Technology is increasing their military value, particularly since they can be dispersed quietly and are hard to trace. . . . If gene research can target medicines to particular individuals, it can also target weapons. Conceivably, specific ethnic groups could become targets. The only antidote to this national-security nightmare is genomics research. George Vande Wounde, of the National Cancer Institute, has, in the course of unrelated research, found the key to anthrax' toxicity.
Genomics makes possible the extraordinary creation of wealth.
The information-technology revolution created vast pools of wealth in a very short period of time. Genomics will create the same kind of wealth in even less time. The third reason is that humanity simply has to know. We can give evolution a shove in the right direction or in the wrong direction depending on whether we know what we are doing. . . . We will bring good things to life.