Lee M. Silver (born 1952) is an American biologist. He is a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in the Department of

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

of the

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of comprehensive course ...

. He also has joint appointments in the Program in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy, the Center for Health and Wellbeing, the

Office of Population Research The Office of Population Research (OPR) at Princeton University is the oldest population research center in the United States. Founded in 1936, the OPR is a leading demographic research and training center. Recent research activity has primarily f ...

, and the Princeton Environmental Institute, all at Princeton University. Silver is the author of the book ''Remaking Eden: How Genetic Engineering and Cloning Will Transform the American Family'' (1998). In the book he takes a positive view on

human cloning Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy (or clone) of a human. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning, which is the reproduction of human cells and tissue. It does not refer to the natural concepti ...

designer babies A designer baby is a baby whose genetic makeup has been selected or altered, often to not include a particular gene or to remove genes associated with disease. This process usually involves analysing a wide range of human embryos to identify ge ...

and similar prospects. In this book he coined the term

reprogenetics Assisted reproductive technology (ART) includes medical procedures used primarily to address infertility. This subject involves procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), cryopreservation of gametes ...

to describe the prospective fusion of reproductive technologies and genetics, which will allow positive eugenic actions on an individual level. His most recent book, ''Challenging Nature: The Clash of Science and Spirituality at the New Frontiers of Life'', was released in June 2006. Silver is the co-founder of

GenePeeks GenePeeks is a genetic research company that owns and runs ''Matchright'', a simulation that determines the probability of genetic disorders being present in a child given two people's DNA. Overview GenePeeks simulates the combination of genetic ...

, a genetic research company which owns a simulation for screening

genetic disorder A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. It can be caused by a mutation in a single gene (monogenic) or multiple genes (polygenic) or by a chromosomal abnormality. Although polygenic disorders ...

References

External links

*
Interview on Books and Ideas Podcast, 2007

Video of interview/discussion with Lee M. Silver
by

Carl Zimmer Carl Zimmer (born 1966) is a popular science writer, blogger, columnist, and journalist who specializes in the topics of evolution, parasites, and heredity. The author of many books, he contributes science essays to publications such as ''The Ne ...

Bloggingheads.tv Bloggingheads.tv (sometimes abbreviated "bhtv") is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast on ...

1952 births Living people 21st-century American biologists Princeton University faculty Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni {{US-biologist-stub