It is in a larger format than previous editions and is printed in two colours. It should be of interest to first and second year life sciences undergraduates, especially those reading biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, cell biology and medicine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Brilliant introduction to fundamental techniques
I graduated two years ago with a degree in Biochemistry, and have been working in a lab subsequently doing neurobiology research. I haven't used any of these gene cloning techniques during that time, and re-reading this book again has been really useful in refreshing me to some of the basic concepts which I haven't needed since I was an undergraduate.The explanations are clear and concise and every chapter builds on the last to give you a broad and basic understanding of these essential techniques.As an introduction this is great, but obviously you should read a more thorough textbook to follow up with if you are about to begin research in a lab.

The book was splendid!
I think the main reason of reading this book is because this is my chosen research problem.It's very interesting to know that cloning is one of the breakthroughs of today's technology.

Finally,the book I was looking for!
I only wish I had found this book BEFORE I started Grad School.The author actually goes out of his way to be uncomplicated, which is unusual.If you want a quick but comprehensive overview of this fast-moving field, then this is the book for you. ... Read more

Product Description
The Condensed Protocols From Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual is a single-volume adaptation of the three-volume third edition of Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. This condensed book contains only the step-by-step portions of the protocols, accompanied by selected appendices from the world's best-selling manual of molecular biology techniques. Each protocol is cross-referenced to the appropriate pages in the original manual. This affordable companion volume, designed for bench use, offers individual investigators the opportunity to have their own personal collection of short protocols from the essential Molecular Cloning. Related Titles from the Publisher Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 3rd Edition(9780879697716) Protein-Protein Interactions: A Molecular Cloning Manual, Second Edition (9780879697235) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

nice bench top protocols
It is a nice written and ease read manual. It is still too heavy to carry around, I wonder whether this can be a half-sized book that is printed in smaller fonts. I guess molecular biologists wouldn't care about small size fonts, they deal with small stuff all the time.

Condensed protocols from Molecular Cloning: A laboratory manual
The condensed protocols version of Molecular Cloning is well written, concise and adequately referenced.Protocols are easy to follow and provide options depending upon individual experimental needs and preference.

The protocols provide information from home made recipes to prepared reagents available commercially.

The protocols work in my hands.

The book is large and not easily used on bench top.Otherwise it is a good resource for the laboratory. ... Read more

Product Description
Should we clone extinct or endangered species? Are we justified in using stem cells to develop cures? When will we clone the first human? Ever since Dolly the sheep, questions like these have rarely been far from the public consciousness, and cloning is now poised to revolutionize medicine, healthcare, and even the food we eat. In this masterful introduction, Aaron Levine explains the science and development of cloning, right up to the present-day scandals surrounding attempts to clone humans. Guiding readers around the thorny political and ethical issues raised by such progress, Levine dispels the myths perpetuated by the media and sheds new light on the pros and cons of this fascinating and controversial topic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Wish I had read this sooner.
As both an author and reader of fiction, I was impressed with details and imformation in the book "Cloning: A beginner's Guide". Maybe it is because I have always enjoyed a book that could hold my attention and make me think at the same time.Give this book a try.
The Christian fiction book that I have written main story theme is about ten years in the life of a little girl who was "chosen by God" to be the next Madonna in the second coming of Christ. Yes, it has cloning in it.
Tommy Taylor
Author - The Second Virgin Birth

Thorough and to the point!
This is a very nicely packed description of the topic. Very well written: includes all the basic information plus a thorough exploration of related issues all delivered in an easy to read, enjoyable, conversational tone. I'm impressed by the amount of information within and the accessibility of its presentation. Not only a great way to access information on the science behind cloning, but a guide to the potential cloning shopper. Read within to see whether you should plan on counting on cloning to provide a repeat pet, a customized kid, or a replacement liver.

Great information for everyone - beginner, policymaker, or scientist looking for insight into the latest on cloning science. A great choice!

A Clear, Concise Introduction to Cloning That Should Be Read By Everyone Interested In This Issue
"Cloning: A Beginner's Guide" is more than just a mere introduction to the contentious issue of cloning. It is the best, most concise, and clearly written, summary that I have encountered (Indeed I am so impressed with Aaron Levine's skill in handling this subject, that I've recommended to a friend who teaches introductory biology at his college to consider using excerpts from Levine's book in his class.). Levine is also a fine writer who does an admirable job in discussing the issue of cloning from virtually every perspective, without clearly demonstrating any bias - pro or con - for some of its more contentious aspects. Much to my amazement, Levine has covered succinctly in less than 171 pages of text, not only the history of cloning, but its moral, andtechnological, implications too. In eight terse chapters, Aaron Levine discusses the history of cloning, the importance of embryonic stem cell research as a valuable new means of human therapeutic healing, the ethics of cloning, and its future. Truly, in the best sense of the term "primer", it functions admirably as such, giving readers a superb resource on cloning that they may return to frequently.

The first half of "Cloning: A Beginner's Guide" is devoted to the origins, history, and current status of(vertebrate) animal cloning. In Chapter 1 "What cloning is and why it matters", Levine explains the importance of cloning as both a future reproductive and therapeutic tool, dispelling many of the myths and misconceptions associated with it (The most notable example is one popularized by recent Hollywood films like "Multiplicity", in which adult clones are shown performing daily tasks; a fictional depiction which Levine notes correctly is biologically incorrect for obvious reasons related to normal human growth and development.). The chapter which follows is a brief introduction and history of genetics, cell biology and developmental biology. The third chapter traces the history of successful cloning of vertebrates by embryologists, culminating with the announcement of Dolly's birth in 1996. What follows next (Chapter 4) is an excellent discussion of both actual and potential usage of21st Century cloning in animals, covering controversial issues such as the usage of cloning in preserving (or reviving in the case of extinct) species perilously close to extinction and in cloning favorite pet animals.

The second half of "Cloning: A Beginner's Guide" is devoted to the technological aspects of human cloning and stem cell research; their potential therapeutic benefits, and, of course, their ethical implications. Chapter 5 is devoted exclusively to stem cell research and the potential therapeutic benefits of human cloning. It is followed by an elegant, admirable survey on the ethical debate over human cloning itself (Chapter 6), covering every aspect, including religiously-oriented opinions expressed by leaders of several of the leading Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. The role of governments in affecting cloning - including stem cell - research is discussed in Chapter 7, comparing and contrasting American government rules and regulations with those in other countries, including the United Nations. Finally, in Chapter 8, Levine offers an eloquent exploration on cloning's future, ending on a somewhat hopefully optimistic note.

Anyone seeking a balanced, terse, yet still extensive, introduction to cloning will find Aaron Levine's book essential, required reading (The book concludes with an excellent, exhaustive glossary of terms and definitions immediately after Chapter 8; it itself is almost worth the price of the book.). Ths fine little book is one which does belong on the bookshelves of anyone - indeed everyone - interested in cloning. I know that mine will occupy an important space on my bookshelves for a long time to come.

A great read!
This book is a must read for anyone who wants a clear description of the complex subject of cloning. Levine's account of the historical advances that eventually led to the cloning of Dolly in 1996 is highly informative and entertaining. While the common myths about cloning perpetuated in Hollywood movies are dispelled, Levine presents a balanced view of the ethical issues surrounding cloning and how various governments have responded to the potential benefits and risks associated with this research. I highly recommend this book!

