Overview

'Visionary and exhilarating ... A work of astonishing scope and imagination' TIM COULSON 'The book we need right now ... Essential reading' TOM ELLIS 'A brilliantly crafted, sweeping exposition with profound insights' TIM WHITE Imagine a future where we grow houses rather than build them. Where smartphones are living, clothing has opinions, and all human knowledge fits into a speck of DNA. A world where disease is a thing of the past, and the human lifespan is dramatically extended. To achieve this, says Adrian Woolfson – founder of the genome writing company Genyro – we must transform biology into a predictive, programmable engineering material. That means decoding the generative grammar of DNA: the language of life itself. It may then be possible to author genomes – and, if we choose, even rewrite our own. We are at the cusp of a technological revolution, driven by the convergence of artificial intelligence and synthetic biology. Currently at the scribbling phase – writing the genomes of viruses, bacteria and yeast – we will eventually author the genomes of extinct and never-before-realised species. Life will become computable, detached from its past, and no longer bound by Darwinian evolution. While offering extraordinary opportunities, this power also carries great risk and it is vital for everyone to understand what the future might hold. Genome writing can help preserve the planet, but may also undermine human nature and disrupt ecosystems. In this bold and visionary account, Woolfson provides a guide to how this might all be achieved and how we should navigate this astonishing new world, offering a moral compass to help us do so safely, wisely and ethically.

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9781526670960

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Reviews

A visionary and exhilarating exploration of biology’s next great frontier. Adrian Woolfson has written a work of astonishing scope and imagination, charting the convergence of artificial intelligence and genome synthesis. He takes readers from the foundations of molecular genetics to the threshold of a world in which we may author entirely new species, whilst reimagining human health. Bold, lucid, and deeply original, On the Future of Species is essential reading for anyone interested in the destiny of life on Earth and beyond -- Tim Coulson, author of A LITTLE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING FROM THE BIG BANG TO YOU The book we need right now; a clear-eyed, comprehensive look at how AI, gene editing, and synthetic biology are converging to give humanity unprecedented power over its own evolution. Part history, part forecast, entirely compelling. Woolfson guides us through the landmarks of molecular biology with the assurance of an expert and the enthusiasm of a born storyteller. He brings a rare combination of industry experience and literary skill to one of the most consequential questions of our time. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand where genomic technologies are taking us -- Tom Ellis, Professor of Synthetic Genome Engineering, Imperial College London A brilliantly crafted, sweeping exposition with profound insights essential for any citizen of the twenty-first century -- Tim White, Professor of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley

A visionary and exhilarating exploration of biology’s next great frontier. Adrian Woolfson has written a work of astonishing scope and imagination, charting the convergence of artificial intelligence and genome synthesis. He takes readers from the foundations of molecular genetics to the threshold of a world in which we may author entirely new species, whilst reimagining human health. Bold, lucid, and deeply original, On the Future of Species is essential reading for anyone interested in the destiny of life on Earth and beyond -- Tim Coulson, author of A LITTLE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING FROM THE BIG BANG TO YOU The book we need right now; a clear-eyed, comprehensive look at how AI, gene editing, and synthetic biology are converging to give humanity unprecedented power over its own evolution. Part history, part forecast, entirely compelling. Woolfson guides us through the landmarks of molecular biology with the assurance of an expert and the enthusiasm of a born storyteller. He brings a rare combination of industry experience and literary skill to one of the most consequential questions of our time. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand where genomic technologies are taking us -- Tom Ellis, Professor of Synthetic Genome Engineering, Imperial College London A brilliantly crafted, sweeping exposition with profound insights essential for any citizen of the twenty-first century -- Tim White, Professor of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley Darwin wrote The Origin of Species in 1859. With the emergence of large language of life models - artificial biological intelligence - it was the right time to envision On the Future of Species. Woolfson delivers that in this brilliant book, a very thoughtful and thorough assessment of the profound implications of editing and rewriting our code -- Eric Topol, Executive Vice-President at Scripps Research Institute and author of SUPER AGERS Scientists already know how to read the language of DNA and to edit it. Woolfson details the new frontier—writing new DNA scripts from scratch -- Thomas R. Cech, Nobel Prize winner and author of THE CATALYST

A visionary and exhilarating exploration of biology’s next great frontier. Adrian Woolfson has written a work of astonishing scope and imagination, charting the convergence of artificial intelligence and genome synthesis. He takes readers from the foundations of molecular genetics to the threshold of a world in which we may author entirely new species, whilst reimagining human health. Bold, lucid, and deeply original, On the Future of Species is essential reading for anyone interested in the destiny of life on Earth and beyond. -- Timothy Coulson, author of A LITTLE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING FROM THE BIG BANG TO YOU

A visionary and exhilarating exploration of biology’s next great frontier. Adrian Woolfson has written a work of astonishing scope and imagination, charting the convergence of artificial intelligence and genome synthesis. He takes readers from the foundations of molecular genetics to the threshold of a world in which we may author entirely new species, whilst reimagining human health. Bold, lucid, and deeply original, On the Future of Species is essential reading for anyone interested in the destiny of life on Earth and beyond. -- Tim Coulson, author of A LITTLE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING FROM THE BIG BANG TO YOU The book we need right now; a clear-eyed, comprehensive look at how AI, gene editing, and synthetic biology are converging to give humanity unprecedented power over its own evolution. Part history, part forecast, entirely compelling. Woolfson guides us through the landmarks of molecular biology with the assurance of an expert and the enthusiasm of a born storyteller. He brings a rare combination of industry experience and literary skill to one of the most consequential questions of our time. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand where genomic technologies are taking us -- Tom Ellis, Professor of Synthetic Genome Engineering, Imperial College London A brilliantly crafted, sweeping exposition with profound insights essential for any citizen of the twenty-first century -- Tim White, Professor of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley

Author Information

Adrian Woolfson is the co-founder of Genyro, a California-based biotechnology company specialising in synthetic genome design and construction. Born in London, he studied medicine at Balliol College, Oxford, and was formerly the Charles and Katherine Darwin Research Fellow at Darwin College, Cambridge, working at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Life Without Genes: The History and Future of Genomes and An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Genetics. He has authored over 160 scientific papers, book chapters, reviews, and patents, and is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and Science magazine. He currently lives in San Francisco.

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