Mary Shelley's creation -- Hideous progeny: Frankenstein retold -- As remorseless as nature: the rise of experimental biology -- Creating life in the laboratory -- Into the brave new world -- Time-bombing our descendants -- Priming the biological time bomb -- The baby of the century -- The gene wars: regulating recombinant DNA -- Conclusion: the human body shop. Tracing the history of the development of biological science and how it has been received by the public over two centuries, this book argues that the Frankenstein story governs much of today's debate about the onrushing new age of biotechnology. Mary Shelley's Frankestein, a tale crafted two centuries ago 'to awaken thrilling horror', is a story that speaks to deep fears and desires that lie at the heart of our responses to biological progress. Tracing the history of the development of biological science and how it has been received and understood by the public over two centuries, Turney's intriguing book argues that the Frankenstein story governs much of today's debate about the onrushing new age of biotechnology.