Purchase
How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves
Basic Books
October 2012
On Sale: October 2, 2012
304 pages
ISBN: 0465021751
EAN: 9780465021758
Kindle: B00918JSH8
Hardcover / e-Book
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction
Imagine a future in which human beings have become immune to
all viruses, in which bacteria can custom-produce everyday
items, like a drinking cup, or generate enough electricity
to end oil dependency. Building a house would entail no more
work than planting a seed in the ground. These scenarios may
seem far-fetched, but pioneering geneticist George Church
and science writer Ed Regis show that synthetic biology is
bringing us ever closer to making such visions a
reality. In Regenesis,
Church and Regis explorethe possibilities—and perils—of the
emerging field of synthetic biology. Synthetic biology, in
which living organisms are selectively altered by modifying
substantial portions of their genomes, allows for the
creation of entirely new species of organisms. Until now,
nature has been the exclusive arbiter of life, death, and
evolution; with synthetic biology, we now have the potential
to write our own biological future. Indeed, as Church and
Regis show, it even enables us to revisit crucial points in
the evolution of life and, through synthetic biological
techniques, choose different paths from those nature
originally took. Such exploits
will involve far more than just microbial tinkering.
Full-blown genomic engineering will make possible incredible
feats, from resurrecting woolly mammoths and other extinct
organisms to creating mirror life forms with a molecular
structure the opposite of our own. These technologies—far
from the out-of-control nightmare depicted in science
fiction—have the power to improve human and animal health,
increase our intelligence, enhance our memory, and even
extend our life span. A breathtaking
look at the potential of this world-changing technology,
Regenesis is nothing less than a guide to the future
of life.
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy