Next
Author: Michael Crichton
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 423
‘Next’ is Crichton’s last piece of work, published in 2006. This work is in stark contrast to his other books which is so thrilling and packed with scientific snippets that the reader would be compelled to finish the book in one go. ‘Next’ is nothing of the sort, being a documentary than a novel in which there is no interconnecting thread going through all sections. This is Crichton’s views about the revolutions through which genetic engineering is going through and the immoral and unethical pathways via which it is progressing, mainly due to the unnecessary legal hassles put forward by the US legislature. It talks about talking chimpanzees, a humanzee (a chimpanzee born on an embryo fertilised with human sperm), parrots doing maths, pharma companies claiming ownership on donor’s tissue cells and forcibly trying to recover it from their siblings etc. The book should rather be presented as a statement by the author against some of the worst practices the genetic industry is facing now.
Crichton suggests solutions to the sorry state of things. They are,
- Stop patenting genes
- Establish clear guidelines for the use of human tissues
- Pass laws to ensure that data about gene testing is made public
- Avoid bans on research
- Rescind the Bayh-Dole Act (the act which permits university professors to sell their discoveries for their own profit)
Overall rating: 3 Star
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