A Must Read
This is a very carefully written, amazing piece of work and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to keep up with this fascinating issue of cloning science. It is easily accessible to those who have zero knowledge of cloning, but it is also a fun read to those who have had some courses in biotechnology. You will be amazed how many questions you had in the past will be answered in this book. Levine navigates the readers extremely well through the basics of the cloning science to the hot topics including Dolly the Sheep to the recent ethical debate over human cloning. It is also very user-friendly in that he provides a good list of further reading for those who would like to explore more. The notes, glossary as well as index at the back are also extremely helpful for quickly refreshing your memory. ... Read more

Product Description

The phrase “War on Terror” has quietly been retired from official usage, but it persists in the American psyche, and our understanding of it is hardly complete. Exploring the role of verbal and visual images in the War on Terror, W. J. T. Mitchell finds a conflict whose shaky metaphoric and imaginary conception has created its own reality. At the same time, Mitchell locates in the concept of cloning an anxiety about new forms of image-making that has amplified the political effects of the War on Terror. Cloning and terror, Mitchell argues, share an uncanny structural resemblance, shuttling back and forth between imaginary and real, metaphoric and literal manifestations. In Mitchell’s analysis, cloning terror emerges as the inevitable metaphor for the way in which the War on Terror has not only helped recruit more fighters to the jihadist cause but undermined the American constitution with “faith-based” foreign and domestic policies.

“In this heady brew of biopolitics and biotechnology, W. J. T. Mitchell explores some of the greatest terror of our times—the fears that claim us and chain us. His deft and defiant reading of the technologies of image-making lays bare the brutality and banality of the war on terror. This is a passionate and polemical engagement with reality and representation.” —Homi K. Bhabha, Harvard University

“This is a brilliant and wide-ranging book that considers the role of images in the recent war on terror, locating a new logic of reproduction within the visual field. The centrality of imagery for understanding and waging the so-called war on terror is widely discussed, but few scholars are able to trace the animating effects of reproducible images with Mitchell’s acuity. Here we find a restatement of the “pictorial turn” in the context of the Bush years and in the present when the icon of Obama remains a site of conflicted investment. Cloning Terror will surely become indispensable reading for a wide public of readers interested in cultural and literary criticism, visual studies, history of art, and political analysis.” —Judith Butler, author of Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence and Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable?

“Forget What Do Pictures Want?—the inspired title and theme of one of W. J. T. Mitchell’s earlier triumphs. The question is what do we want? The answer to which couldn’t be simpler: More Mitchell! In this, his latest entertainment, and a darkly unsettling one at that, the sly magus trains his eyes on the sorry times just past, decanting an entirely fresh instance of the sort of recombinant iconographies for which he is becoming so celebrated. A master theorist of political aesthetics, he does what all the great theorists going back to the Greeks are called upon to do: he gives us fresh eyes to see, and at a moment when the need for such clearsightedness couldn’t be more urgent.” —Lawrence Weschler, director of the New York Institute for the Humanities and author of Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences

Product Description
Today, biological science is rising on a wall of worry. No other science has advanced more dramatically during the past several decades nor yielded so many palpable improvements in human welfare. Yet none, except nuclear physics, have aroused greater apprehensions among the general public and leaders in such diverse fields as religion, the humanities and government than the cloning issue.

In this engaging book, Leon R. Kass, the noted teacher, scientist and humanist, and James Q. Wilson, the preeminent political scientist to whom four U.S. presidents have turned for advice, explore the ethics of human cloning, reproductive technology and the teleology of human sexuality.

Although the authors share a fundamental distrust of the notion of human cloning, they base their reticence on differing views of the role of sexual reproduction and the role of the family. Professor Kass contends that in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproduction technologies that !place the origin of human life in human hands have eroded the respect from the mystery of sexuality and human renewal. Professor Wilson, in contrast, asserts that whether a human life is created naturally or artificially is immaterial as long as the child is raised by loving parents in a two-parent family and is not harmed by the means of its conception.

This accessible volume promises to inform and expand the public policy debate over the permissible conduct of genetic research and uses of its discoveries.Amazon.com Review
This slim volume is the best introduction to the ethicaldebate over human cloning now available, as two of America's mostrespected public intellectuals tangle over the question of whetherit's a good idea to let people make genetic duplicates ofthemselves. Kass is firmly against human cloning; Wilson, although notexactly an enthusiast, sees no essential problem with it as long ascloned children are raised in loving, two-parent households.

The book is divided into two parts, with each writer laying out aninitial position followed by mutual critiques. Kass seems to get thebetter of the exchange, but both writers present their views clearly,with occasional humor. (Wilson at one point shrugs off the concernthat cloning will replace sexual reproduction: "Sex is more funthan cloning.... Procreation is a delight.") This outstandingbook will shape a debate that's only just gotten underway.--JohnJ. Miller ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

The Ethics of Human Cloning
Fast delivery, I needed this book for my Bioethics class and got it just in time. Thanks!

A look at two conservative views of cloning
This book is a collection of four essays written by Kass and Wilson. Both menappear to be conservative by their views stated in each essay. The first two essays are stand alone; each mans' opinions on the issue of cloning and the second two are rebuttals from the two on the previous essays. Each man is a conservative and offers different stances on how cloning should be implemented or if it should altogether be banned. A good look at a side of science that some people may not know or understand. In that since it is a good read but many of the assumptions in the book are very opinionated and not very factual, well at least from Kass.

Good read for all.
On February 23, 1997, Dr. Ian Wilmut announced that his research team at the Roslin Institute of Edinburgh, Scotland had cloned a 6 year old ewe.This announcement produced hype and hysteria in all directions.Leon R. Kass and James Q. Wilson wrote essays regarding their opinions of the potential consequences, both good and bad.Leon R. Kass' essay "Wisdom and Repugnance"(The Weekly Standard, May 26, 1997) focuses on what lead up to cloning and why it will turn our lives into that of Brave New World.James Q. Wilson's essay "The Paradox of Cloning"(The New Republic, June 2, 1997), attacks the issue from another angle.Wilson acknowledges the philosophical and theological issues, but open-mindedly sees no problem with clones being provided for married 2-parent families.

Both essays are very engaging and cover many angles.I believe that Kass' argument is more explicit and practical than Wilson's.Wilson merely states that cloning will happen and it will be abused, so why not establish some good from it.Kass also covers more in-depth the many sides of cloning and even, in a way, deduces what Wilson says.The information in the book is useful and I recommend it to anyone that needs a crash course on the issue of cloning.I also recommend it on the basis that cloning is an issue that affects everyone and it is important to be informed on the hard decisions facing our times.

Theocratic Trash!!!!!!!!!!
Leon R. Kass, M.D., P.h.D., is chairman of the 'President' George W. Bush's Council on Bioethics. This book was intelligently written without any reference to religion but the whole underlying message was "Do not touch Gods property even if it means healing the sick." These religious fundamentalists will do anything to STUNT us in our pursuits of happiness. This guy is for KEEPING PARALYZED PEOPLE PARALYZED. "Dr." Kass is for KEEPING AMPUTEES AMPUTATED. He's for KEEPING the depressed and suicidal DEPRESSED AND SUICIDAL. Ill spare you the bull and say what Dr. Kass really wants to say - "I want you to follow Jesus with all your heart no matter how much pain and suffering you are in. If God made you depressed than thats how you should be. If God made you paralyzed then thats how you should be. If you are miserable in your existance then thats obviously how God wants you to be and thats how you will be with our new conservative laws that will effectively ban progress to help people". For this is the ONLY real argument you can use to support the banning of progress designed to help humans. - He wants everyone to follow the 'divine' rule of sanctity of life, not quality of life - an ugly ethic for a very stupid man.

The Two Sides of the Clone
This slim volume is an excellent introduction to the multifaceted issues involved in cloning.

