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The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology
Named one of The New Yorker's BEST BOOKS OF 2022 SO FAR
The next frontier in technology is inside our own bodies.
Synthetic biology will revolutionize how we define family, how we identify disease and treat aging, where we make our homes, and how we nourish ourselves. This fast-growing field—which uses computers to modify or rewrite genetic code—has created revolutionary, groundbreaking solutions such as the mRNA COVID vaccines, IVF, and lab-grown hamburger that tastes like the real thing. It gives us options to deal with existential climate change, food insecurity, and access to fuel.
But there are significant risks.
Who should decide how to engineer living organisms? Whether engineered organisms should be planted, farmed, and released into the wild? Should there be limits to human enhancements? What cyber-biological risks are looming? Could a future biological war, using engineered organisms, cause a mass extinction event?
Amy Webb and Andrew Hessel’s riveting examination of synthetic biology and the bioeconomy provide the background for thinking through the upcoming risks and moral dilemmas posed by redesigning life, as well as the vast opportunities waiting for us on the horizon.
The next frontier in technology is inside our own bodies.
Synthetic biology will revolutionize how we define family, how we identify disease and treat aging, where we make our homes, and how we nourish ourselves. This fast-growing field—which uses computers to modify or rewrite genetic code—has created revolutionary, groundbreaking solutions such as the mRNA COVID vaccines, IVF, and lab-grown hamburger that tastes like the real thing. It gives us options to deal with existential climate change, food insecurity, and access to fuel.
But there are significant risks.
Who should decide how to engineer living organisms? Whether engineered organisms should be planted, farmed, and released into the wild? Should there be limits to human enhancements? What cyber-biological risks are looming? Could a future biological war, using engineered organisms, cause a mass extinction event?
Amy Webb and Andrew Hessel’s riveting examination of synthetic biology and the bioeconomy provide the background for thinking through the upcoming risks and moral dilemmas posed by redesigning life, as well as the vast opportunities waiting for us on the horizon.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 15, 2022
218 people are currently reading
5701 people want to read
About the author
Amy Webb
5 books350 followersAmy Webb was named by Forbes as one of the five women changing the world, listed as the BBC’s 100 Women of 2020, ranked on the Thinkers50 list of the 50 most influential management thinkers globally. She is the author of several popular books, including The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity, which was longlisted for the Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year award, shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award, and won the 2020 Gold Axiom Medal for the best book about business and technology, and The Signals Are Talking: Why Today’s Fringe Is Tomorrow’s Mainstream, which won the Thinkers50 Radar Award, was selected as one of Fast Company’s Best Books of 2016, Amazon’s best books 2016, and was the recipient of the 2017 Gold Axiom Medal for the best book about business and technology. Her latest book, The Genesis Machine, explores the futures of synthetic biology. A lifelong science fiction fan, Amy collaborates closely with Hollywood writers and producers on films, TV shows and commercials about science, technology and the future. Recent projects include The First, a sci-fi drama about the first humans to travel to Mars, an AT&T commercial featuring a fully-autonomous car directed by Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow, and an upcoming film based on Amy’s hilarious and heart wrenching memoir about data, algorithms and online dating (Data, A Love Story). Amy is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and has served as a Blue Ribbon Emmy award judge. Amy Webb “showed Comic-Con how it’s done” declared the Los Angeles Times, describing the 2019 main stage Westworld session she moderated with the show’s actors and showrunners.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
February 20, 2022
A hodgepodge of biotech related topics, none of them presented well and discussed deeply. Authors' research on these topics probably were just google.
November 9, 2023
"The Genesis Machine" is a little all over the place. Other than the hypothetical scenarios in the end (that felt more like the authors' attempt at fan-fiction than anything else - and I say that as someone who has participated in numerous wargames, which was essentially the reasoning the authors used to include the scenarios in the first place).
That said, pretty much every area this book addresses is super fascinating. The first of the two main problems is that the book didn't delve deep enough into anything, it's all essentially surface level. As such the book works ok as a primer, but it needs further reading to actually even understand what the book is arguably supposed to cover.
The other main issue is that the authors came at the subject-matter very one-eyed. Even to someone like myself (who isn't intrinsically opposed to GMOs, stem-cell research, or Synthetic Biology in general), this book left a bit of a sour aftertaste. According to the authors, it felt like, the biggest issues facing synthetic biology is popular resistance due to fake news, misinformation, and anti-science luddites. Add to that the hero portrait of Elon Musk who - regardless of what one thinks of him - certainly warrants a more nuanced approach, and it's difficult to not pull in one's ears when reading "The Genesis Machine."
I'm not sorry I read it, but I don't see myself recommending this book to anyone.
That said, pretty much every area this book addresses is super fascinating. The first of the two main problems is that the book didn't delve deep enough into anything, it's all essentially surface level. As such the book works ok as a primer, but it needs further reading to actually even understand what the book is arguably supposed to cover.
