The bestselling author of Jurassic Park, Congo, and Sphere merges fact and fantasy to imagine a near-future in which genetic engineering unleashes a horrifying new universe of unimaginable possibilities. Is a portion of your loved one missing? Blondes: are they going extinct? Are all the people seated at your dinner table the same species? Do you know the names of each of your children in 2006? Do you know that there are just 400 genes between humans and chimpanzees? And why does a grown-up human resemble a young chimpanzee? Is the new genetic treatment for drug addiction worse than the sickness itself? Ever wanted to create your own animal? Have you changed the fish in your aquarium's stripes? Ever consider selling your body fat or donating it to a good cause? Maybe get thousands of dollars by selling your sperm and eggs online? Did you realise that someone else owns a fifth of all your genes?? Welcome to our genetic world. Fast, furious, and out of control. This is not the world of the future ? it's the world right now. Most of the events in this book have already happened. And the rest are just around the corner. Get used to it.