Jeff Campbell - Glowing Bunnies!?: Why Were Making Hybrids, Chimeras, and Clones

W elcome to our brave new world.

With genetic engineering, our science-fiction future has arrived. Every time people have imagined some impossible creationa Frankensteins monster or clone army, reborn dinosaurs or bioengineered sharks, mutant insects, supersmart chimpanzees, or even the ancient mythic Chimera, that part-lion, part-goat, part-serpent, fire-breathing beastweve wondered, What if it really existed?

This illustration depicts a bronze sculpture of a chimera built in 400 B.C.E. In Greek mythology, the Chimera terrorized the countryside of Lycia in Anatolia or Asia Minor until it was defeated by the hero Bellerophon and his winged steed Pegasus.

In one way or another, if not today, then tomorrow, we may get to find out. These flights of fancy could come to lifeand all thanks to our new genetic tools, which allow us to modify and change animals in almost any way we want.

Spider goats and glowing bunnies? Yep, they exist, and youll meet them in these pages.

Mind-controlled rats, double-muscled dogs, de-extincted aurochs, ligers, pizzlies, cloned cattle, super pigs? Come say hello.

Woolly mammoths and dinosaurs? Self-destructing mosquitoes? Human-animal chimeras? Monkeys with humanized brains? Brand-new organisms made from scratch?

All in the works.

Of course, this newfound ability freaks many people out. Wouldnt it be better if certain fictional creatures stayed fictional?

As a society, thats what we need to talk about. Genetic engineering is quickly becoming routine, an everyday fact of life. Scientists have learned not only how to read the genetic book of life but how to write and speak its language. If we use this power wiselythis incredible ability to reshape animals, plants, and ourselves, remixing anything with DNAwe might solve some of the biggest problems facing us, other species, and the environment. Indeed, this powerful technology is poised to transform our world...

In movies, when someone talks like this we have the power to transform the world! you know some tagalong character, the films plucky comic relief, is going to raise a trembling hand and ask, So, um, is this really a good idea?

Does anyone ever listen?

This book is that character. This book raises a hand to ask, Given what we can do, what should we do? This book presents some of the genetically engineered animals scientists are making and asks you to consider which of these projects seem like wise, practical, and safe ways to use this technology to improve our world, and which might be, you know, not so smart after all.

Each of us, individually and collectively, needs to raise a hand and ask these questions because how we answer them will determine our future.

Good science fiction always tells a cautionary tale. It asks what if? and then speculates about what could happenusually by imagining all the ways things could go wrong. With genetic engineering, scientists dont need to ask what if? anymore. Almost anything is becoming possible.

The only question left is, Why not?

The first reason scientists and researchers typically give for using genetic engineering is curiosity. Because we can. Thats how its always been. If humans can do something, we try it out. The curiosity to discover how life works is what drives all science, and many bioengineering projects start with the itch to answer the question, What would happen if we altered life this way?

As youll see, these experiments have revealed a great deal about the way life, and genetics, work. Of course, sometimes scientists pursue genetic engineering with a specific goal in mind, but either way, the questions that motivate researchers tend to be similar: Could this new creation or being serve a useful purpose? How might we use our new tools and knowledge to help solve problems, repair damage, and improve our existence?