The other main issue is that the authors came at the subject-matter very one-eyed. Even to someone like myself (who isn't intrinsically opposed to GMOs, stem-cell research, or Synthetic Biology in general), this book left a bit of a sour aftertaste. According to the authors, it felt like, the biggest issues facing synthetic biology is popular resistance due to fake news, misinformation, and anti-science luddites. Add to that the hero portrait of Elon Musk who - regardless of what one thinks of him - certainly warrants a more nuanced approach, and it's difficult to not pull in one's ears when reading "The Genesis Machine."
I'm not sorry I read it, but I don't see myself recommending this book to anyone.
November 16, 2021
Amy Webb picks up where she left off in her previous must-read "The Big Nine" explaining the history, significance and most importantly the future of another world-shaping technology. In "The Big Nine" it was AI. Here, joined by co-author Andrew Hessel, she tackles synthetic biology.
It's a big topic and not an easy one, but she makes it accessible with deft story-telling, great examples and her characteristic mix of concern and optimism. As with many things the technology is evolving faster than the ethics and governance which could spin into some out of control futures if we're not careful. But she offers a clear look at the risks as well as practical solutions to lead us toward a better version of the future.
Whatever industry you're in, synthetic biology will likely play a role in its future. This book will get you up to speed on what you need to know, and get you thinking from the earliest pages about its applications in your world.
It's a big topic and not an easy one, but she makes it accessible with deft story-telling, great examples and her characteristic mix of concern and optimism. As with many things the technology is evolving faster than the ethics and governance which could spin into some out of control futures if we're not careful. But she offers a clear look at the risks as well as practical solutions to lead us toward a better version of the future.
Whatever industry you're in, synthetic biology will likely play a role in its future. This book will get you up to speed on what you need to know, and get you thinking from the earliest pages about its applications in your world.
June 18, 2022
Dass die Biotechnologie rasante Fortschritte macht, ist spätestens seit Dolly allgemein bekannt. Was noch nicht flächendeckend angekommen ist, sind die Konsequenzen und das Ausmaß, mit dem diese Revolution unsere Gesellschaft verändern wird. Mit der schnellen und kostengünstigen Manipulation der DNA geht es ums Eingemachte, um die Quelle des Lebens selber, und damit müssen praktisch alle Lebensbereiche neu gedacht werden.
Amy Webb und Andrew Hessel beschreiben in drei Teilen die Geschichte der Gentechnologie, ihren Status Quo und ihre mögliche Zukunft einschließlich der damit verbundenen Risiken. Den Abschluss bilden praktische Empfehlungen für einen verantwortungsvollen Umgang mit einer Technologie, die das Potential hat, das Leben auf unserem Planeten in nie gekanntem Umfang zu verändern.
Meine Eindrücke sind ambivalent. Das Buch ist gekonnt geschrieben, sehr lebendig, anekdotisch, oft richtig spannend und auch für Laien leicht zu lesen. Inhaltlich habe ich gemischte Gefühle: obwohl sich die Autoren sichtlich um eine globale Perspektive bemühen, ist der Tenor US-lastig. Die Auflistung der Risiken und die Vorschläge, diesen zu begegnen, sind sicher gut gemeint, aber für mein Dafürhalten zu simpel, zu optimistisch und zu wenig konsequent, was wohl auch einem blauäugigen Vertrauen in unsere Wirtschafts- und Werteordnung geschuldet ist. Die ethischen Aspekte des Themas kommen eindeutig zu kurz.
Was mich nicht nur in diesem Buch immer wieder irritiert, ist eine das Denken hintergründig bestimmende funktionalistische Ideologie, die Erzählung, nach der der Mensch eine Art feuchter Computer ist, die sich in der Wissenschaft offenbar festgesetzt hat, und die in der Sprache verräterisch zu Tage kommt. Wenn das Editieren von genetischer Information als Upgrade bezeichnet wird, fühle ich mich unbehaglich.
Trotz meinem Unbehagen ist es den Autoren aber gelungen, ihre wichtigste Botschaft deutlich und überzeugend herüber zu bringen: Es ist dringend an der Zeit, sich eingehend mit der Thematik zu befassen. Es ist unmöglich, sich ohne Hintergrundwissen eine differenzierte Meinung über die synthetische Biologie zu bilden. Ohne eine breite öffentliche Diskussion überlassen wir das Feld der Desinformation durch Verschwörungstheoretiker auf der einen und skrupellosen Profitinteressen auf der anderen Seite.