There are two types of cloning. One involves harvesting stem cells from embryos ("therapeutic cloning"). These are the biological equivalent of a template. They can develop into any kind of mature functional cell and thus help cure many degenerative and auto-immune diseases.

The other kind of cloning is much decried in popular culture - and elsewhere - as the harbinger of a Brave, New World. A nucleus from any cell of a donor is embedded in an egg whose own nucleus has been removed. The egg is then implanted in a woman's womb and a cloned baby is born nine months later. Biologically, the cloned infant is a replica of the donor.

Cloning is often confused with other advances in bio-medicine and bio-engineering - such as genetic selection. It cannot - in itself - be used to produce "perfect humans" or select sex or other traits. Hence, some of the arguments against cloning are either specious or fuelled by ignorance.

It is true, though, that cloning, used in conjunction with other bio-technologies, raises serious bio-ethical questions. Scare scenarios of humans cultivated in sinister labs as sources of spare body parts, "designer babies", "master races", or "genetic sex slaves" - formerly the preserve of B sci-fi movies - have invaded mainstream discourse.

Still, cloning touches upon Mankind's most basic fears and hopes. It invokes the most intractable ethical and moral dilemmas. As an inevitable result, the debate is often more passionate than informed. Sam Vaknin, author of "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited" ... Read more

Product Description
From beneath the windswept sands of ancient Mesopotarnia comes the documented legacy of the creation chamber of the heavenly Anunnaki.Here is the story of the clinical cloning of Adam and Eve, which predates Bible scripture by more than 2,000 years.

From cuneiform texts, cylinder seals, and suppressed archives, best-selling historian and distinguished genealogist Laurence Gardner tells the ultimate story of the alchemical bloodline of the Holy Grail, including:-Hidden secrets of the Tables of Testimony -Anti-gravitational science of the pyramid pharaohs -A history of God and the lords of eternity -Disclosures of the Phoenix and the Philosophers' Stone -The superconductive powers of monatomic gold -A genetic key to the evolutionary Missing Link -Active longevity and the Star Fire magic of Eden ... Read more

Customer Reviews (45)

"JESUS: THE REST OF THE 'STORY'"
If you have ever read a regular book, you know that the story it tells has to have a continuing narration.
The Bible as such certainly does NOT. Most of it is just 'prattle' and just does not make any sence. Just about the time you get to what seems to be the jist of the story, the narative falls by the wayside. Just one example among ever so many: Mark 16:8 that has no actual ending. Did this guy see the crucifixion or not? Men's memories get fuzzy over the years and since none of this was written while the so-called King or Rabbi was a live, how can you accept it as 'gospel?
The Book of 'James' goes on in such a manner that you have to wonder if he was 'Jesus's brother or not! Did he know Jesus or not?He says nothing to give away anything about the man as a child or man. There were 4 Jameses in the New Testament. Which one wrote this diddly?
You study the customs under which Jesus lived and you find that he failed many of them. Example: marriage. He was under obligation to marry by age 20 but Religion tells us he didn't. How can he be a Rabbi , which means that he was of the tribe of Levi and also be a King of the Royal Line of David? Also,if he was a King, then a King of what; where; and who were his subjects? It's a line; a story with no punch and we are expected to believe it. Sorry; no 5 stars for the Bible but 5 stars for the 'Grail Kings'. Eventually, the real truth comes out. It's like 'Hitler" said: "You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time". No authoritive History on Jesus makes his story highlysuspect.
Those Jews were not exactly stupid, you know. They knew their religion and they also knew who really was Jesus's father. And it wasn't a spirit and Jesus never claimed it to be so.
Gardiner is a Great Recearcher for the truth. His notes are extensive. See for your self.

Can't wait to read more!
I've read many of Zecharia Sitchin's books on the Sumerians and Annunaki, and I have to say I don't regret broadening my horizons a little and reading this book by Laurence Gardner.I have another on order, and will probably read others.He focuses on the beliefs of the Templars, being one himself, and ties in the ancient practice of alchemy and how it originated.While the two men's views differ here and there, I appreciate the consistency of the similarities.This book focuses acutely on religious practices, and the time lines of actual events.I recommend it to anyone thirsty for as much perspective on this subject as they can get.

Axe to Grind
Give us a break Mr.Gardner. This is agenda-driven propaganda masking as informed scholarship. The author belongs to that movement that seeks to redefine man as a product of genetic manipulation by extra-terrestrials or inter-dimensional beings. This premise itself is not unreasonable, but Mr Gardner is dissimilar from Von Daniken, Stichin, et al in that he has a specific axe to grind.

We are the creation of a reptilian master race, the dragons of Lucifer. There never was a divine ideal for man, no vision, no purpose other than slavery. Humanity was simply a genetic experiment by an intellectually superior species. There was no Fall, only liberation. The Grail Kings are serpent/human hybrids who are our rightful rulers and teachers. Theirs is the Holy bloodline. Jesus was one of them. Methinks the author also believes the same about himself.

In reality, this book is an apology for a type of satanism. It is choc-a-bloc with convoluted half truths which might bedazzle readers who are cynical of religious orthodoxy.

This is not the blind leading the blind. The author clearly knows what he is doing. He's made his bed and he's lying in it. I'm not getting in with him.

A great piece of christian fantasy.
As both an author and reader of fiction, I was impressed with Genesis of the Grail Kings. Maybe it is because I have always enjoyed a book that could hold my attention and make me think at the same time. In a nutshell, the characters are believable and yet a little out of the ordinary and the story line interesting. Give this book a try.
I have also written a book about the cloning of Jesus, but my main story line is ten years in the life of a little girl who was "chosen by God" to be the next Madonna in the second coming of Christ.
Tommy Taylor
Author - The Second Virgin Birth

Weird Science
Gardner's "non-fiction" book is based on the idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had children and their descendants became European royalty. Other books have the same idea. Gardner diverges into the world of science fiction or crazy people when he begins writing about aliens and a super human race. I'm fairly open minded, and while anything is possible, I began to doubt Gardner's credibility and motives. Not necessary reading. ... Read more

Product Description
A council of leading scientists and philosophers offers wise and provocative insights into the ethical implications of one of the most momentous developments of all-cloning.

Few avenues of scientific inquiry raise more thorny ethical questions than the cloning of human beings, a radical way to control our DNA. In August 2001, in conjunction with his decision to permit limited federal funding for stem-cell research, President George W. Bush created the President's Council on Bioethics to address the ethical ramifications of biomedical innovation. .Over the past year the Council, whose members comprise an all-star team of leading scientists, doctors, ethicists, lawyers, humanists, and theologians, has discussed and debated the pros and cons of cloning, whether in the service of producing children or as an aid to scientific research. The questions the Council members confronted do not have easy answers, and they did not seek to hide their differences behind an artificial consensus.Rather, the Council decided to allow each side to make its own best case, so that the American people can think about and debate these questions, which go to the heart of what it means to be a human being.Just as the dawn of the atomic age created ethical dilemmas for the United States, cloning presents us with similar quandaries that we are sure to wrestle with for decades to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A balanced considerate report with strong reasons for opposing human cloning
There is a great deal of information provided in this report on the subject of human cloning. There is also a fundamental argument at the heart of the discussion concerning whether human cloning is advisable or not. I tend to agree with the line of thinking of the Chairman of the Comission Leon Kass, who basically argues that human cloning is incommensurate with human dignity, and the future benefit of mankind.
At the heart of such a perception is a belief that limitation is wisely built into the human situation. And that an opening up of 'reproduction' in this way will ultimately undermine our common humanity.
'Cloning' would probably lead to a promotion of a false hope of immortality on the part of those who could afford to have themselveshave themselves cloned many times. It will lead to an undermining of our whole sense of family life, and human relations.

