Is man on the verge of controlling heredity? Do genetic manipulation, cloning and mutation warrant the fear they inspire? Philippe Kourilsky believes that the only way to consider these important questions is to first explain the origins and methods of genetic engineering, and to then put into proper perspective the putative consequences of the modification of living beings.

Philippe Kourilsky is the General Director of the Pasteur Institute. He is a professor at the Collège de France, and a member of the Academy of Sciences.