WE KNOW all too well that the way we use a technology ultimately decides
whether it will be a blessing or a curse. Genetic testing, for example, should
be great for helping people to stave off disease, yet it could also stop them
getting jobs and insurance. The really tricky cases, though, are the
technologies that creep round the back and bite you when you least expect
it.
There’s a long list of nasty surprises. We thought the insecticide DDT and
chemicals such as PCBs were revolutionary, until we discovered their darker
sides. They cropped up in humans and whales…
