Biotechnology has rendered the boundary between species ambiguous and introduced the possibility that living beings may take on entirely new forms. This will likely overturn current bioethics and philosophies of nature. As this slow but drastic transformation unfolds, what will the meaning of our species’ existence on Earth be within these new ecosystems? Indeed, what will become of us as a species?
These personal reflections form the basis for the present series, in which I attempt to depict mutant life forms—that is, genetically manipulated animals that have escaped into the wild. We are organisms living on the planet Earth, and we must treat our one and only home with devout awe, respect, and deference. In a future project, I hope to depict the differences between the internal workings of these mutants created according to human will and then released into the wild as compared with the wild creatures that have existed thus far.
