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Discusses possible future scientific breakthroughs in which man may circumvent nature and the legal, financial, moral and emotional problems that this may bring.

Strictly off limits to the public, Plum Island is home to virginal beaches, cliffs, forests, ponds -- and the deadliest germs that have ever roamed the planet. Lab 257 blows the lid off the stunning true nature and checkered history of Plum Island. It shows that the seemingly bucolic island in the shadow of New York City is a ticking biological time bomb that none of us can safely ignore. Based on declassified government documents, in-depth interviews, and access to Plum Island itself, this is an eye-opening, suspenseful account of a federal government germ laboratory gone terribly wrong. For the first time, Lab 257 takes you deep inside this secret world and presents startling revelations on virus outbreaks, biological meltdowns, infected workers, the periodic flushing of contaminated raw sewage into area waters, and the insidious connections between Plum Island, Lyme disease, and the deadly West Nile virus. The book also probes what's in store for Plum Island's new owner, the Department of Homeland Security, in this age of bioterrorism. Lab 257 is a call to action for those concerned with protecting present and future generations from preventable biological catastrophes.

This book considers how we might think intelligently about the future. Taking different methodological approaches, well-known specialists forecast likely future developments and trends in human life.

From Batman Begins to Tom Clancy, How to Justify Torture shows how contemporary culture creates simplified narratives about good guy torturers and bad guy victims, how dangerous this is politically, and what we can do to challenge it. If there was a bomb hidden somewhere in a major city, and you had the person responsible in your custody, would you torture them to get the information needed to stop the bomb exploding, preventing a devastating terrorist attack and saving thousands of lives? This is the ticking bomb scenario -- a thought experiment designed to demonstrate that torture can be justified. In How to Justify Torture, cultural critic Alex Adams examines the ticking bomb scenario in-depth, looking at the ways it is presented in films, novels, and TV shows -- from Batman Begins and Dirty Harry to French military thrillers and home invasion narratives. By critiquing its argument step by step, this short, provocative book reminds us that, despite what the ticking bomb scenario will have us believe, torture can never be justified.

"Human Time Bomb: The Violence Within Our Nature" presents experts and scientific evidence to expose the aggression and violence hardwired into the human condition from our earliest ancestors. It offers several instances of war, diplomacy, and government to unmask the human desires beneath the policies of Earth's twentieth century superpowers.The book offers some of the most disturbing parts of human behavior and history for comparison to modern actions that resemble a new version of past oppression under the guise of more recent advocacy. Human Time Bomb deconstructs the balance many humans strike between self-interest and building a fair society while acknowledging our penchant for nepotism, tribalism, and miscasting controversial parts of history to fit specific modern ideologies.The book delves into an increasingly dire threat posed by the drastic reduction of human contact and direct social interactions that scientific evidence infers is fueling rapid spikes in anxiety, violence, and suicide. A lack of coping abilities has left some unable or unwilling to engage in normal daily human interactions and resulting emotions and increasing anxiety has led some to wither inward ceasing most human contact or explode in rage directed at the public. Yet the potential for violence is present within all humans and unless we comprehend the most prevalent triggers and learn to defuse the related emotions, our minds can be overtaken by unreasonable ideas.