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"Designer Animals is an in-depth study of the debates surrounding the development of animal biotechnology, which is quickly emerging out of the laboratory and into the commercial marketplace. This book innovatively combines expert analysis on the technology's economic, professional, ethical, and religious implications while remaining firmly grounded in the 'real world' political environment in which the issue is played out. Designer Animals uses non-technical language to explore the science behind animal biotechnology and the ethical frameworks at play in its surrounding debates. By investigating the interests of major stakeholders--including researchers on the cutting edge of science, mainstream and 'alternative' agriculture organizations, the animal welfare movement, and health care providers, patients, and researchers--the contributors illuminate the most important points of agreement and disagreement on this hotly contested topic."--Jacket

Introduction : from the sciences of meat to critical animal studies -- Undomesticating the ethical -- Towards a critical bioethics -- Thinking across species in the ethics of "enhancement" -- Animal biotechnology and regulation -- Biopower and the biotechnological framing of the animal body -- Capitalizing on the molecular animal : beyond limits? -- Mobilizing the promise of sustainability -- Searching for the 'win-win'? Animal genomics and 'welfare' -- Conclusion : from the 'livestock' 'revolution' to a revolution in human-animal relations

Animal biotechnology encompasses a broad range of techniques for the genetic improvement of domesticated animal species, although the term is increasingly associated with the more controversial technologies of cloning and genetic engineering. Despite the many potential applications of these two biotechnologies, no public or private entity has yet delivered a genetically engineered food-animal product to the global market, and the sale of milk or meat from cloned animals and their offspring is currently subject to a voluntary moratorium in the United States. The animal biotechnology industry faces a variety of scientific, regulatory, ethical and public acceptance issues. Effective and responsible communication among scientific, community, industry and government stakeholders will be required to reach a societal consensus on the acceptable uses of animal cloning and genetic engineering.

This thesis analyses a few selected aspects of crop biotechnology in agriculture. The thesis contains two essays; the first addresses the topic of how ethical tools can help to, especially in democratic societies, improve ethical judgments on modern biotechnologies used in agriculture and food production. The second essay explores GM crops and the question of whether engaging and promoting agriculture biotechnology would be an expression of hubris. Essay I discusses ethical tools and more specifically what makes a tool a good one. It is argued that some of the previous attempts of evaluating ethical tools are unfruitful. Myself and Per Sandin propose that ethical tools be divided into three categories with regard to their different aim(s). We suggest that the quality of an ethical tool is decided by its purposiveness, i.e. how well the tool achieves its assigned purpose(s). Essay II discusses the concept of hubris with regard to agricultural biotechnology. Several authors have claimed that supporting agricultural biotechnology is an expression of hubris. Ronald Sandler has given the argument its most structured account of yet. I argue that Sandler fails to establish a presumption against the use of GM crops and that the concept of hubris should play no role in evaluating GM crops and agricultural biotechnology. ; QC 20150330 ; Mistra Biotech

As society develops, its relationship with science and influence on it becomes more and more significant. The ability to navigate the current trends in the development of society and science in particular is the most important factor in choosing new topics for scientific work and understanding the prospects for the development of scientific research. Therefore, training young professionals in this understanding (primarily in the field of natural sciences) is no less important aspect of higher education than the process of teaching fundamental and practical knowledge. This article discusses the development of relationships between society, chemistry and biotechnology (primarily applied enzymology) at different stages of human evolution. The article was written based on the materials of the introductory lecture of the section on biotechnology and applied enzymology as part of the general course "Chemical Foundations of Biological Processes", read at the Faculty of Chemistry of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, The features and aspects of the interaction of society, chemistry and biotechnology at different stages of the development of our world, when biotechnology has gone through the stages of development from "cave-memorable" (unconsciously natural) to "smart", are considered. A great and important contribution to the writing of this article was made by the discussion of this problem at seminars with students of 3-6 courses of the Faculty of Chemistry of Moscow State University. The impact of changes in our society as a result of the SARS Cov-2 pandemic is also discussed separately.