Die Heilung und Verhinderung von Krebs oder Erbkrankheiten, die Abschaffung der Viehzucht durch die Erzeugung von Fleisch aus Stammzellen, biologische Alternativen zu Herbiziden und Pestiziden, die Lösung vieler Umwelt- und Klimaprobleme etwa durch biologisch-synthetische Energieträger sind nur einige Punkte, die auf der positiven Seite der Agenda zu finden sein könnten. Demgegenüber stehen jedoch Gefahren nie gekannten Ausmaßes, Kriegsführung mit tödlichen Viren, die genetische Kontrolle und Totalüberwachung durch Staaten und Konzerne, eine neue -genetische- Spaltung der Gesellschaft, oder gar die Züchtung von Chimären aus Mensch und Esel für den Einsatz bei DHL & Co. Dazwischen gibt es ein breites Feld an potentiellen Anwendungen, deren ethische Einschätzung und gesellschaftliche Konsequenzen - für mich jedenfalls - noch gar nicht einzuordnen und abzuschätzen sind. Wäre es zB. in Ordnung, bei einem Embryo mit Trisomie 21 das überzählige Chromosom zu entfernen, oder die Mutation im HBB-Gen, die zur Sichelzellenanämie führt, zu beheben und so dem zukünftigen Menschen ein normales Leben zu ermöglichen? Die meisten werden das wohl befürworten. Aber wäre es auch in Ordnung, durch An- oder Abschalten einzelner Gene seinem Nachwuchs ein Leben als Supersportler oder Mathematikgenie zu ermöglichen, oder auch nur eine besondere Haarfarbe mitzugeben? Welche Konsequenzen würde es haben, wenn man eine ganze Art, z.B. Mosquitos, die jährlich Millionen Tote durch Malaria, Dengue, Zica, Gelbfieber usw. verursachen, durch genetische Manipulation aussterben liesse?
Diese Diskussionen müssen wir führen bevor uns die Realität einholt, das vorliegende Buch, kritisch gelesen, ist dazu ein guter Einstieg.
Amy Webb und Andrew Hessel beschreiben in drei Teilen die Geschichte der Gentechnologie, ihren Status Quo und ihre mögliche Zukunft einschließlich der damit verbundenen Risiken. Den Abschluss bilden praktische Empfehlungen für einen verantwortungsvollen Umgang mit einer Technologie, die das Potential hat, das Leben auf unserem Planeten in nie gekanntem Umfang zu verändern.
Meine Eindrücke sind ambivalent. Das Buch ist gekonnt geschrieben, sehr lebendig, anekdotisch, oft richtig spannend und auch für Laien leicht zu lesen. Inhaltlich habe ich gemischte Gefühle: obwohl sich die Autoren sichtlich um eine globale Perspektive bemühen, ist der Tenor US-lastig. Die Auflistung der Risiken und die Vorschläge, diesen zu begegnen, sind sicher gut gemeint, aber für mein Dafürhalten zu simpel, zu optimistisch und zu wenig konsequent, was wohl auch einem blauäugigen Vertrauen in unsere Wirtschafts- und Werteordnung geschuldet ist. Die ethischen Aspekte des Themas kommen eindeutig zu kurz.
Was mich nicht nur in diesem Buch immer wieder irritiert, ist eine das Denken hintergründig bestimmende funktionalistische Ideologie, die Erzählung, nach der der Mensch eine Art feuchter Computer ist, die sich in der Wissenschaft offenbar festgesetzt hat, und die in der Sprache verräterisch zu Tage kommt. Wenn das Editieren von genetischer Information als Upgrade bezeichnet wird, fühle ich mich unbehaglich.
Trotz meinem Unbehagen ist es den Autoren aber gelungen, ihre wichtigste Botschaft deutlich und überzeugend herüber zu bringen: Es ist dringend an der Zeit, sich eingehend mit der Thematik zu befassen. Es ist unmöglich, sich ohne Hintergrundwissen eine differenzierte Meinung über die synthetische Biologie zu bilden. Ohne eine breite öffentliche Diskussion überlassen wir das Feld der Desinformation durch Verschwörungstheoretiker auf der einen und skrupellosen Profitinteressen auf der anderen Seite.
Die Heilung und Verhinderung von Krebs oder Erbkrankheiten, die Abschaffung der Viehzucht durch die Erzeugung von Fleisch aus Stammzellen, biologische Alternativen zu Herbiziden und Pestiziden, die Lösung vieler Umwelt- und Klimaprobleme etwa durch biologisch-synthetische Energieträger sind nur einige Punkte, die auf der positiven Seite der Agenda zu finden sein könnten. Demgegenüber stehen jedoch Gefahren nie gekannten Ausmaßes, Kriegsführung mit tödlichen Viren, die genetische Kontrolle und Totalüberwachung durch Staaten und Konzerne, eine neue -genetische- Spaltung der Gesellschaft, oder gar die Züchtung von Chimären aus Mensch und Esel für den Einsatz bei DHL & Co. Dazwischen gibt es ein breites Feld an potentiellen Anwendungen, deren ethische Einschätzung und gesellschaftliche Konsequenzen - für mich jedenfalls - noch gar nicht einzuordnen und abzuschätzen sind. Wäre es zB. in Ordnung, bei einem Embryo mit Trisomie 21 das überzählige Chromosom zu entfernen, oder die Mutation im HBB-Gen, die zur Sichelzellenanämie führt, zu beheben und so dem zukünftigen Menschen ein normales Leben zu ermöglichen? Die meisten werden das wohl befürworten. Aber wäre es auch in Ordnung, durch An- oder Abschalten einzelner Gene seinem Nachwuchs ein Leben als Supersportler oder Mathematikgenie zu ermöglichen, oder auch nur eine besondere Haarfarbe mitzugeben? Welche Konsequenzen würde es haben, wenn man eine ganze Art, z.B. Mosquitos, die jährlich Millionen Tote durch Malaria, Dengue, Zica, Gelbfieber usw. verursachen, durch genetische Manipulation aussterben liesse?
