322 pages

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Becoming Immortal , livre ebook

State University of New York Press - Stanley Shostak

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322 pages

English

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Providing the philosophical, practical, and theoretical leverage for abandoning evolution and development in favor of engineering human beings, Becoming Immortal examines the directions biological change might take if civilization were to take charge of its own destiny. With the aid of embryonic manipulation, cloning, and stem-cell therapy, immortality would seem within the reach of future generations. The question is, "Do we presently have the wisdom to undertake creating immortal organisms?" The author examines every facet of this question, from theory to practice, and provides an answer through an in-depth analysis of life and death.
Preface
Prologue

1. Quo Vadis?

Why Become Immortal?
Has Life Changed?
Hello, Dolly! and Salutations to Stem Cells
Why We Are Not Immortal Or What Is Life Anyway?
Achieving Immortality through Biotechnology

2. Why Immortality Cannot Evolve 45

Where Does Longevity Come From, and Why Has Evolution Made Us Mortal Rather than Immortal?
What Is an Evolutionary View of Longevity, And Why Are the Prospects so Bleak for Achieving Immortality through Evolution?
Afterword: Immortality Triumphant!

3. Why Immortality Cannot Develop

Development's Why, Where, What, When, How, and Why?
Development According to Embryologists and Developmental Biologists
Conclusions

4. Life's Fundamental Feature: Devolution

Getting Down to Basics: Life Begins
An Introduction to Devolution
The Devolution of Eucarya
The Devolution of Sex
The Devolution of Metazoa
The Devolution of Life Histories
The Devolution of Death
Conclusions

5 Making Immortals: From Blastocyst to Generator

Taking Another Look at Cloning
Taking Another Look at Stem Cells
Making Immortals
Making Generators
Epilogue: Reprise and Prediction
Prospects for Immortalization
Adjustments Required by Immortalization
At What Cost

Endnotes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Sujets

Biology

Life science

Evolution

Informations

Publié par	State University of New York Press
Date de parution	01 février 2012
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780791488416
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,1598€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Becoming Immortal

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Becoming Immortal

Combining Cloning and Stem-Cell Therapy

Stanley Shostak

State University of New York Press

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechaical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207

Production by Michael Haggett Marketing by Jennifer Giovani

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shostak, Stanley. Becoming immortal : combing cloning and stem-cell therapy / Stanley Shostak. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-7914-5401-0 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-5402-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Human cloning. 2. Stem cells—Research. I. Title.

QH442.2 .S564 2002 612.6—dc21

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2001054944

Dedication

To Carl Partanen and to the memory of Mac V. Edds, Jr. and Dick Russell.

This page intentionally left blank.

Preface Prologue

Contents

1 Quo Vadis? Why Become Immortal? Has Life Changed? “Hello, Dolly!” and Salutations to Stem Cells Why We Are Not Immortal Or What Is Life Anyway? Achieving Immortality through Biotechnology 2 Why Immortality Cannot Evolve Where Does Longevity Come From, and Why Has Evolution Made Us Mortal Rather than Immortal? What Is an Evolutionary View of Longevity, And Why Are the Prospects so Bleak for Achieving Immortality through Evolution? Afterword: Immortality Triumphant! 3 Why Immortality Cannot Develop Development’s “Why, Where, What, When, How, and Why?” Development According to Embryologists and Developmental Biologists Conclusions 4 Life’s Fundamental Feature: Devolution Getting Down to Basics: Life Begins An Introduction to Devolution The Devolution of Eucarya The Devolution of Sex The Devolution of Metazoa The Devolution of Life Histories The Devolution of Death Conclusions

ix xi

1 3 4 9 17 36 45

65 79 81 83

111 122 125 126 132 135 141 146 151 155 161

viii

CONTENTS

5 Making Immortals: From Blastocyst to Generator Taking Another Look at Cloning Taking Another Look at Stem Cells Making Immortals Making Generators Epilogue: Reprise and Prediction Prospects for Immortalization Adjustments Required by Immortalization At What Cost Endnotes Glossary Bibliography Index

165 166 176 186 187 195 196 202 207 209 241 263 293

Preface

Expecting to relax during a routine ﬂight home, I casually glanced through the contents of the airline’s magazine and practically suffered a heart attack. 1 The ﬁrst feature article was entitled, “How to Live Forever”! Believing for a moment thatBecoming Immortal had been scooped, I tore through the magazine only to ﬁnd that the article concerned achieving enduring fame not eternal life. Relieved but not soothed, I imagined that others, glancing at the title of my book, might think that I was writing out of narcissism or wishful thinking. I was not. Becoming Immortalwas conceived as the last of three books intended to critique current concepts of change in the biological sciences. The ﬁrst two 2 3 books,Death of LifeandEvolution of Sameness and Difference, examined the legacy of molecular biology and provided a perspective on the human genome project.Becoming Immortalwas supposed to anticipate further direc-tions in research on biological change, but my plan was overtaken by events. The book ultimately took its direction from a lamb named “Dolly” and pros-4 pects of cloning and stem cell research. My object in writingBecoming Immortalto give the possibility of was immortalizing human beings a realistic face so that it would be looked at seriously. These objectives were broad enough for me, and as I pursued them, I discovered that my narrow interests were shared by numerous friends who made themselves available to help and guide me. I discovered the work of authors who are, to put it simply, soul mates in this work. They have un-doubtedly shaped my thinking around such issues as the universality of evolution and development, as well as the possibilities for change outside of or beyond accepted notions of biology. Which brings me to acknowledgments. I begin with Marcia Landy, Dis-tinguished Service Professor of English/Film Studies whose own work on the Gramscian organic intellectual and on popular culture brought me to ques-tions of mortality, and who, as the ﬁrst reader and critic of record for all my work over the last thirty years, keeps me focused on immortality. Laurens Schwartz, my friend and mentor, gaveBecoming Immortala critical reading

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