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READINGSELECTIONAScienceandTechnologyByJudithRaughman(Editor)[1]Optimismandempowerment.Asthecenturydrewtoaclose,thepotentialforhumaninventionandunderstandingappearedboundless.Scientificunderstandingexpandeddaily,fromthefundamentalbuildingblocksofmattertothesourcecodeofalllifetotheorigins,andperhapstheeventualdemise,oftheuniverse.Thetechnologicaladvancesofthe1990susheredinwhatappearedtobeasocialandeconomicrevolutionthatwouldrivaltheIndustrialRevolutiontwocenturiesearlier,creatinganewsocietyoftechnologicallyconnectedcitizenswithaworldofdigitizedinformation,commerce,andcommunicationatitsfingertips.ThenewDigitalAge,representedbytheInformationSuperhighwaywasnotall-inclusive,threatenedtoleavemanybehind,includingoldercitizensandthosewhocouldnotaffordthenewtechnology.Still,by1999morethanthree-quartersoftheU.S.populationwaspluggedintothenewdigitalsociety,andmostAmericansfeltthattechnologicaladvanceswereimprovingtheirqualityoflife.Optimismwasthereigningtoneofthedecade.Newadvancesinscienceandtechnologyseemedtopromiseeventualsolutionstoproblemsrangingfromeliminatingtoxicwastetogroceryshopping—geneticengineersdevelopedmicrobesthatwouldeatindustrialsludgeandresearchersattheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology's(MIT)MediaLabworkedtodevisearefrigeratorthatcouldsensewhenitwasoutofmilkandusetheInternettoordermore.The1990sallayedthefearthatatechnologicallyadvancedsocietywasnecessarilyheavilycentralized,withBigBrotherwatchingeverymove.Instead,withthecreationoftheInternetandtheWorldWideWeb,andtheiremphasisondecentralization,equality,andtheopensharingofresources,manyindividualsfoundthatgreateraccesstoinformationincreasedtheirsenseofpersonalfreedomandpower.[2]EthicsandtheNatural.Withtheexplosionofknowledgecamepublicconcernoverwhereallofthesenewdiscoveriesandtechnologiesmightbetakingsociety.Thecloningofananimalin1997suggestedthathumancloninghadbecomeviableaswell,raisingconcerns—nolongerquitetheoretical—thathumanitymightbemovingtowardabravenewworldofgeneticallyengineeredpeople.TheHumanGenomeProject,launchedin1990withamissiontodecodetheentirehumangeneticmakeup,heldpromisesforanendtogeneticdisorders,butthreatenedtoopenthewayfordesignerbabies,whocouldbegeneticallyalteredtosuittheirparents'wishes.Whilemanyarguedthatplantandanimalbreedershadbeenfoolingaroundwithgeneticsforcenturiesinordertobetterthelotofhumankind,otherspointedoutthatnewadvancesingeneticsallowedresearcherstocrossboundariessetbynature,implantinghumangenesinanimalsinordertoturnthemintomedicinefactories,creatingplantsthatproducedplasticsandglowedinthedark,evenattemptingtocreateterminatorseedsthatstifledtheirownreproductivecapacityinordertomaintaintheseedmanufacturer'scashflow.Thequestionofwhatwasnaturalcameunderseriousconsideration,asnoaspectoftheenvironmentandtheorganismsinitseemedsafefromgenetictinkering.Yet,whileexperimentswithhumancloningorcustomizingachild'sgeneticmakeupseemedabhorrenttomostAmericans,therewasgeneralsupportforgeneticresearchthatcouldhelptoidentifyandcuregeneticdiseasesormakefoodsourceshealthierandmoreplentifulforagrowingglobalpopulation.[3]Privacy.Privacywasanoverarchingconcernwithmanyofthetechnologicalandscientificadvancesofthe1990s.TheInternetwasanamazingnewtoolforsharinginformation,yetitwasalsoapowerfulmeansforfindinginformationthatwasintendedtobeprivate,includinggovernmentandmilitarysecrets,thesourcecodestoproprietarysoftware,andevenaneighbor'ssocialsecuritynumber.Companiesandindividualsalikeworriedthattheirprivateinformationwouldbecompromisedwhensophisticatedcomputertechnologistscouldhackintoprotectedcomputersystemsanderaseorstealimportantdata.Computerviruses,self-replicatingcodeswrittenbymaliciousindividuals,couldstealintopersonalcomputersystemsthroughe-mailortheWebandwreakhavocwiththedatastoredthere.ProtectingprivacyovertheInternetwasnoteasy,andmanypeopleworriedthatgovernmentattemptstointervenewouldonlycripplethedevelopmentoftheInternet.SimilarfearsweresparkedwhenconcernedgroupslobbiedthegovernmenttooutlawpornographyandotherdisturbingmaterialsontheWebinthenameofprotectingthechildren.WhilemostAmericansagreedthatchildrenshouldnotbeexposedtosuchmaterial,attemptstoregulatethecontentofindividualWebpagesandnewsgroupsconflictedwiththeideaoftheInternetasanopen,decentralizedmassmedium,whereeventhemostabsurdorrepellantideascouldreceiveahearing.Digitalsurveillanceintheworkplacealsobecameanissue,assomecompaniesspiedontheirworkers'useoftheInternetande-mail.[4]GeneticsandPrivacy.Advancesingeneticsalsothreatenedpersonalprivacy.WiththeHumanGenomeProjectscheduledtobefinishedearlyinthetwenty-firstcentury,andprivatecompaniescompetingtowinpatentsongeneticdiscoveries,manyindividualsworriedaboutwhatscientistsmightdowithacompleteunderstandingofthehumangeneticcode.Whilegeneticdiseasescouldbediscoveredandperhapscured,thisinformationmightalsobeusedtodiscriminateagainstpeoplepredisposedtocertaingeneticmalfunctions,ortogroupindividualsbasedontheirgeneticdata.Theideathatscientistswouldownpatentsonthehumangeneticcodewasdisturbing,aswell,asitmeantthathumanlifecouldbecomeaproprie