ZOLLI: …the prototypes of this today. We can take that, we can cross-breed some of your genetic information with cornstalks. Plant an acre of corn that produces a chemical which will heal your tumor — David Brancaccio's tumor, and your tumor alone.

Now that's an incredible promise. If for one acre of land can produce a year's worth of this drug.

BRANCACCIO: For me it's an incredible premise.

ZOLLI: For you. But of course the danger is, when you put genes into the wild, they have unpredictable results. The road to the future is paved with unintended consequences.

And so, it's unclear whether or not that's a tradeoff that we should be willing to make. It's unclear whether or not the cure for cancer should come at the cost of a potential danger for our food supply.

And our ethical systems were never designed to address these kinds of problems. And we're going to have to deal with them. And the only way we're gonna deal with them is at the societal level.

BRANCACCIO: We can't leave this to the scientists or the politicians?

ZOLLI: Well, I think the danger is you do leave them to the scientists and the politicians. And people will get precisely what you would expect out of that. They'll get people doing things sometimes because they can.

I'm not here… there's no critique of science involved in this. Scientists in general, tend to be incredibly aware of the ethical implications of their work. And they want a participating, and involved, and invigorated conversation around their work. It's just that they can't get one today because in most cases, the science is too remote from people's lives.

. . . . . . . .

BRANCACCIO: Starbucks. McDonald's. Often subject of criticism.

ZOLLI: Absolutely. It's certainly true that there are people in our society that look at the impact of brands and consumerism, and say, "This is a terrible thing. This is awful. People are deciding to marry and build their personality identities out of logos. Instead of out of these other more meaningful kinds of decisions."

They're building their identities out of consumptions, the things they buy, not things the believe. However, if you go to rural contexts in this country, the coming of a Krispy Kreme Donut, and a Starbucks, is a big deal. And sometimes it's a very positive deal. It represents economic validation of a community.

Now, it's also true that the coming of Wal-Mart strikes fear and terror into the economic base. But if you take the Wal-Mart effect out, the fact is that there are people in our society who want to throw bricks through Starbucks windows, and say, "I want my brain back." And there are people who are getting married by putting their hands on the iMac owner's manual. Right? And somewhere in between is where everybody else finds themselves.