Biotech
The Countercultural Origins of an Industry

Chronicling the birth of the biotechnology industry, Biotech shows how a cultural and political revolution in the 1960s resulted in a new scientific order-the practical application of biological knowledge supported by private investors expecting profitable returns eclipsed basic research supported by government agencies.

Most of all, it is a story about people-not just biologists but also followers and opponents who knew nothing about the biological sciences yet cared deeply about how biological research was done and how the resulting knowledge was used. Vettel weaves together these stories to illustrate how the biotechnology industry was born in the San Francisco Bay area, examining the anomalies, ironies, and paradoxes that contributed to its rise. Culled from oral histories, university records, and private corporate archives, including Cetus, the world's first biotechnology company, this compelling history shows how a cultural and political revolution in the 1960s resulted in a new scientific order: the practical application of biological knowledge supported by private investors expecting profitable returns eclipsed basic research supported by government agencies.