Penny le Couteur & Jay Burreson (58 page)

But there are downsides to such genetic engineering. Even though the β-carotene molecule itself is found naturally in many plants, critics of biotechnology question whether it will be safe to insert this molecule into places where it does not normally occur. Could such molecules react adversely with other compounds already present? Is there a possibility that they could become allergens for some people? What are the long-term effects of tampering with nature? As well as the many chemical and biological questions, other issues have been raised concerning genetic engineering, such as the profit motive that drives much of this research, the likely loss of crop diversity, and the globalization of agriculture. For all these reasons and uncertainties we need to act cautiously despite what may seem to be obvious advantages in forcing nature to produce molecules where and how we want them. Just as with molecules like PCBs and DDT, chemical compounds can be both a blessing and a curse, and we don't always know which is which at the time of invention. It may be that human manipulation of the complex chemicals that control life will eventually play an important part in developing better crops, in reducing the use of pesticides, and in eradicating diseases. Or it may be that such manipulation will lead to totally unexpected problems that could—in a worst-case scenario—threaten life itself.

In the future, if people look back on our civilization, what will they identify as the molecules that most influenced the twenty-first century? Will it be natural herbicide molecules added to genetically modified crops that inadvertently eliminate hundreds of other plant species? Will it be pharmaceutical molecules that improve our bodily health and our mental well-being? Will it be new varieties of illegal drugs with links to terrorism and organized crime? Will it be toxic molecules that further pollute our environment? Will it be molecules that provide a pathway to new or more efficient sources of energy? Will it be overuse of antibiotics, resulting in the development of resistant “superbugs”?

Columbus could not have foreseen the results of his search for piperine, Magellan was unaware of the long-term effects of his quest for isoeugenol, and Schönbein would surely have been astonished that the nitrocellulose he made from his wife's apron was the start of great industries as diverse as explosives and textiles. Perkin could not have anticipated that his small experiment would eventually lead not only to a huge synthetic dye trade but also to the development of antibiotics and pharmaceuticals. Marker, Nobel, Chardonnet, Carothers, Lister, Baekeland, Goodyear, Hofmann, Leblanc, the Solvay brothers, Harrison, Midgley, and all the others whose stories we have told had little idea of the historical importance of their discoveries. So we are perhaps in good company if we hesitate to try to predict whether today there already exists an unsuspected molecule that will eventually have such a profound and unanticipated effect on life as we know it that our descendants will say, “This changed our world.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T
HIS BOOK COULD not have been written without the enthusiastic support of our families, friends, and colleagues. We would like to thank everyone; we appreciated each suggestion and comment, even if we did not use them all.

Professor Con Cambie of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, could not have expected to spend time in his retirement checking structural diagrams and chemical formulas. We are grateful for his willingness to do so, for his eagle eye, and for his wholehearted endorsement of the project. Any errors remaining are ours.

We would also like to thank our agent, Jane Dystel, of Jane Dystel Literary Management, who saw the possibilities in our interest in the relationship between chemical structures and historical events.

Wendy Hubbert, our editor at Tarcher/Putnam, claims she has learned a lot (about chemistry) through the editing process, but we think we learned a lot more from Wendy. It was her insistence on narrative, through lines and transitions, that made this a book. We knew the connections were there; Wendy—in never allowing a loose end—encouraged us to tie them all together.

Lastly we acknowledge the curiosity and ingenuity of those chemists who came before us. Without their efforts we would never have experienced the understanding and the fascination that is the joy of chemistry.

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