title: Functional dynamics of living systems and genetic engineering.
abstract: The discussion on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's) has been centred mainly on the nature and effects on economy, human health, environment, of the few transgenic plant lines present in the market in the last eight years. On the contrary, the present paper starts with a discussion of some of the relevant changes in our basic knowledge of the structure and dynamics of living systems in the last twenty years. Contemporary Biology is then compared with what may be called the "modern paradigm" of life sciences on which present day GMO's are conceptually based. Technical, environmental, social and economic problems deriving from the unexpected, persistent prevalence of the old fashioned modern vision of life in the "spirit of time" will be thoroughly discussed with a particular attention to the virtualisation process of GMO's and the effects of the prevalence over economic, social, environmental reality of their symbolic values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology and Genetics, Firenze (Italy).
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buiatti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001690:Biological Science Disciplines / Q000639:trends*; D030841:Food, Genetically Modified; D005544:Forecasting; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D008954:Models, Biological; D030781:Organisms, Genetically Modified; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011639:Public Opinion; D019076:Transgenes