Oh Please!!...........More Theocratic Garbage
Leon R. Kass, M.D., P.h.D., is chairman of the 'President' George W. Bush's Council on Bioethics. This book was intelligently written without any reference to religion but the whole underlying message was "Do not touch Gods property even if it means healing the sick." These religious fundamentalists will do anything to STUNT us in our pursuits of happiness. This guy is for KEEPING PARALYZED PEOPLE PARALYZED. "Dr." Kass is for KEEPING AMPUTEES AMPUTATED. He's for KEEPING the depressed and suicidal DEPRESSED AND SUICIDAL. Ill spare you the bull and say what Dr. Kass really wants to say - "I want you to follow Jesus with all your heart no matter how much pain and suffering you are in. If God made you depressed than thats how you should be. If God made you paralyzed then thats how you should be. If you are miserable in your existance then thats obviously how God wants you to be and thats how you will be with our new conservative laws that will effectively ban progress to help people". For this is the ONLY real argument you can use to support the banning of progress designed to help humans. - He wants everyone to follow the 'divine' rule of sanctity of life, not quality of life - an ugly ethic for a very stupid man.

Very powerful.
I am a science major and philosophy minor and I have found this book very provocative, well written and useful.

A collection of opinions with no firm ethical foundation.
The subject of human cloning has gained considerable press recently, due mainly to claims made by various individuals in successfully producing a human clone. These claims have remained unjustified, due to the refusal of these individuals to permit their scientific verification. The successful birth of a healthy human clone would be a major achievement, both from a scientific standpoint, and from an ethical one. It would give humans yet another option of how they are to reproduce themselves, and far from demeaning or devaluing human life, would actually celebrate it. There is no question that the first human clones will be viewed as somewhat of a novelty by many, but like all other humans born as the result of advances in technology, such as in vitro fertilization, they will be accepted as another unique and valuable addition to the human species, deserving of every legal right and every measure of respect.

Having unique fingerprints does not distinguish us as individuals, only our achievements do. It is the total contributions we have made in the entire span of our lives that distinguishes us as individuals.But Leon Kass, the main author of this book, and the chairman of the President's Council on Bioethics, has chosen the fingerprint as its focal point. Indeed, in the first sentence in the forward, he states that "the fingerprint has rich biological and moral significance", and that it "signifies our unique personal identity." It is ironic perhaps that he has chosen to address the issue of human cloning by beginning with a purely physical characterization of human individuality. Why worry about how different we are from others anyway? If a handful of clones, all with the same fingerprints, make brilliant contributions to humanity, should we not celebrate this? And if a physical attribute is needed to differentiate us as individuals, then should not human clones be regarded as unique by reference to the way they came into this world, i.e. by asexual reproduction?

The main virtue of this book is that it omits the vituperation that frequently accompanies discussion of genetic engineering and human cloning. It addresses the main issues calmly, without hype and without personal attacks against those who advocate the genetic engineering of or cloning of human beings. It does however present a very narrow view of the ethical philosophy behind the technology of genetic engineering. The authors cannot seem to find a sound ethical framework in which to speak. Utilitarian considerations behind reproductive cloning for example are abandoned, and are to be replaced with a "different frame of reference". The Council Members (interesting use of capital letters here) though never articulate in detail just what this ethical "frame of reference" is, but only seek a "deeper meaning" in that act of human procreation, which in their view will then give meaning to the raising of children.

The reproductive cloning of humans has, interestingly, a certain shock value for the council members (no caps are needed). It, to them, is the "most unusual, consequential, and most morally important" of the ways of bringing children into the world. Why indeed is this so? If the council members were suddenly to find several children in the world that were brought into the world as a result of cloning, would they find these children that much different than any other children born as the result of "ordinary" reproduction? The actions taken to produce cloned children are certainly different than taken to produce "ordinary" children, but will the children themselves be any different in terms of their humanity? Cloned children will play in the sand box, get into fights with each other, face the same struggles, and require the same kind of nurturing as any other children. The moral significance of the actions taken to voluntarily produce children shrink in comparison to their value as humans.

It is perhaps ironic that the council members believe that sexual procreation gives each human being a "sense of individual identity". They inadvertently express a belief that genetic structure is primarily responsible for making humans unique as individuals. Genes and not life experiences and the accumulated wisdom obtained from these experiences are believed by the council members to have great weight in determining our uniqueness as individuals. They don't believe in total genetic determinism though, as further analysis of the book reveals, but their emphasis on the genetic makeup is actually quite surprising given their anti-cloning stance. It is usually the technophilic pro-cloning groups who over-emphasize the role of genetics. One can safely bet though that both the council members and these groups would forget their differences if they saw a lovely cloned human child in a crib, one that is deserving of all the warmth and care that should be given to any other human on this planet.

Stem cell research has complicated the cloning debate, and with the announcement last month of promising work involving pluripotent human embryonic stem cell cells derived from a cloned blastocyst, and with the reorganization of the President's Council of Bioethics to make it more anti-cloning and anti-stem cell in its beliefs, one can certainly expect much more contention in the near future. Scientists, geneticists, and genetic engineers must make sure their work and its ethical justification are not left to the sometimes myopic and unjustified opinions such as can be found in this book. The members of the Council of Bioethics do not speak for everyone, and any authority regarding scientific or ethical matters imputed to them is incorrect. Any advice they give is purely their own personal opinion, a result of their own biases and personal history. As such it does not have moral or legal binding for anyone.

A Different Perspective on Cloning and Stem Cell Research
I found this report to be invaluable in determining where some in the scientific community and many politicians and bureacrats stand on the subject of cloning and stem cell research.

If you favor such research, for whatever reason, whether it be the development of tissues for the cures of disease or for other reasons, the Human Cloning and Human Dignity report will definitely give you an idea regarding the ideology of those who composed the report. The position of many of the members is common and frequently theological in nature, with much of the discussion concerning the subject of the earliest cell divisions, before recognizable human features have developed.

The position against human cloning in the report is recognizable, honest, and thorough so someone hoping to change public opinion in favor of cloning and stem cell research can determine what they need to do to address public opinion on the subject.

I found the report very informative. ... Read more

Product Description
Animal Transgenesis and Cloning is a concise, balanced introduction to this dynamic subject, covering key issues and current techniques currently used in animal transgenesis and cloning. Whilst providing the reader with the essentials of the subject, from the molecular basis of gene structure and function to therapeutic gene cloning in humans, social and ethical implications of this important area of research are also considered.

Written in a clear, accessible style, the book starts with an introduction to key molecular biology techniques and in particular, considers techniques used specifically for cloning animals and generating transgenic animals. Later chapters examine the diverse theoretical, technical and ethical issues raised by cloning and transgenesis in both animals and humans.

Animal Transgenesis and Cloning:

• Is an accessible, concise introduction to this dynamic field
• Discusses biological, technical and ethical issues related to cloning and transgenesis
• Provides an up-to-date account of the latest research methods and applications.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A good overview
The subject of animal transgenesis is both interesting and controversial, and its ramifications for all life on Earth are awesome. Once a highly specialized area in biology, and employing very unreliable experimental techniques, it has grown into a field that employs hundreds of individuals in science and industry, and along with using more reliable laboratory procedures, it makes use of highly sophisticated mathematical algorithms and results.

