Jurassic Park: Introduction Summary & Analysis

The introduction begins with a survey of the late 20th century’s biotech “scientific gold rush,” which promises to change everything about the human experience. This scientific revolution differs from previous ones in three ways: hundreds of companies and thousands of labs work independently from each other, with no overarching goal; it looks for thoughtless and frivolous discoveries; and it is underregulated, if not functionally “uncontrolled.”

In the past, scientists tended to ignore national boundaries, avoid secrecy in research, and disdain monetary incentives. They frequently avoided patenting important discoveries, feeling that their research was for the benefit of humankind. That included the work of James Watson and Francis Crick, who figured out the structure of DNA in the 1950s. But in the 1970s, the foundation of Genentech began a new wave of commercialized science. Within a decade, molecular biologists and geneticists had fled from the universities to better-paying positions at biotech firms. Now they do research “in secret, in haste, and for profit.”

These circumstances precipitate the rise of the extremely ambitious International Genetic Technologies company—and its swift, devastating downfall. Few people pay attention when InGen declares bankruptcy in October of 1989—the third biotech firm of the year to do so. The hearings happened behind closed doors, and most of the parties signed nondisclosure agreements that prevent comment. But a few people can speak freely enough to recreate the events of August 1989 on a remote island off the coast of Costa Rica.