“I don’t read biological thrillers,” a friend told me recently, “because I don’t want to confront the ugly reality that we’re surrounded by unspeakable danger.” I laughed aloud, surprised that Tom had been so honest about his fear. Nevertheless, he expressed a concern that I hear from at least one reader every day. “Surely it’s not that dangerous,” others insist, desperate to avoid confronting the unsettling facts about what biotechnology has thrust upon us. We live in an unstable future. It’s time to acknowledge that reality and embrace a slippery footing on this rapidly moving boat that we call medical…