11 August 1967, Volume 157, Number 3789 SCIENCE Will Society Be Prepared? New information is being obtained in &e field of biochemical genetics at an extremely rapid rate. Thus far. this knowledge has had relative@ little effect upon man. More infcrmation must be obtained before pray tical application will be possible. and the technical problems that m&k' be Overcome are formidable. However. when these obstacles have bee& removed this knowledge will greatly intluence man's future, for man th& will have the power to shape his cwn bioIogic destiny. Such power c& be used wisely cc unwisely, for the betterment cr detriment of mar&i& Salvador Luria has said: "the progress of science is so rapid that ft creates XI imbalance between the pcwer it places in the hands of man and the social conditions in which this power is exerted. Then neither warnings of scientisu, nor breadth of public information. nor wisdom of citizens may compensate for inadequacies of the institutional frame-: work !c cope with the new situations.' -r. : The public understands to some extent the recent developments in bio- chemical genetics. but has only a vague notion of what may be expected. in the future, in spite of the efforts of many scientists to inform fhk public about probable future developments. i)_' Where do we stand today? The genetic language new is known, a& it seems clear &a2 most, if not all. forms of life on this planet use +I+: same language, with minor variations. Simple genetic messages now cad be synthesized chemically. Genetic surgery, applied to micrcorganisms, is a reality. Genes can he prepared frcm one strain of bacteffa az& inserted into another. which is then changed genetically. Such char@& are inheritable. Thus far, it has not been pcssible to program mammal@@ cells in this way. _ -f What may be expected in the future? Short but meaningful genetic messages win be synthesized chemicaily. Since the instructiuns will be. written in the language which cells undemnd. the messages will be used tc prcgram cells. Cells will carry out the instructions. and the program may even be inherited. I don't. know how long it will take before it will be pcssible to program cells with chemically synthesized messages. Certainly the experimental cbstac(es are formidable. Hcwever. I have little doubt that the obstacles eventually will be overcome. The only ques- tion is when. My guess is that cells will be programmed with synthetic messages within 15 years. If efforts Ilong those lines were intensified. boctetia might be programmed within 5 ~;ears. The point which deserves special emphasis in that man may be able to program his own ceils with synthetic infcrmaticn long before he wiU be able to assess adequately the long-term consequences of such altera- tions. long before he will be able to formulate goals. and long before he can resolve the ethical and moral problems which wiil be raise& When man becomes capable of instructing his own cells, he must refrain from doing so until he has sufficient wisdom to use this knowledge for the benefit of mankind. I state this problem well in advance of the need to resolve it. because decisions concerning the application of this knowledge must ultimately be made by society, and only an informed society can make such decisions wisely-.-M.WHALL W. ?bENBES, National Heart Institute This editorial is adapted from remarks made in aacpting the Research Corporatk~*$ 1965 award.