Diese Diskussionen müssen wir führen bevor uns die Realität einholt, das vorliegende Buch, kritisch gelesen, ist dazu ein guter Einstieg.
July 31, 2022
Great book on bio tech. Pretty high level and not technical. The book spans the parts. First the early origins of bio tech, with each chapter telling a story. The second tells stories of some of the current cutting edge bio tech. And the third part uses creative writing approaches to share futuristic scenarios of what might be ahead for us.
July 10, 2022
I enjoyed this non-fiction book about cloning and rewriting the human DNA sequence to further evolve people artificially.
February 13, 2023
Somewhat too futuristic for me given it was written by a “quantitative” futurist. That being said I think it brought a lot of valid point. Regulation never proceeds innovation, but maybe it should.
I worked for a biosecurity company, so it’s interesting to compare the reality of where the threats are vs where the threats could be.
The best part was the history of the Human Genome Project. It’s a great story of how governments can derisk technical assets and create the foundations of an industry. It would be interesting to model it with the advances of nuclear fusion
I worked for a biosecurity company, so it’s interesting to compare the reality of where the threats are vs where the threats could be.
The best part was the history of the Human Genome Project. It’s a great story of how governments can derisk technical assets and create the foundations of an industry. It would be interesting to model it with the advances of nuclear fusion
June 18, 2022
3.5 - synthetic biology offers so much possibility and potential for good and bad. We need our leaders and citizens to be more informed so they can grapple with the challenges and ethical questions of the future. Solid primer on the subject.
May 2, 2024
This book is a look at the developing applications of synthetic biology, including its tantalizing future. The tour itself is a bit surface-level. A lot of the history of the broader field and industry have been well covered by other works of science history. However, it was a reasonable survey of idea in synthetic biology, such as gene engineering technology like CRISPR/Cas9 or cloning and recombination approaches.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the work is an attempt to imagine how innovations in synthetic biology may reshape our daily lives and economy. To those who follow technological changes closely, the current avant-garde is AI versus synthetic bio (or various biotech approaches broadly). Honestly, I would take the field against both, but both domain will see impressive developments in the imminent future.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the work is an attempt to imagine how innovations in synthetic biology may reshape our daily lives and economy. To those who follow technological changes closely, the current avant-garde is AI versus synthetic bio (or various biotech approaches broadly). Honestly, I would take the field against both, but both domain will see impressive developments in the imminent future.
Read
February 8, 2023Some incredible possibilities in this book - bringing extinct species back from the dead, reversing aging, children without pregnancy (or even 2 parents), and editing CCR5 to increase memory and cognitive ability.
It's a good balance between the science and the story, without getting too detailed about some advanced procedures. Very readable.
It's a good balance between the science and the story, without getting too detailed about some advanced procedures. Very readable.
April 13, 2023
Please Amy and Andrew release your next collaboration soon!
July 2, 2023
What a book to get me thinking. Parts of it reminded me of science fiction from not so very long ago. There is a lot of cool to consider in this book -- and I would also say there's a lot to caution. I can't decide if I want to share it with everyone or reread it three times first. It was a bit of a college class of "what's coming and what's possible," and that's exciting. It's also an opportunity for another Tower of Babel moment. Thought-provoking.
November 2, 2024
Genuinely a must-read for anyone interested in biotechnology, social change, and the wide-ranging impacts scientific discovery will have in our lifetime
February 25, 2022
Good read and follow up to the big nine book. This book poses lots of questions for thought. Some are positive and some are really scary.
October 15, 2022
Wow. Unlike anything I have read. Quite eye-opening and I love that it is so current. This will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it’s an important read because it does get us to think about things that will continue to directly impact our lives in the years to come.
June 20, 2024
Redundant, discombobulated, and confused narrative. Life was good when the book was over with.
Definitely written for laymen to the scientific field and may have been helpful for someone with no scientific background whatsoever, but, at times, it felt as though I was reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid and not a book attempting to make a sophisticated claim.
Racism within science was mentioned incredibly sparsely throughout the novel and somehow became a major proponent of the conclusion.
Everything, especially the “potential scenarios” section, felt so melodramatic and excessive to the point I became frustrated altogether. My philosophy? If you see a reasonable and foreseeable concern in the future, feel free to mention it, but panicking about entire situations and societal systems caused by scientific advancement is just ridiculous.
Be reasonable. I highly doubt that people are going to stop eating what they want simply because it’s not what their body needs to maintain a certain lifestyle. I highly doubt that people will stop having in vivo pregnancies simply because in vitro IVF may be more advantageous. I am highly suspicious and doubtful of many of the concerns caused by other concerns which were caused by other concerns which were caused by a singular doubtful scientific advancement which may or may not be made in the future.
Personally, the book didn’t do much for me. It added some names to the experiments I already knew about, but it was still, at best, a boring read. Thank God for “How To Be Eaten” for being a reward to read after finishing every painful chapter of this book.
I’ve said my piece. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
Definitely written for laymen to the scientific field and may have been helpful for someone with no scientific background whatsoever, but, at times, it felt as though I was reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid and not a book attempting to make a sophisticated claim.
