Fans pick 56 books like Agrobacterium Tumefaciens

This book describes the tumultuous fate of the transgenic rice called "Golden" due to its unique color, which derives from the transgenic production of beta-carotene. Upon consumption, the body converts this to vitamin A, a critical nutrient whose lack causes significant health problems.

Yet, the use of golden rice in third-world countries, which especially need this dietary supplement, has been hampered by unscientific conspiracy theories. This book debunks these myths and explains how golden rice can help tens of millions of people worldwide.

This book expands my initial interest in GMO plants to other, very diverse fields of biotechnology. I find it useful and revealing for a wide spectrum of readers, from professionals to students to general readers, seeking to understand the general principles and approaches that underlie biotechnological developments that affect our lives, from plant and animal GMOs to vaccines.

My last selected book comes from the pen of perhaps one of the most famous and influential scientists of the 20th century and the Nobel Prize laureate Arthur Kornberg.

This autobiographical book describes how Dr. Kornberg has made many of his seminal discoveries, including those of enzymes that allow modern genetic engineering. Yet, this is not just a book about science. Instead, it represents an insightful and profound description of human qualities, struggles, and "outside the box" thinking strategies that are critical for problem-solving and conceptual breakthroughs.

Krimsky lays out contemporary debates about the development and use of genetically modified foods. His perspectives are evidenced-based, informative, and are useful for critically thinking about genetically modified foods. After reading this book, we felt confident about making up our own minds regarding the creation, use, and ingestion of genetically modified foods.

I enjoyed Perfected because it was a very, very soft and gentle take on dystopia where young girls are genetically engineered in labs and trained with special traits as young girls only to be sold to wealthy families as pets. They’re treated as puppies who are dressed in fancy clothes, paraded through events, sat on pretty couches and chairs, and very, very few make it through without being manipulated and used in worse ways. When she falls in love with her owner’s son, and he starts to fall for her, bad things happen. I love putting twists on dystopian worlds so this one was a brilliant, unusual concept that brought such a unique look into the genre and its possibilities and gave me permission to do the same.

This book left me questioning what it truly means to be human. From the moment Logan Ramsay was infected with a mysterious virus, I was captivated by Crouch’s exploration of genetic enhancement. As Logan's abilities expanded—making him smarter, stronger, and more detached—I was both fascinated and horrified.

The tension between his new capabilities and the erosion of his emotional connections made the ethical dilemmas even more poignant. Crouch’s vision of a world on the brink of extinction, with genetic upgrades as both a salvation and a curse, felt disturbingly real. This isn’t just a techno-thriller; it’s a profound examination of what we might sacrifice in the relentless pursuit of progress.

Many assert that “science is outpacing ethics.”

In my book I argue that this claim is false and disingenuous. Consider this one example. Forty years ago, Glover anticipated the myriad ways in which genetic and neuro technologies might “change the central framework of human life.”

In this prescient book, Glover anticipates the use of genetic engineering and advocates caution as well as gradualness. Avoiding the risk of irreversible disaster is a priority. Glover outlines the drawbacks of centralized decision-making as well as the problems with piecemeal, short-term decision-making.

He enjoins us to reflect on what sort of people there should be and what sort of future we should try to bring about. My own work focuses on what kind of world we want to live in and, as such, we are kindred spirits.

Butler is known for bringing a black, feminist, and queer perspective to science fiction, a genre of futuristic and outer-space storytelling that traditionally features white male protagonists.

But what really captivates me about this book, which is set in a post-apocalyptic future where human survivors are mated with their alien rescuers (really!), is the way it asks icky-yet-intensely-meaningful questions. What does it mean to “be human” in a future of genetic hybridity and gender fluidity? What does it mean to love a partner or children whose genetics and culture are radically different from your own? When is violence futile, and when is it the only way to be heard?

I’m pretty much obsessed with this book, and I promise that any reader who has thought deeply about what it means to be really different will love it too.

This is the classic personal account of the discovery of the structure of DNA. I read it as an early college assignment, but now find it rich in history, biology, and insight. Watson described himself as an ornithology undergraduate who avoided chemistry and physics courses in spite of a desire to do science—a common sentiment. He unfolds in frank detail how the world of science worked, and sometimes didn’t work, early post-WWII. We learn as much about bond angles and hydration as we do about laboratory politics and personality quirks beneath the effort to puzzle out the structure and function of DNA. The epilogue pays tribute to less well-known collaborators, especially Rosalind Franklin, sometimes dismissed as uncooperative, but recognized here for her essential contributions and competence as a scientist.

A planet in its equivalent of the stone age is passing through a galactic debris field. An alien stargazer realizes that sooner or later some object will strike the planet and destroy it. The only hope of survival his species has is to leave the planet before that happens. But the concept is a mere abstraction to his people, the equivalent of a Neanderthal saying “we need to travel to the moon,” and the task is further complicated by the fact that their technology is biological in nature, focused on the manipulation of living tissue. It is hard to imagine how such technology could ever produce a spaceship. 

The novel--structured as a series of novellas-- follows the development of a fascinating alien species from its primitive roots to an age of high technology, each chapter focusing on a different time period. Always the stargazer’s warning is proclaimed by a few… show more.