The author gives a fine overview of the subject, and with some prior exposure to molecular biology, the book can be read by anyone needing a background in it or anyone merely curious about the current status and capabilities of the field. The book addresses both the science and technology of transgenic animals, and the profound ethical considerations involved with its widespread use in the natural world. The creation of transgenic animals has not been as controversial as that of plants, but the advent ofxenotransplantation and the possibility of transgenic animals being released in great numbers in wild populations will no doubt raise the level of debate and truculence. One can only hope that the harsh and bitter vitriole that characterizes both sides of the debate on genetic engineering will evolve into dialog of a more calm and rational nature. If the techniques of genetic engineering are proven unsafe or not viable, then they should not be used. If they are safe, they should be employed immediately in plants and animals, including humans.

The author endeavors in all places in the book to be up-to-date, quoting the latest papers and preprints on the subject. There are places in the book the read more like a literature survey, but most of the book is a detailed account of the experimental techniques used in animal transgenesis, and for someone like myself who is not an expert in wet biology, it has some interesting surprises, such as the fact that cloned goats were normal in all cases attempted, even in those where the oocytes were obtained after in vitro maturation. But as a sign of the rapid developments in molecular biology, the recent developments showing that some mammalian cloning, such as that for primates, faces severe difficulties, is not discussed in the book, despite its publication date. Also, in the discussion on gene therapy as applied to severe combined immunodeficiency, the author does not mention the recent problems with patients developing leukemia after this kind of therapy.

Throughout the book the author is very honest about the current limitations of transgenic technology. She states explicitly that all the mechanisms controlling gene expression are not known and that the construction of a gene may eliminate essential signals or combine incompatible signals. This will lead to disappointing transgene expression, according to the author. This assertion is also interesting in that it casts some doubt on the viewpoint that the genome of an organism is 'flexible' or easily changed. It is quite possible that they are instead conservative over time, and highly resistant to stable modification. In fact, recent experiments with mosquitos have given evidence supporting the latter point of view. The author gives additional evidence in the human genome, the major part of which is non-functional. Therefore, the author concludes, a foreign gene added to the human genome has a small probability of being integrated into a host gene, and is therefore silent.

The possibility of vectors used for animal transgenesis to be transmitted to intestinal bacteria and then disseminated into the environment is only briefly mentioned by the author, stating only that such a transfer can be avoided by removing the prokaryotic origin of replication. It would have been nice if the author had spent more time on this, given the current controversies on this kind of transfer.

A very interesting discussion given by the author concerns the use of what she calls 'non-classical' vectors for the recombination of targeted genes, one being the use of bacterial recombinases. The author mentions one example of this, involving a bacterial Rec A enzyme that is associated in vitro with a mononstrand DNA sequence. Such a technique was able to induce a homologous recombination of the corresponding gene in mammalian cells and mouse embryos using microinjection, but she cautions that conformation of these experiments is yet to be performed.

The author also includes a discussion of the use of the triple helix between RNA and DNA as a technique for animal transgenesis. Such a technique involves the targeted inhibition of a gene by the formation of the triple helix in pyrimidine-rich regions. The triple helix blocks transcription by RNA polymerase II and RNA synthesis can be directed by the transgene. The author reminds the reader though that such techniques have yet to be successful though in animal transgenesis.

Another topic of current interest is that of RNA interference, and the author discusses it in the context of animal transgenesis. She discusses experiments in which (double-stranded) RNA interference can be implemented in cultured cells to inhibit gene expression. The author considers the possibility, yet to be explored, of the expression of transgenes coding for double-stranded RNA inhibiting gene expression in mammals.

The author discusses many applications of animal transgenesis, including the study of human diseases, models for viral infections and prion diseases, Alzheimer's disease, xenografting, the production of pharmaceuticals, and improved animal production. As the techniques of animal transgenesis are improved, there will no doubt be many more beneficial applications. There will also be the delightful possibility of the creation of new types of animals with the sole purpose of making the natural world a much more diverse and interesting place to live. ... Read more

Product Description
book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

david rorvik book on cloning - REAL - no bs . .plz help !!
I'm the one in the book which was apparently cloned off of a mid 50-60 ish man. I'm not sure who 2 talk 2 about this but hey you could spread the word around. Born in San Francisco , ca nov. 21st , 1978. Born in Childrens Hospital but my certified bc looks like someone was trying 2 pull a fast one. I grew up in central california then got put into some sort of spiritual quest. I used 2 get asked all the time - hey do you have an older brother - but i'm like not that i'm aware of . I've always felt as if i was brought up in a home away from home. Being intuitively watched from a distance & what not. I'm not sure how 2 contact David M. Rorvik in regards 2 this matter. I'm currently living in New York , New York . Please be free to contact me at voodoogodasleep@yahoo.com - if you could possibly assist me in this matter - it would be greatly & deeply appreciated . thank you . . gene s.

Read It In 21 Hours!
I had known the author for somtime before I read his work. It was after he assured me that it was a true documentation that I decided to read the first few pages. Well, 21 hours later (I slept 8), I had completed the book. I simply could not put it down.

Many will wonder where the child is now - I assure you he is alive and well.

The best book I have ever read by far. Michael is brilliant!

Fascinating subject
When I read this book when first published I was astounded.I had seen and read several articles in various journals debating this subject (including the shocking possibility of DNA Recombination), but was disappointed by those who challenged the theory of Cloning by heatedly debating the moral/ethical implications of it.It reminded me of several things - that Biology and Chemistry are the cornerstones of understanding Life As We Know It, it's well known that numerous forms of life on our planet reproduce themselves by cloning, that flight was impossible yet disproven by the Wright Brothers in 1903, that space travel was impossible yet disproven by Sputnik in 1957, and the spiritual conviction of Galileo for challenging the Christian belief that the Universe orbited Earth instead of vice versa.

If it weren't for the insatiable curiosity of science and technology we would still be living by way of spears, stone knives, bearskins, and fire.The knowledge of genetics isn't simply to clone humans, but to understand our existence as well as every living thing on our planet and the beneficial results of it."In His Image" may or may not be a hoax, a better writer could have made Rorvik's story a little more gripping, but it's the suggestions this book reveals that is so phenomenal.

Instead of debating the pro's and con's of cloning, perhaps we should debate the pro's and con's of biological warfare.Read the book "Germs" and you will find that the proliferation of such deadly viruses as weapons is collossal.There is no match for such malevolence.They are so dangerous that it reaches the conception of biologic annihilation; it puts nuclear weapons to shame and makes cloning totally irrelevent.Most incredibly, research and development still goes on.THAT is where anti-clonists should re-focus their intent.

Has it Been Done? Or is This Book a Hoax?
The book was a sensation back in 1978, but most who read it did not believe it. At the time of its publication, the US Senate held hearings on whether human cloning should be banned. A scientist mentioned in the book sued the publisher and the end result of the lawsuit was an apology from the publisher, J. B. Lippincott, and a court ruling that the book was a hoax.

But was it? The author, David Rorvik, has always maintained that the story he told was the truth. He included a great deal of technical descriptions of the techniques used to clone the mysterious "Max" as if he wanted future readers to know exactly how he claimed it was done. That can be compared to the techniques used today to clone mammals. Rorvik says in his Afterward to the book that he does not expect his story to be accepted, since he can offer no proof. He says he saw the baby, and it was a normal healthy baby. He was never shown the genetic proof that the baby was actually a clone, but he says that Max told him he had seen the verification that the baby was in fact his genetic duplicate.

I did an internet search on Rorvik and found many references to this book, and no consensus on whether it was fact or fiction. There are a number of references to it as fiction or a hoax, but in an interview with Omni magazine in 1997, Rorvik says the story is true and that he has continued to be contacted by people interested in cloning. However, he has nothing to say about Max, whether he has been in touch with him or seen the child, who would be a young man in his twenties now.

