Emerging biotechnologies: full report - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Emerging biotechnologies: full report - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Emerging biotechnologies: full report - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
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E m e r g i n g b i o t e c h n o l o g i e s<br />
opportunities that did not previously exist (or may not even have been imagined). These outcomes<br />
might be entirely unexpected or unsought.<br />
Transhumanism: an ideology that valorises the transformati<strong>on</strong> of the human c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong> through<br />
technologies, for example, to promote life extensi<strong>on</strong> or cognitive and physical enhancement.<br />
Uncertainty: an inescapable lack of knowledge about the range of possible outcomes or about the<br />
likelihood that any particular outcome will in fact occur. This seriously limits the possibility of accurately<br />
forecasting the c<strong>on</strong>sequences of decisi<strong>on</strong>s with regard to <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g> (positive or negative) and<br />
similarly limits the effectiveness of prospective efforts to c<strong>on</strong>trol these outcomes.<br />
G L O S S A R Y<br />
Venture capital: capital whose owners are willing to invest in new or small businesses, where the risk<br />
of losing is high, usually in exchange for corresp<strong>on</strong>dingly high returns.<br />
Xenobiology: a field of study which attempts to make a biology that is altogether different from that<br />
which is found in nature, such as attempting to use different kinds of nucleic acid, for example ‘xen<strong>on</strong>ucleic<br />
acid’ (XNA) as opposed to the familiar RNA or DNA.<br />
Xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong>: the transplantati<strong>on</strong> of organs, tissue or cells from <strong>on</strong>e species to another.<br />
The definiti<strong>on</strong>s above are derived from a number of sources. Significant, uncited, sources include several previous <str<strong>on</strong>g>Nuffield</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>Council</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>report</str<strong>on</strong>g>s; Chambers dicti<strong>on</strong>ary of science and technology (2007); Oxford dicti<strong>on</strong>ary of philosophy, 2 nd editi<strong>on</strong> (2008);<br />
Taber’s cyclopedic medical dicti<strong>on</strong>ary, 21 st editi<strong>on</strong> (2009); Oxford dicti<strong>on</strong>ary of sociology, 3 rd editi<strong>on</strong> (2009); C<strong>on</strong>cise Oxford<br />
English dicti<strong>on</strong>ary, 12 th editi<strong>on</strong> (2011); and, Oxford dicti<strong>on</strong>ary of ec<strong>on</strong>omics, 4 th editi<strong>on</strong> (2012).<br />
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