Promising Genomics: Iceland and deCODE Genetics in a World of Speculation / Edition 1

by Mike Fortun

Overview

Part detective story, part exposé, and part travelogue, Promising Genomics investigates one of the signature biotech stories of our time and, in so doing, opens a window onto the high-speed, high-tech, and high-finance world of genome science. In a luminous account, Mike Fortun investigates how deCODE Genetics, in Iceland, became one of the wealthiest companies of its kind, as well as one of the most scandalous, with its plan to use the genes and medical records of the entire Icelandic population for scientific research. Delving into the poetry of W. H. Auden, the novels of Halldór Laxness, and the perils of Keiko the killer whale, Fortun maps the contemporary genomics landscape at a time when we must begin to ask questions about what "life" is made of in the age of DNA, databases, and derivatives trading.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520247512
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	09/02/2008
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	343
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Mike Fortun is Associate Professor in the Department of Science and Techology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Ch 1. LavaXLand
Ch 2. FriendXAdvance Man
Ch 3. FastXFast
Ch 4. CounterfeitXMoney
Ch 5. KáriXdeCODE
Ch 6. DogXWhale
Ch 7. HistoryXFable
Ch 8. KeikoXK.Co.
Ch 9. TrustXGullibility
Ch X. PromisesXPromises
Ch 10. DistanceXComplicity
Ch 11. NonXGovernmental Organization
Ch 12. IcelandXWorld
Ch 13. PublicXPrivate
Ch 14. Open FutureXSafe Harbor
Ch 15. ManiaXFundamentals
Ch 16. PromiseXDisclosure
Ch 17. Yahoo!XFinance
Ch 18. SameXDifference
Ch 19. PresumedXConsent
Ch 20. GenomicsXSlot Machines
Ch 21. EthicsXExpediency
Ch 22. EverythingXNothing

Forward Looking
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

An engaging work of writing.

Journal Of Biosocial Science