The ability to accomplish some fancy biology underlies the current dialogue on the social and economic impacts of biotechnology. Using crop plant models, this article sets the scientific context for the discussion that follows in this issue. There are three key messages: Changing plants to suit human needs is an ancient and ongoing process, biotechnology makes this process faster and more precise, and the emphasis for biotechnology is increasingly whole genomes and not jsut genes. Scientists can enrich the discussion of impacts and acceptance, but as the accompanying articles confirm, science alone is insufficient to provide answers to complex societal questions.
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