Annotation Medical science has always promised -- and often delivered -- a longer, better life. But as the pace of science accelerates, do our expectations become unreasonable, fueled by an industry bent on profits and a media desperate for big news?Hope or Hype is a taboo-shattering look at what drives the American obsession with medical "miracles," exposing the equipment manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies; doctors and hospitals too quick to order surgery; the politicians; the press; and our own "technoconsumption" mindset. The authors spread blame for the parade of so-called miracle cures that too often are marginally effective at best -- and sometimes downright dangerous. They examine consumers? eager embrace of medical advances, and present riveting stories of the conscientious doctors and researchers who blew the whistle on ineffective treatments. Finally, they provide sane, practical recommendations for the adoption of new developments. The consequences of questionable practices include costly recalls, billions in wasted money, and the pain and suffering of innumerable patients and their families. In short, they must stop.

Stem Cell Research takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the topic of human embryonic stem cell research, starting with the breakthrough discovery up through the present day controversy. The book invites the reader to join the conversation by providing a well balanced approach to many of the issues surrounding the development of this controversial scientific field. It includes the thoughts and experiences of scientists, journalists and ethicists as it tried to approach the topic through a variety of different academic disciplines. The book will help the non-scientist understand the biology, research regulations and funding; and simultaneously it will help the scientist better comprehend the full spectrum of ethical, religious, and policy debates.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE HYPE FADES?Have you ever felt so passionate about something that you couldn't stop talking about it? You even vehemently argued with people who disagreed with you on your social media pages. You said some pretty harsh things, some that you may have later regretted saying, only to find yourself not even remotely caring about that subject a year later? The hype had reached its expiration date and it was gone.Rob Chifokoyo unpacks in an honest, unfiltered and gracious way, how we are settling for less every time we choose to place our hope in the argument of the day, over the truth of the Gospel. It's like hoping to keep the back of a minivan clean when you have 3 kids under the age of 5. It's just not going to happen. So if you've ever felt like you needed to take a shower after scrolling your timeline, then this book is the soap you so desperately need. Rob will confirm through the pages of this book that we are at war with many things, but Jesus is not one of them. Most of all, this book confirms that we're at war with ourselves.

Over the past several years, privately run, publicly funded charter schools have been sold to the American public as an education alternative promising better student achievement, greater parent satisfaction, and more vibrant school communities. But are charter schools delivering on their promise? Or are they just hype as critics contend, a costly experiment that is bleeding tax dollars from public schools? In this book, Jack Buckley and Mark Schneider tackle these questions about one of the thorniest policy reforms in the nation today. Using an exceptionally rigorous research approach, the authors investigate charter schools in Washington, D.C., carefully examining school data going back more than a decade, interpreting scores of interviews with parents, students, and teachers, and meticulously measuring how charter schools perform compared to traditional public schools. Their conclusions are sobering. Buckley and Schneider show that charter-school students are not outperforming students in traditional public schools, that the quality of charter-school education varies widely from school to school, and that parent enthusiasm for charter schools starts out strong but fades over time. And they argue that while charter schools may meet the most basic test of sound public policy--they do no harm--the evidence suggests they all too often fall short of advocates' claims. With the future of charter schools--and perhaps public education as a whole--hanging in the balance, this book supports the case for holding charter schools more accountable and brings us considerably nearer to resolving this contentious debate.

Science is developing more and more potential for human beings to enhance themselves. The pace of change is rapid, and some people are already warning that we are heading for a post-human future populated by ever-lasting, self-sustaining intelligence systems into which the contents of a human mind have been poured... Is this true? In Enhancing Me, Pete Moore examines the ways in which technology can change our bodies, our brains, our emotions, and how long we live. He talks to people who have actually been 'enhanced' to find out what it's like and how beneficial it is; and to the experts to find out what the future holds - including a look at some of the more controversial, headline-grabbing claims. He also looks at what drives us to want to be 'superhuman', and the consequences for the individual and society alike: If you could live forever, would you want to? If you could download your mind onto a computer, would you still be you? Should we insert chips into our children, so we can track where they are? Should we force violent criminals to have mood-controlling brain implants? Would you want technology to improve your memory... or help you forget? If you've ever wondered - or worried - about the pace at which technology is progressing, then this book will give you an eye-opening glimpse of the future in this fascinating field. About the author Pete Moore has been a freelance science writer since 1993, and specialises in making 'academish' intelligible to people who only speak English! He has received seven national awards for his work, and has appeared on radio and television on 50 different occasions, discussing his books and related news events. He is a public speaker and a member of Toastmasters International; as well as a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a visiting lecturer in ethics at Trinity College Bristol, and a course tutor on the Science Communication MSc at the University of the West of England, Bristol.

In a world of hype, we may buy into the idea that through Jesus, we’ll be healthier and wealthier as well as wiser. So what happens when we become ill, or depressed, or bankrupt? Did we do something wrong? Has God abandoned us? As a child, Michael Horton would run up the down escalator, trying to beat it to the top. As Christians, he notes, we sometimes seek God the same way, believing we can climb to him under our own steam. But we can’t, which is why we are blessed that Jesus descends to us, especially during times of trial. In Too Good to Be True, Horton exposes the pop culture that sells Jesus like a product for health and happiness and reminds us that our lives often lead us on difficult routes we must follow by faith. This book offers a series of powerful readings that demonstrate how, through every type of earthly difficulty, our Father keeps his promises from Scripture and works all things together for our good.

Biotech Juggernaut: Hope, Hype, and Hidden Agendas of Entrepreneurial BioScience relates the intensifying effort of bioentrepreneurs to apply genetic engineering technologies to the human species and to extend the commercial reach of synthetic biology or "extreme genetic engineering." In 1980, legal developments concerning patenting laws transformed scientific researchers into bioentrepreneurs. Often motivated to create profit-driven biotech start-up companies or to serve on their advisory boards, university researchers now commonly operate under serious conflicts of interest. These conflicts stand in the way of giving full consideration to the social and ethical consequences of the technologies they seek to develop. Too often, bioentrepreneurs have worked to obscure how these technologies could alter human evolution and to hide the social costs of keeping on this path. Tracing the rise and cultural politics of biotechnology from a critical perspective, Biotech Juggernaut aims to correct the informational imbalance between producers of biotechnologies on the one hand, and the intended consumers of these technologies and general society, on the other. It explains how the converging vectors of economic, political, social, and cultural elements driving biotechnology’s swift advance constitutes a juggernaut. It concludes with a reflection on whether it is possible for an informed public to halt what appears to be a runaway force.