We Live in an “Oryx and Crake” World
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book from start to end. These days most of my reading is in the form of online forums, blogs, and tech news (and as of two days ago, another wonderful RPG that goes by the title “Tales of Symphonia”… but more about that on a later date). By the time I am done with those, my eyes are blurry and I don’t care for any more text in any form. As a result, most of the books I read are left abandoned somewhere between the pages of 100 and 150. Sad, but true.
A few days ago I went through the rare process of finishing a book, namely “Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood. If you have not heard of it you are likely not a Canadian, or in case that you are indeed Canadian you most likely read even less than I do. By now the book has achieved fame far beyond the Canadian borders, and you are likely to find it in any local bookstore, where ever you are. Of course, there is always the option of buying it on Amazon.
Oryx and Crake is a cautionary tale about biotechnologies. Here Atwood paints a picture of a world where biotech companies are the next Microsoft, Exxon, and Philip Morris. The biotech companies of Snowman’s world - in the book we experience the world through his senses - promise to solve the worlds problems; Problems we experience today and many which humanity has battled since the dawn of our existence.
The interesting thing about the book is that it starts at the end, and slowly begins to explain how things got there. The world Snowman lives in is nothing like that which we live in today, yet the world he remembers is one we are very familiar with. This structure makes if difficult to ignore the possibility that sometime in the future, you or I could be thrust in the role of Snowman.
The book is officially classified as Science Fiction, but you don’t have to look very hard to realise that it’s not going to stay that way for very long. The biotech experiments of Oryx and Crake are taking place around the globe, and by and large achieving very sci-fi like results.
- What is green and alive, and can be found almost anywhere? Grass. And since no one wants to mow it, why not go with the No-Mow Grass? Scientists have “deciphered the signaling pathway for a key class of steroid hormones that regulates growth and development in plants”, which means this grass is nice and green and you won’t need a lawnmower.
- Next time you need a conversation starter, just turn off the lights. But make sure you first get the Glow in the Dark Pig, or people may get the wrong idea.
- With water shortages looming, why not have the vegetables tell the farmer when they need to be watered? The new glowing potatoes are a result of splicing jellyfish genes. The jelly fish genes are “activated in the plant by the production of abscisic acid, which the plant uses to rearrange its cells to prepare for a shortage of water”.
The Oryx and Crake world of yesterday is not yet upon us. This makes today an ideal time to ask some tough questions. Awareness of the issue is a key first step. I’d recommend taking yours with “Oryx and Crake”.