Why do people get so upset about human cloning? Why is it often described as "morally repugnant?" At the time of Rorvik's book, in vitro fertilization was still new and considered repugnant too. Rorvik describes how a friend of his, Dr. Landrum B. Shettles, was fired from his position at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital for creating a test-tube embryo for an infertile Florida woman. His superior destroyed the embryos and tried to discredit Dr. Shettles. That was the level of hysteria about a procedure now routinely done; there are probably thousands of people walking around who are the product of in vitro fertilization. They do not think of themselves as freaks because they are not.

Cloning is just one more way to make a baby, although it has little to recommend it. Isn't it better to use our new knowledge of our genetic make-up to eliminate defects and create better humans? It seems to me that the objections to cloning come down to a number of misunderstandings. People talk about cloning as a way to immortality, as if a clone of me is me. But that is not the case. The clone has the same genetic material, but is a separate person in the same way that identical twins are separate people. Someone who's been cloned, like Max, will die and his "immortality" is no more a reality than anyone who has children has a claim to immortality. We pass on our genes, but so what? We are each still responsible for our lives and how we live them. A clone would have his own life, his own soul, and be no less an individual than any of us. I find it interesting that in the experiments with multiple cloned cows, they were not even all physically the same. These were spotted cows and the spots had variations, attributed to the differences in the surrogate mothers and conditions of pregnancy. A clone, it turns out, is not necessarily an exact duplicate.

Human cloning will happen, if indeed it has not already happened. But it will not be popular, and the hysteria over it will eventually go away, as have the objections to in vitro fertilization. I would love to hear from anyone with more information about an existing human clone; see my longer review at my book review site, The Seeker Books.

Weird science, weird publishing, weird ethics
I read this book while doing research for a (yet unpublished) novel on cloning, and incorporated part of this peculiar bit of publishing history into my book. Rorvik purportedly was asked to make connections between ananonymous rich American and a nameless geneticist who would help the richman to clone himself. The scientist/doctor would set up a clinic in anunnamed Southeast Asian country and use young girls who came as patients tothe clinic as possible incubators. Rorvik's role was also, according tohim, to make sure that this experiment was conducted ethically, under hiseagle eye. Apparently using uneducated, uninformed, and unconsentingvirgins did not present a moral or ethical problem to him or anyone else;the girls were poor, after all. Rorvik was (and apparently still is) aprofessional science writer, and Lippincott published this book as-is,seemingly without doing any fact checking. It was pretty controversial whenit came out, both because of the editorial laxness of this respectedpublishing house and because of the story's improbability - thoughgenerally not because of its ethical shakiness. The science journal reviewswhen the book came out denied that human cloning was possible (though theytended to hedge just a little bit, with good reason, as we now know).Whether factual or not, this book demonstrates, apparently unwittingly,just why human cloning is a bad idea. It's just another way that richpeople can buy poor people. ... Read more

Product Description
Gregory Pence offers a candid look at the arguments for and against human cloning. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

An Argument Against Nonsense
More than a technical look at human cloning, Pence's book delves deep into the psychological and social aspects of this groundbreaking genetic frontier. Pence deconstructs the argumnts against cloning for what they really are: social stigmas arising from the fear of the unknown, driven largely by religious idiocy and the hypnotic call of anti-science rhetoric. Pence presents many logical argumeents that can be used against much of the nonsense that pervades anti-scientific thought; indeed, I truly enjoyed his applications of Reductio Ad Absurdum, where he shows how truly absurd the arguments against cloning (and in-vitro fertilization, or IVF) really are. Example: if embryos are people (or babies, or potential persons), why, then, do religious organizations or people not hold baptisms or funerals for embryos, but rather actual, physical babies? Obviously, because embryos are not potential persons, persons or even babies! Religious people and organizations simply want to control everyone.

For the person who has made up their mind, that human cloning was accurately represented in the movie BLADE RUNNER (hint: it wasn't), this book will not change their mind. But this book does make the point that human cloning, like IVF, is a reproductive inevitability and that irrational people have no right to shove their superstitious, backwards, genital-fearing ways down our throats. Pence makes clear the case that human cloning is not some sort of plot to breed armies of clones (that woul require an army of genetic donors and an army of mothers willing to gestate the babies for nine months), but rather a new way of making babies that can help infertile couples and even provide a brighter genetic furture for humanity.

Brilliant
In view of the...decision made by the House of Representatives this week on banning human cloning, this book is a breath of fresh air. It is the only book I have found that addresses the issue of human cloning with a calmness of spirit and rational argumentation. The author's arguments in favor of human cloning are concise yet powerful, and everyone interested in the bioethics of human cloning will gain a lot from the reading of this book. I only wish every member of the House would have read, studied, and thought about this book before making their awful decision. One of the House members comments were to the effect that no "mad scientist" is going to be allowed to proceed with the cloning of human beings.

Such commentary by the House member is rooted in popular culture according to the author.Movies, literature, and to a large degree educational institutions have painted a picture of human cloning that has no basis in science or reality. And from my own personal confrontations with people against human cloning, his assertions are correct; most people, even highly educuated ones, have a completely distorted view about what is actually possible in today's technology.

The author refutes successfully the arguments against human cloning, but also gives positive arguments for proceeding with it. I don't think the people steadfastly against human cloning will be swayed by this book, but one must remain optimistic. At any rate, the author shows convincingly that human cloning (or nuclear somatic transfer as he likes to call it) is an option that should be pursued, although with care. After reading it, one could say that a positive decision for human cloning by the citizens of our world will not lead to a "slippery slope"....but instead to a "thoughtful ascent".

wonderful
i thought this book was amazing. it's not often that you find an argument that's actually in defense of human cloning--and much less that you see anyone who's open-minded and thoughtful enough not to just blindly dismiss a possibly very helpful technology. a very well written book, it brings up important issues to the reader, and definitely should serve as required reading material for anyone who's to deal with the important decisions that will be made about cloning in the next few decades. very highly recommended!

A great book on human cloning
I'm a huge fan of human cloning, and am convinced of many of Pence's arguments.He goes far enough to add the scientific procedures, helping me for a college cellular biology class.His views are not biased at all, and his ideas/arguments are well backed up by factual information.If you wantto learn the facts about cloning read this book.He does not mock religionor government, but this book may not be appropriate for people set in theirways, unwilling to open themselves to the possibilities.It's important tokeep religion and science apart; Pence does this wonderfully.

Best Book by Far on Cloning Humans
This book saved my life! I am an arts major and had to do a term paper on human cloning. The science was explained very clearly but not in too muchdetail (as in Gina Kolata's CLONE). I especially liked the sections onmyths and mistakes about cloning, including how cloning and twins arebashed in movies and fiction (I'm a twin!). Pence argues that a childoriginated by cloning is just a delayed twin, which I can buy. All in all,I got ten book out of the library on cloning, but this is the only one Ihad to buy because I needed to mark it up so much. On Amazon.com, it's agood buy in paperback and well worth the $8-9. ... Read more

Product Description
A brave, moral argument for cloning andits powerto fightdisease.A timely investigation into the ethics, history,and potential of human cloning from ProfessorIan Wilmut, who shocked scientists, ethicists,and the public in 1997 when his team unveiledDolly—that very special sheep who was clonedfrom a mammary cell. With award-winning sciencejournalist Roger Highfield, Wilmut explains howDolly launched a medical revolution in whichcloning is now used to make stem cells thatpromise effective treatments for many majorillnesses. Dolly's birth also unleashed anavalanche of speculation about the eventualityof cloning babies, which Wilmut stronglyopposes. However, he does believe thatscientists should one day be allowed to combinethe cloning of human embryos with geneticmodification to free families from serioushereditary disease. In effect, he is proposingthe creation of genetically altered humans. 20 illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Human Cloning - Not The Issue

Ian Wilmut - with the help of science journalist Roger Highfield - tells the exciting story of how he and his group cloned Dolly, whose donor cell came from the udder of an adult sheep.Much of the book describes the science surrounding the multistage procedures of cloning.The challenges are enormous because of the immense complexity of the reproductive process and for technical reasons.The nuclear transfers themselves were done under a microscope on cells much smaller than the dot at the end of this sentence.