Racism within science was mentioned incredibly sparsely throughout the novel and somehow became a major proponent of the conclusion.
Everything, especially the “potential scenarios” section, felt so melodramatic and excessive to the point I became frustrated altogether. My philosophy? If you see a reasonable and foreseeable concern in the future, feel free to mention it, but panicking about entire situations and societal systems caused by scientific advancement is just ridiculous.
Be reasonable. I highly doubt that people are going to stop eating what they want simply because it’s not what their body needs to maintain a certain lifestyle. I highly doubt that people will stop having in vivo pregnancies simply because in vitro IVF may be more advantageous. I am highly suspicious and doubtful of many of the concerns caused by other concerns which were caused by other concerns which were caused by a singular doubtful scientific advancement which may or may not be made in the future.
Personally, the book didn’t do much for me. It added some names to the experiments I already knew about, but it was still, at best, a boring read. Thank God for “How To Be Eaten” for being a reward to read after finishing every painful chapter of this book.
I’ve said my piece. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2022
Light on science, heavy on futurism. First three quarters were 3 stars, could not finish the last quarter.
March 11, 2022
So I’ve known Amy Webb from the TWiT network so this was fast tracked to the top of my To Read list. I gotta say, really didn’t like how it started, it felt like I was reading too much of a biology book and a study of healthcare which doesn’t really interest me. The book starts out with a medley of medical conditions and it goes into the history and sort of ideas behind medical insurance, coverage and how conditions spread.
The book is broken up into different parts and it wasn’t until I got to the 2nd and definitely the 3rd part where it began to tickle the area of my brain that I was hoping it would. The speculative, use cases of bio engineering is where I really perked up in interest.
The part area of the book is interesting, but
The second part is where it opens up, as it deals more with the history of things like GMO and the misinformation surrounding them. It really did open my eyes. For the life of me I thought (wrongfully latched on to marketing and misinformation) That GMO’s were the enemy and even on the foods that I buy right now, in my hands is a Siggi’s yogurt cup with the phrase “Non GMO” proudly stamped on there. Ignoring the fact that GMO’s could be used to wipe hunger away and be the foundation to helping an enormous amount of people suffering from genetic defects, and deficiencies.
Amy Webb states her case pretty plainly. The war on GMO, has probably been a huge set back for humanity. The story of the “Golden Rice” was unknown to me, and proved to be fascinating and eye opening. Met with opposition such as Green Peace, felt as though it’s steps towards modification of food would open a door to all manner of genetic tampering. Amy’s case is heard loud and clear...Is this really a bad thing? Should we be holding humanity back from using genetic modification in a responsible way? She presents some very good arguments, but also scary possible futures. That’s where the book really shines. Once you get past the first opening part where it lays the ground work, the book feeds into the “What if” on synthetic assistance and what it’s like if Humanity could play god. And that perhaps we’ve already been doing so, so why not do it to increase our own knowledge, productivity, and research? It’s a great question that by the end she provides these awesome series of varied scenarios. One such is a mock advertisement for a couples incubation/pregnancy placement service. Where a couple can basically build out their embryo and customize he/her down to eye color and hair, with some restrictions to ensure they led a healthy life.
The end of the book provides some very real and very sensical steps and ideas to manage this almost inevitable walk towards synthetic life. Having to worry about things like privacy of medical DNA is now a thing. As Amy Webb brings up what if a company that delves into housing synthetic DNA storage for humans, is bought by a another company...or worse a government buys it. Whose property is the DNA now? Do we have ownership of our own molecules and what conversations do we need to have to insure a tight path of safety is adhered to. How is this going to affect the future of human growth? Can we use things like stem cells and virus’ themselves as carriers to stamp out food shortages? Just how much should be be concerned with GMO? And the fact that we should really be reconsidering this meme, hivemind thought that GMO is some evil dirty word. We even get mention of Henrietta Lacks, and the abbreviated history of race and genomic study.
So all in all I really turned around on this book. It started off feeling like a chore to read and ended being one of the best thought experiments I’ve read. The scenarios at the end which lay it all out, and provides a ‘what’s at stake’ and what it means in terms of where we could be headed, positive or negative was a fascinating look.
If you’re into genomics, speculative science, policy for ethics of medicine, this is almost must read material.
The book is broken up into different parts and it wasn’t until I got to the 2nd and definitely the 3rd part where it began to tickle the area of my brain that I was hoping it would. The speculative, use cases of bio engineering is where I really perked up in interest.
The part area of the book is interesting, but
The second part is where it opens up, as it deals more with the history of things like GMO and the misinformation surrounding them. It really did open my eyes. For the life of me I thought (wrongfully latched on to marketing and misinformation) That GMO’s were the enemy and even on the foods that I buy right now, in my hands is a Siggi’s yogurt cup with the phrase “Non GMO” proudly stamped on there. Ignoring the fact that GMO’s could be used to wipe hunger away and be the foundation to helping an enormous amount of people suffering from genetic defects, and deficiencies.
