Transgenic Organisms: Biological and Social Implications: Advances in Life Sciences

Prologue.- Inactivation of gene expression in transgenic plants.- The impact of transposable elements on genome evolution in animals and plants.- Evolutionary changes of the structure of mobile genetic elements in Drosophila.- Mechanisms and consequences of horizontal gene transfer in natural bacterial populations.- Evolutionary genetic considerations on the goals and risks in releasing transgenic crops.- Transmission of insect transposons into baculovirus genomes: An unusual host-pathogen interaction.- Influence of transgenes on coevolutionary processes.- The two strategies of biological containment of genetically engineered bacteria.- Monitoring genetically modified organisms and their recombinant DNA in soil environments.- Recent advances in ecological biosafety research on the risks of transgenic plants: A trans-continental perspective.- Modern versus classical plant breeding methods — efficient synergism or competitive antagonism?.- Genetically modified food and its safety assessment.- Genetic intervention in human beings.- History of and progress in risk assessment.- Transgenic organisms and evolution: Ethical implications.- Genetic engineering and the press — Public opinion versus published opinion.- Epilogue.