Nature after the genome

In: Sociological review

In: Monographs

Abstract

"The claim that genomics-related knowledge and practices are redefining - or even threatening - 'nature' or 'the natural' remains an important feature of academic debates and is even influencing public policy. Yet, many of the controversial issues raised by advancements in genome research remain vastly under-explored: What 'nature' is being constituted or transformed? How exactly is it being transformed, and by whom? Nature After The Genome explores the relationship between developments in genomic technologies and our knowledge and understanding of nature. The question of nature and how social science might go about its conceptualisation is addressed through several revealing case studies by scholars and specialists in relevant fields. Based on cutting edge empirical research, issues such as synthetic biology, stem cell research, agricultural biotechnology, adolescent obesity and puberty, animal behaviour, molecular biology and biodiversity are explored. Essays also seek to discover the extent to which developments in genomics are reshaping the epistemology and ontology of nature and the specific implications for individuals and collectivities - human and non-human - of rethinking our world through genetic knowledge. Provocative and illuminating, Nature After The Genome represents an important new contribution to a field of endeavour that seeks to understand the very nature of nature"--