Amy Webb states her case pretty plainly. The war on GMO, has probably been a huge set back for humanity. The story of the “Golden Rice” was unknown to me, and proved to be fascinating and eye opening. Met with opposition such as Green Peace, felt as though it’s steps towards modification of food would open a door to all manner of genetic tampering. Amy’s case is heard loud and clear...Is this really a bad thing? Should we be holding humanity back from using genetic modification in a responsible way? She presents some very good arguments, but also scary possible futures. That’s where the book really shines. Once you get past the first opening part where it lays the ground work, the book feeds into the “What if” on synthetic assistance and what it’s like if Humanity could play god. And that perhaps we’ve already been doing so, so why not do it to increase our own knowledge, productivity, and research? It’s a great question that by the end she provides these awesome series of varied scenarios. One such is a mock advertisement for a couples incubation/pregnancy placement service. Where a couple can basically build out their embryo and customize he/her down to eye color and hair, with some restrictions to ensure they led a healthy life.
The end of the book provides some very real and very sensical steps and ideas to manage this almost inevitable walk towards synthetic life. Having to worry about things like privacy of medical DNA is now a thing. As Amy Webb brings up what if a company that delves into housing synthetic DNA storage for humans, is bought by a another company...or worse a government buys it. Whose property is the DNA now? Do we have ownership of our own molecules and what conversations do we need to have to insure a tight path of safety is adhered to. How is this going to affect the future of human growth? Can we use things like stem cells and virus’ themselves as carriers to stamp out food shortages? Just how much should be be concerned with GMO? And the fact that we should really be reconsidering this meme, hivemind thought that GMO is some evil dirty word. We even get mention of Henrietta Lacks, and the abbreviated history of race and genomic study.
So all in all I really turned around on this book. It started off feeling like a chore to read and ended being one of the best thought experiments I’ve read. The scenarios at the end which lay it all out, and provides a ‘what’s at stake’ and what it means in terms of where we could be headed, positive or negative was a fascinating look.
If you’re into genomics, speculative science, policy for ethics of medicine, this is almost must read material.
May 5, 2025
This book is structured in three parts, origins where the history of synthetic biology and genetic science is told, then now with the current state of research in synthetic and genetic biology being summarised, and the future in which several scenarios are drafted.
We learn about how it all started, with saying no to bad genes. We learn how genome sequencing took so much time and money. We learn how geneticists want the to create a mammoth from its genome. We learn about the story of the golden rice and its long way to solve hunger problems in Philippines.
We then learn about nine risks that genetic research has.
And in the end the author speculates that it might be that we could choose the traits of a newborn child, what happens if we solved the aging problem, how a cyber biological attach can strike etc.
I do not find much that I remember from reading this book applicable in my life right now, that is why I do not get too carried away in evaluating this book. It is mostly a collection of stories about genetic research, however I do not find the political implications being tackled, that nationalism is dead because we are all a mix of genes from a wide geography and that nations and nation states are just religious BS.
I did not find it very difficult or very easy to read, it was okay, not too many technical terms, so that is a plus. But again, nothing that I can really relate to yet from all these stories about genetic research.
It is all about some distant possibility in the future that we can apply it to. This distance made me give only three stars. I wanted to be able to be myself a genetic researcher now via a kit or something like that to be able to give it more stars.
Biology is a fascinating topic and sometimes you wish you could start studying it by reading this book. However, it seems a very tedious topic to research and so controversial and confusing about its legal and societal implications that you almost feel its a politics-like field: something to stay away from.
Even the human genome, which is mentioned so many times in this book. We kind of know it but it seems difficult to do something with it.
Or CRISPR-cs9. It is very difficult to understand. We need to bring biology closer to the people so that we can understand it better because now genetic research seems still to be a black box even after reading this book.
This was my feeling at least.
We learn about how it all started, with saying no to bad genes. We learn how genome sequencing took so much time and money. We learn how geneticists want the to create a mammoth from its genome. We learn about the story of the golden rice and its long way to solve hunger problems in Philippines.
We then learn about nine risks that genetic research has.
And in the end the author speculates that it might be that we could choose the traits of a newborn child, what happens if we solved the aging problem, how a cyber biological attach can strike etc.
I do not find much that I remember from reading this book applicable in my life right now, that is why I do not get too carried away in evaluating this book. It is mostly a collection of stories about genetic research, however I do not find the political implications being tackled, that nationalism is dead because we are all a mix of genes from a wide geography and that nations and nation states are just religious BS.
I did not find it very difficult or very easy to read, it was okay, not too many technical terms, so that is a plus. But again, nothing that I can really relate to yet from all these stories about genetic research.
It is all about some distant possibility in the future that we can apply it to. This distance made me give only three stars. I wanted to be able to be myself a genetic researcher now via a kit or something like that to be able to give it more stars.
Biology is a fascinating topic and sometimes you wish you could start studying it by reading this book. However, it seems a very tedious topic to research and so controversial and confusing about its legal and societal implications that you almost feel its a politics-like field: something to stay away from.
Even the human genome, which is mentioned so many times in this book. We kind of know it but it seems difficult to do something with it.
