What are the promises and facts behind genetics?

Kosztolanyi, Gyorgy

The continuous development of biotechnology over the past decades has resulted in a giant leap in the research of medical biology by the end of the 20^th century. The most spectacular product is undoubtedly the virtually complete mapping of the human genome and the sequence of its base pairs. Many believe that this is the most valuable information mankind has ever possessed and consider the announcement as a watershed event in the history of science. Now there is a real opportunity to interpret, on the level of molecules, all biological, physical and mental attributes of man, the unique properties of and the varieties within the human population and the causes behind certain people's higher probability to develop some diseases. In addition to the original medical side, genetics has taken on ethical, legal and philosophical meanings and has become a system of concepts interpreting human existence in its own complexity. We need uniform international professional, legal and political regulation to ensure that this newly acquired knowledge works to the benefit of humankind.

About the lecturer