Bioprospecting or Biopiracy?
The hunt for genetic riches in the developing world
March/April 1996
By Marilyn Berlin Snell, Utne Reader
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If the 20th century was the age of industry, the 21st century is shaping up to be the age of biology. As abstract as the debate about biotechnology may seem, no one will be left untouched by this revolution.
From the genetic engineering of plants, animals, and microorganisms to the mapping and even patenting of human cell lines (self-reproducing sets of particular kinds of cells), biotechnology is big business. The manipulation of living material to create new types of medicines and agricultural products is currently worth $2 billion a year in the United States. Estimates are that biotech profits will soar to $50 billion by the year 2000. Most of the "raw material" for this booming industry comes from the world's dwindling rainforests of the Southern Hemisphere. Indeed, many scientists believe that the cures for AIDS, cancer, and other dreaded diseases lie hidden beneath these verdant tropical canopies. The trick is to find the precious gene or cell line first, and then to patent the "invention." Profits may be many years down the line, what with extensive government-mandated trials and testing for safety, but when pharmaceuticals or agricultural products finally do make it to market, companies often see a phenomenal return on their investment.