Or CRISPR-cs9. It is very difficult to understand. We need to bring biology closer to the people so that we can understand it better because now genetic research seems still to be a black box even after reading this book.
This was my feeling at least.
August 23, 2025
So there is no perfect book on CRISPR and I originally wanted to give this three stars but the scenarios were very black mirrorish and the designer baby one was amazing. That's the only way that I would even remotely consider having a kid if I can add to cart the features of the future human. So the futures part was the most interesting, and even the underground scenario was thought-provoking, like how we would simulate living on Mars here on Earth. The Canceled Aging one was also fine. And the part four, which is the way forward, should have been way longer. That should have been the main part of the book. But unfortunately, the first chapter was the longest, the origin, which was basically a boring history book. So that's why I originally wanted to give it a three. Part 2, the now, was boring as well, because I already know all there is to know for a layperson about the current state of the technology, so it didn't actually teach me anything new, unfortunately. So the first half of the book was pretty much hit and miss or skippable. But the futures part had the balls to present the Black Mirror stories. And for that I have to give kudos because I didn't get this amazing sort of an ad for this kind of technology that they did with the Wellspring scenario with the designer babies And just for that alone I have to bump the stars up to four because other books just don't advertise it as such. Usually they just present this as something to fear. But yeah, this book highlighted the risks of the technology, and I hope it doesn't come to that where adversaries have an easier time creating biological weapons with probably the help of AI or something. I hope it never comes to that, but we'll see, I guess. And this also brought up the Chinese dude who created the two CRISPR babies, removing AIDS from their system, and how a scientific community shunned him instead of giving him an award. That story is weird each time I hear it. And that led me to conclude that some of the timelines highlighted in this book were a bit far-fetched because it failed to account for the fact that regulatory scrutiny and ethics and laws hinder all kinds of progress related to these fields. So it will be a longer time coming until all of this actually materializes in a commercially available fashion.
July 23, 2023
I have just finished reading an incredibly fascinating book! It's my second great discovery of the year (before ChatGPT) 😄. This thought-provoking book delves into the cutting-edge world of genetic advances and explores the implications they may have on our future.
The book also speculates that genetic exclusion could become a reality within the next 20 years. This means that wealthy individuals could potentially modify their future offspring to be smarter, stronger and more attractive, among other traits, through customised genetic editing.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is the revelation that embryos can now be created from genes alone. This opens up fascinating possibilities, such as same-sex couples. Such scientific advances offer hope and empowerment to people who find it difficult to start a family.
But this brave new world raises important ethical and legal questions. Some countries have already banned the editing of human embryos, but the United States and China remain at the forefront of this research. The book delves into the ethical dilemmas raised by these advances, urging readers to consider the consequences of playing "creator" with human life.
The implications of synthetic biology are not limited to human genetics; it also promises to address the global climate crisis. The book explores how synthetic biology can potentially provide solutions to various environmental challenges, offering a glimmer of hope amidst growing climate concerns.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in science, ethics and the future of humanity. It opens up a realm of possibilities that we must approach with caution, responsibility and deep reflection.
The book also speculates that genetic exclusion could become a reality within the next 20 years. This means that wealthy individuals could potentially modify their future offspring to be smarter, stronger and more attractive, among other traits, through customised genetic editing.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is the revelation that embryos can now be created from genes alone. This opens up fascinating possibilities, such as same-sex couples. Such scientific advances offer hope and empowerment to people who find it difficult to start a family.
But this brave new world raises important ethical and legal questions. Some countries have already banned the editing of human embryos, but the United States and China remain at the forefront of this research. The book delves into the ethical dilemmas raised by these advances, urging readers to consider the consequences of playing "creator" with human life.
The implications of synthetic biology are not limited to human genetics; it also promises to address the global climate crisis. The book explores how synthetic biology can potentially provide solutions to various environmental challenges, offering a glimmer of hope amidst growing climate concerns.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in science, ethics and the future of humanity. It opens up a realm of possibilities that we must approach with caution, responsibility and deep reflection.
June 22, 2025
Ποιο είναι το θέμα του βιβλίου; Ας θέσουμε σε αυτό το σημείο την παρακάτω ερώτηση: Τι ονομάζουμε συνθετική Βιολογία; Συνθετική Βιολογία είναι η επιστήμη που έχει ως στόχο να καταπολεμήσει και να εξαλείψει ασθένειες θανατηφόρες για την υγεία του ανθρώπου, χρησιμοποιώντας τεχνολογικά μέσα όπως υπολογιστές, γενετική μηχανική, ανάπτυξη εμβολίων, μέθοδο CRISPR κ.τ.λ. Ένα παράδειγμα συνθετικής βιολογίας είναι τα γενετικά τροποποιημένα κουνούπια που ζουν στα νησιά Φλόριντα Κιζ και τα οποία βοηθούν στην αντιμετώπιση της ελονοσίας.
