DESC: A giant step for medicine or the most serious threat to personal freedom yet? A cure for cancer or an invitation to genetic discrimination and the search for a master race? Here, not a minute too soon, is a behind-the-scenes account of the Human Genome Project, the most ethically and politically complex scientific undertaking of this generation. Dubbed the ``Holy Grail of Biology,'' the Genome Project will occupy over the next five to 15 years a majority of the best public and private labs and cost more than the GNP of many nations. This book separates fact from fiction, identifies the real moral issues in the debate, and captures the drama--as well as the intrigue and infighting--that has riveted the scientific establishment throughout.