Cloning has been successful in many species of mammals but according to Wilmut, attempts to clone humans are not ethical, feasible, or even desirable. The success rate is extremely low, abnormalities of pregnancy are the norm, the newborn mammals that survive are frequently not entirely normal, and identical genotypes ignore the environmental factors that influence individuality.This can be tolerated in cattle, but certainly not in humans.Using stem cells to cure disease is an entirely different story.Scientists are learning how to manipulate these cells to become replacements for diseased tissue in humans.

In 50 years, scientists may be using stem cells to cure Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Diabetes, heart disease, and perhaps scores of other diseases. They might learn how to grow customized organs in the lab, rendering transplant waiting lists and immune suppressive therapy unnecessary.In 10 years, they should have somewhat of a handle on a few of these diseases and stem cell treatments or cures for a couple of them.Unfortunately, this valuable research has been slowed by political and ethical controversy.

Wilmut takes a respectful and humble view of these valid ethical issues and the religious objections surrounding experimentation on a human embryo.His bottom line, however, is that the real immoral act would be to withhold definitive treatment of disease from that group of us who are already born.

"After Dolly" is written for a wide variety of readers, requiring knowledge of high school biology and a little genetics.Wilmut modestly gives away virtually all the credit to his team and other researchers, while thoroughly examining the science and history of this dynamic field.Amid the hysteria and media frenzy surrounding Dolly's birth and life, and the tons of newsprint generated about the possibility of cloning humans, Wilmut was perplexed by the lack of details written about how and why they cloned her. He is now excited to finally tell this story.

The View of Cloning, from a Cloner
The most famous sheep in the world, and the most famous lab animal, was Dolly, born in 1996.She was the first mammal cloned from an adult differentiated cell, but she was not at all the first clone.Ian Wilmut was a scientist within the Scottish research team that cloned her, and ten years on he has written a useful book, with science author Roger Highfield, _After Dolly: The Uses and Misuses of Human Cloning_ (Norton) which not only gives the history of producing Dolly, and Dolly's life story, but also describes the developments in cloning since then.Wilmut has necessarily become an advisor on the ethics of cloning and embryo research, and while there will be many who disagree with his utilitarian views set down in his book, they do represent a thoughtful scientific opinion of where cloning and embryo procedures ought and ought not to be used.

Wilmut makes clear that Dolly was not the first clone, but the first mammalian clone produced from DNA derived from a differentiated adult cell; he gives a history of pre-Dolly cloning.While the ideas behind cloning are simple, carrying out the procedure is extremely difficult, requiring precise manipulation of unimaginably small cell parts.The manipulation machine, for instance, by which a technician looks into a microscope and carefully removes or replaces cell nuclei, sat on a desk that sat on a heavy metal plate that in turn sat on squash balls to absorb any vibrations from a door slamming or even a radio playing.Wilmut favors human embryo research because of its potential outcomes.The earliest embryo (even sometimes called a pre-embryo) is a blastocyst, a microscopic ball of around a hundred cells in a hollow sphere.There is not enough differentiation within the blastocyst into even primitive nerves, and so we may definitely say that the blastocyst has no awareness and no capacity to feel pain.Wilmut for this, and many other reasons given here, feels that there is no possibility of cruelty to a blastocyst, and that they can be subjected to experiment.He does feel that embryos deserve elemental respect; they should be used in research when there is no other means of doing the research, and any embryo thus used should be used with the consent of the adults whose DNA was joined to make it.

Wilmut is firmly against what he sees as the folly of cloning humans, and that the production of "designer babies" even if feasible (they are not even close) ought to be rejected.Again, this is a judgement based on practicality: he asks us to imagine rich parents who hire a staff to engineer an intellectually gifted child, only to wind up eventually with "a sullen adolescent who smokes marijuana and doesn't talk to them."Also he points out that cloning has huge risks and costs in making a clone; for Dolly, for instance, 277 donor udder cells were transformed into only 29 embryos, only one of which prospered in the surrogate mother.And no one really knows how good a clone Dolly was; she had a good life and seemed to enjoy being sociable due to her fame, but she lived less than eight years, not a good outcome for a pampered sheep.Dolly was a remarkable experiment that helped us better understand the biochemical mechanics of reproduction; Wilmut is strongly against any such experimentation on humans.His book gives up-to-date reporting on where scientists are and are heading, including the catastrophic mistakes by the once admired, now disgraced Woo Suk Hwang of Korea. Wilmut's passionate arguments about using the current technologies sensibly and ethically to benefit future generations ought to help in understanding the ethics of the most controversial area in biology.

A pick for both general-interest collections and any who would understand the nature of human cloning issues today

Ten years ago author Ian Wilmut shocked science and the general public when he revealed his team of researchers had cloned the first sheep from an adult cell. His revelation was to spark a controversy not just in science, but among consumers and the general public. AFTER DOLLY: THE USES AND MISUSES OF HUMAN CLONING continues the discussion, surveying the current state of the field of cloning, discussing the science behind Dolly's creation and its refinement since, and posing a strong statement on the moral necessity of cloning to cure disease. A pick for both general-interest collections and any who would understand the nature of human cloning issues today.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Superb
Ten years ago today, on July 5, 1996, the famous sheep called Dolly was born. There were no press announcements, for her "creators" had yet to submit the paper on the experimental methods and results to a professional scientific journal. It was not until February of the following year that most of press and the world got to hear of this extraordinary accomplishment with mammalian cloning. There is probably no single scientific experiment that has caused such controversy as this one, with most of this controversy coming from a misguided and publicity seeking press.

The authors present in this book an overview of the experiment from standpoint of Ian Wilmut, as one who was directly involved in bringing about the birth of Dolly. Written with the assistance of a professional writer, Wilmut gives the reader a fascinating look into the science behind Dolly, and also make commentary on the biological and genetic science that came after her birth. All of these developments are very exciting, and are ample proof that we are living in extraordinary times. Genetic engineering is a fascinating technology, and hopefully it will continue to play a large role in optimizing the health of all organisms, human and otherwise.

As expected from his public discussion, Wilmut is against reproductive cloning. However, his warnings against its practice he backs up with scientific argument, detailing the many problems that arise in attempts to clone mammals. The authors do touch on the ethical arguments against human cloning, but their arguments on this account are faulty, and have been successfully countered by other individuals, and will not be repeated here.

Wilmut comes across in the book as being a very practical, patient, and humble man, and one who is definitely fed up with the public outcries and misrepresentations of biological science in today's newspapers and magazines. The reader is left with the impression that Wilmut felt honored to be involved in the Dolly experiment, and even might have been slightly surprised at its success, comparing for instance his laboratories with other more equipped laboratories across the ocean.

Cloning from adults at the time was "proved" to be "impossible" by some molecular biologists of the time, as the authors point out.One can only imagine then the excitement when Wilmut and his team verified through ultrasound that the Dolly fetus was healthy. And their determination to proceed with the experiment, in spite of the "impossibility" proofs, is another strong argument for ignoring the opinions of experts when doing scientific research. Frequently the experts are correct, but their words are not sacrosanct, as laboratory experimentation in this case proved all too well. One hates to think of the research that has not been done because of discouragement from "experts."

