Beyond Evolution: The Genetically Altered Future of Plants, Animals, the Earth, and Humans

by Michael W. Fox

Laboratories around the world are experiencing a "bioexplosion, " as they busily sequence, identify, and switch genes among different species. In Beyond Evolution, Dr. Michael Fox addresses the potential ramifications of this burst of technology. From the creation of herbicide-resistant soybeans to the splicing of human genes into pigs and goats, new developments in biotechnology pose serious questions: How has genetic engineering put animals' health at risk? What are the economic and biological consequences of a genetically altered future? Will this new technology mean the end of natural evolution?Without fostering "biotechnophobia, " Fox investigates and discusses how a new world order - one based on genetic-engineering biotechnology - will affect the course of life on earth. From the state of agri-biotechnology (an estimated 60 percent of processed foods now contain genetically engineered ingredients) to concerns about genetic pollution and the loss of wildlife to the disruption of ecological and evolutionary processes, Fox presents a full picture of the life-science industry for public review.

Supported with documented research reports throughout and including a helpful resource list of organizations concerned with biotechnology, this comprehensive book provides a critical, in-depth look at modern science's most controversial frontier.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Dr. Michael W. Fox is a well-known veterinarian, former vice president of The Humane Society of the United States, former vice president of Humane Society International and the author of more than 40 adult and children’s books on animal care, animal behavior and bioethics.

An expert in both medicine and psychology, Dr. Fox's training includes a degree in veterinary medicine as well as doctorate degrees in medicine and animal behavior/ethology. A strong advocate of animal rights, bioethics and environmental protection, Dr. Fox is an international veterinary consultant to various animal-related organizations.

A recipient of the Christopher Award for children's literature for his book "The Wolf," Dr. Fox has written more than 40 books for adults and children. He has also written more than 2,000 articles for professional journals and consumer magazines. Dr. Fox lectures extensively to an international audience of conservation and animal protection groups. He has appeared frequently on "The Tonight Show" and as a guest on other network television and radio talk shows and documentaries. He is a member of the British and American Veterinarian Medical Associations, the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights and the American Holistic Veterinary Association.

Dr. Fox lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Deanna, and their animal companions. They jointly run the India Project for Animals and Nature (IPAN) in the Nilgiris, South India.