Living systems are never in equilibrium. They are inherently unstable. They may seem stable, but they’re not. Everything is moving and changing. In a sense, everything is on the edge of collapse. —Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park (1990)
I recently introduced my daughter to Jurassic Park, and, watching it nearly thirty years after I first saw the movie in my grandparents’ living room, I am left puzzled by a few things:
Two kids, Lex and Tim Murphy, escape to Jurassic Park’s kitchen, hoping to hide from genetically engineered killing machines: Massive, intelligent, and coordinated velociraptors. Hiding behind the kitchen’s metal cabinetry, the kids are horrified to learn the velociraptors aren’t slowed down by the closed kitchen door. After a brief moment, one of the raptors works out the handle and lets itself in, and the raptors proceed with their hunt of both children.
Putting the terrible science and handwavium aside, Jurassic Park (the original Spielberg movie), Michael Crichton’s novel (published before the classic movie), and even the newer spinoff, Jurassic World, offer a glimpse into the misunderstandings most people have about the revolutions in biotechnology. Interestingly, the biotechnology in Jurassic Park has implications for a broader discussion of what it can and cannot offer us in the twenty-first century. The world of Jurassic Park will keep people entertained, but it miscalibrates the threats that fill our imaginations.
Biotechnology isn’t the raptor as a smart weapons platform.