Since the book is about genetic engineering as it progressed after the birth of Dolly, one expects to find discussion on transgenesis and pharming, and this is indeed the case. The authors give an encapsulated but effective overview of the developments in genetic engineering primarily from the viewpoint on how they will affect human health.

The authors are optimistic about the future of genetic engineering, but are hesitant to engage in utopianism. They want to leave the impression that genetic engineering will have a minimal impact as compared with what has been done via natural evolution. But as the technologies of genetic engineering become more perfected, and as mammalian cloning becomes better understood, it is fair to say that genetic engineering will have a major impact in the twenty-first century. If it enhances human intelligence and health, if it makes couples happy with children born through human cloning, if it creates thousands of new transgenic animals and plants, in short if it radically changes the biosphere as we know it in a way that makes life on Earth more harmonious, then Wilmut and his team, along with all the other genetic engineers, deserve not only our utmost respect and praise, but also our envy: for taking the first steps into a fascinating new frontier. ... Read more

Product Description
WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT: When linguist Lisa Maxwell goes to the Basque Country to seek the unknown origins of the language, she meets some enigmatic characters in a lost village in the Pyrenees Mountains.Who is stealing relics from major cathedrals in Spain, and why?Who are the Illuminati mentioned in The Da Vinci Code?Who is the physician that flies in by helicopter to examine two little boys, and what does he want from them? What's going on in the secret, secluded, state-of-the-art biotechnology laboratory?Soon more questions begin to emerge.Who are the Basques, and why is their language unique?Are they a race apart?What happened to humans after the Fall?What role does Rh-negative blood play here?How do genetics and linguistics combine to unlock the mystery of the origin of humankind?Can creation be reconciled with evolution in a brand new way? Is it possible to clone Jesus?If not, why not?If so, what are the consequences?Sonia Harrison Jones, a PhD from Harvard University in Romance Languages, presents some creative, intelligent answers to these questions and many others in this fascinating first novel.WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:I LOVED it!  For me the test of a good book is that when I'm not reading it I'm thinking about it and trying to figure out when I will be able to get back to it, and that definitely happened with this book. - Julie Graveline, retired Canadian Naval officer This is a masterpiece!It was a real gripper.My wife and I almost fought for the computer. There is much in this book about "intellect apologetics" - the tragedy of using Christianity to gain power. The last chapter of Cloning Jesus, I think, highlights "living apologetics." Great!- Rev. Clarence Vos, pastor and retired professor, Calvin College ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

cloning jesus
I couldn't wait to read chapter after chapter. Really an enjoyable book. I liked it very much. Interesting story with twists and turns. Taught me a great deal about the Basque people, Cloning Jesus (Color Edition)the location, science and theology with out boggling my mind. Hope another book is coming soon.

Excellent thriller
I loved this book.It has a Christian message without being obvious about it.It is very exciting and a real page turner.It taught me a lot about science too.It has an unexpected ending which is fascinating and original.I highly recommend it to anybody who wants a really good book. ... Read more

Product Description
Expression systems are in widespread use for cloning specific genes, for synthesizing the encoded proteins for structural and functional analysis, and for large-scale preparation of current use with background information and advice on the merits of each, step-by-step practical protocols, troubleshooting, and details of the latest applications. These two books, the first of four volumes are thoroughly revised and up-dated versions of the original ones published in the Practical Approach series. Together they will offer a complete guide to the major techniques required by modern molecular biology laboratories. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume provides detailed laboratory protocols, advice, hints and tips, example data, key literature citations, background information, and troubleshooting comments for the steps used in most molecular biology laboratories for example transformation, construction of cDNA and genomic libraries, probe preparation, analysis of gene organization and expression, in vitro mutagenesis, and DNA sequencing. The information provided is an completely up-to-date account of each topic by established researchers.

These two books, the first of four volumes are thoroughly revised and up-dated versions of the original ones published in the Practical Approach series. Together they will offer a complete guide to the major techniques required by modern molecular biology laboratories. ... Read more

Product Description
Known world-wide as the standard introductory text to this important and exciting area, the fifth edition of Gene Cloning and DNA Analysis addresses new and growing areas of research whilst retaining the philosophy of the previous editions. Assuming the reader has little prior knowledge of the subject its importance, the principles of the techniques used and their applications are all carefully laid out, with over 250 clearly presented two-colour illustrations.

In addition to a number of informative changes to the text throughout the book, the final four chapters have been significantly updated and extended to reflect the striking advances made in recent years in the applications of gene cloning and DNA analysis in biotechnology:

• Extended chapter on agriculture including new material on glyphosate resistant plants
  
• New section on the uses of gene cloning and PCR in archaeology
  
• Coverage of ethical concerns relating to pharming, gene therapy and GM crops

View the Gene Cloning and DNA Analysis webpage at www.blackwellpublishing.com/genecloning ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

clearly written undergraduate text
As an introductory text on its subject, the book is well written. With copious diagrams that are easy to understand and that illustrate key ideas. A merit of the book is the clarity of the textual exposition, reinforced by those diagrams.

The text is also quite up to date in this fast changing field. With the good coverage of many topics. Including the seminal Polymerase Chain Reaction, that is the basis of so much else. You can see that genomics/biotechnology is now a practical and quantitative science. With plenty remaining to be understood, to be sure. But the book shows that we now have powerful tools to experiment with, to reduce our ignorance.

Up to date and still very readable
This book has become the standard introductory text at the undergraduate level for students in the first or second year of college and as an introductory book for researchers whose specialty lies in other areas but needing to know more about the subject. While an introductory text, it does presume that you are approaching the subject with at least some background in biology. If nothing else, you need to know what a gene is and have some idea about why you would want to clone it.

This basic book has been around for about twenty years. The twenty years since then have seen tremendous advances in the techniques and science as they now exist. This is the fifth edition of the book and it is as up to date as any printed book can be.

Since the book was written the public awareness of genetically altered plants has increased tremendously. A major goal of this new edition is to present to the student the true facts about genetically modified agricultural products. The final chapter on Forensic science and Archaeology is most fascinating as it provides a non technical look at DNA analysis in criminal acts and in the tracing of the human species.

Highly recommended.

A Good Book for Introductory Courses in Molecular Biology
I am a science student Studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. I used this book as a reference book for an Introduction to Genetic Engineering course. It was a great help for me. The book outlines the basic principles and methods in many aspects of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering in the simplest of ways. The book is easy to understand even to people with no big background in Molecular Biology as it explains everything from zero. It is a great book for introductory courses or as a quick reference for the basic ideas of some techniques and advances in the field. It does not give a lot of detail and explanation that is usually required from university students, such as myself, so more in-depth references are certainley required. However, as a joyful read for those interested in the field, or simply as a quick revision of the basics before your final exam, this book works wonders! Trust me... I got a straight A (99% on my final) :) All in all, it's a good book!

A Versatile, Accessible Introduction
I came away very impressed from Dr. Brown's latest edition. The book is extremely readable but does not dumb down the material. I'm taking an upper-level molecular genetics lab and am doing independent work in genetics, and this book is a great reference. However, I think that this book would be pretty easy for someone with introductory level biology--heck, I think some AP Biology high school teachers may be able to use this text for their classes.

Brown takes you through all the basics of molecular genetics: from the basic mechanics of DNA manipulation to PCR, bacteriophages, and even a review of basic genomics and genomic analysis, which are still very new and rapidly evolving fields. Every chapter has references for more in-depth study. This is a great book to introduce you to modern molecular genetics. ... Read more