Η συνθετική βιολογία χρησιμοποιήθηκε και στην κατασκευή των εμβολίων για την καταπολέμηση του κορονοιού. Αν και η συνθετική βιολογία χρησιμοποιείται για το καλό της ανθρωπότητας πολλοί θεωρούν ότι η γενετική μηχανική π.χ μπορεί να καταστρέψει την ανθρωπότητα επεμβαίνοντας σε αυτό που ονομάζουμε φυσιολογικό. Ας αναφέρουμε ένα παράδειγμα: Ερευνητές έχουν προσπαθήσει να κατασκευάσουν ζωντανούς οργανισμούς στο εργαστήριο και τα έχουν καταφέρει. Όμως έπρεπε να αντιμετωπίσουν θρησκευτικές οργανώσεις και ακτιβιστές οι οποίοι θεωρούν ότι η κατασκευή ενός οργανισμού στο εργαστήριο θα έχει άσχημες συνέπειες για την φύση και τον άνθρωπο αν και από έναν λάθος χειρισμό ο οργανισμός μεταδοθεί έξω από το εργαστήριο και ναι υπάρχει κάποιο δίκιο σε αυτό αφού κανείς δεν είναι σίγουρος για τα μέτρα ασφαλείας που έχει πάρει ο κάθε ερευνητής.
Η προσωπική μου γνώμη διαβάζοντας το βιβλίο είναι ότι η επιστήμη υπάρχει για να βοηθά την ανθρωπότητα και όχι για να την καταστρέφει. Οπότε ας αφήσουμε τους επιστήμονες οι οποίοι ειδικεύονται στο αντικείμενό τους να προχωρήσουν με την επιστήμη τους. Αν μη τι άλλο τα θέματα που θίγονται στο βιβλίο είναι υψίστης σημασίας οπότε σας προτείνω να το διαβάσετε.
Η συνθετική βιολογία χρησιμοποιήθηκε και στην κατασκευή των εμβολίων για την καταπολέμηση του κορονοιού. Αν και η συνθετική βιολογία χρησιμοποιείται για το καλό της ανθρωπότητας πολλοί θεωρούν ότι η γενετική μηχανική π.χ μπορεί να καταστρέψει την ανθρωπότητα επεμβαίνοντας σε αυτό που ονομάζουμε φυσιολογικό. Ας αναφέρουμε ένα παράδειγμα: Ερευνητές έχουν προσπαθήσει να κατασκευάσουν ζωντανούς οργανισμούς στο εργαστήριο και τα έχουν καταφέρει. Όμως έπρεπε να αντιμετωπίσουν θρησκευτικές οργανώσεις και ακτιβιστές οι οποίοι θεωρούν ότι η κατασκευή ενός οργανισμού στο εργαστήριο θα έχει άσχημες συνέπειες για την φύση και τον άνθρωπο αν και από έναν λάθος χειρισμό ο οργανισμός μεταδοθεί έξω από το εργαστήριο και ναι υπάρχει κάποιο δίκιο σε αυτό αφού κανείς δεν είναι σίγουρος για τα μέτρα ασφαλείας που έχει πάρει ο κάθε ερευνητής.
Η προσωπική μου γνώμη διαβάζοντας το βιβλίο είναι ότι η επιστήμη υπάρχει για να βοηθά την ανθρωπότητα και όχι για να την καταστρέφει. Οπότε ας αφήσουμε τους επιστήμονες οι οποίοι ειδικεύονται στο αντικείμενό τους να προχωρήσουν με την επιστήμη τους. Αν μη τι άλλο τα θέματα που θίγονται στο βιβλίο είναι υψίστης σημασίας οπότε σας προτείνω να το διαβάσετε.
November 26, 2023
Rather than providing an analysis of a current scientific phenomenon and the implications it brings with it, The Genesis Machine represents a poorly expressed stream of consciousness.
In it, the authors rather arrogantly express their ideology as “the correct one” and blatantly categorize anyone who would disagree as an uneducated enemy of science and progress. They make several generalizations that are not backed up by actual scientific research, and which at times outright conflicts with it. Sources are inaccurately or dishonestly cited, and often lack the evidence the authors propose.
The authors further treat religion as outdated bigotry, and express a clear sense of arrogance and condescendance towards religious people. The wildly incorrect statements about the beliefs of Christians which they make show that minimal research was performed and that no effort is carried out to take into account ethical considerations or understandable questions that should always be associated with the rise of new technologies. They suggest that those with certain political, religious, and philosophical beliefs must “challenge” their orientations; yet at no point do they seem to subject their own opinions to this challenge.
Finally, The Genesis Machine misses its primary objective: that of depicting the current landscape and future avenues of synthetic biology. Although this book provides a general understanding of the majors topics in this field today, much of the technical advances of our day are lost in unnecessary narration.
In it, the authors rather arrogantly express their ideology as “the correct one” and blatantly categorize anyone who would disagree as an uneducated enemy of science and progress. They make several generalizations that are not backed up by actual scientific research, and which at times outright conflicts with it. Sources are inaccurately or dishonestly cited, and often lack the evidence the authors propose.
The authors further treat religion as outdated bigotry, and express a clear sense of arrogance and condescendance towards religious people. The wildly incorrect statements about the beliefs of Christians which they make show that minimal research was performed and that no effort is carried out to take into account ethical considerations or understandable questions that should always be associated with the rise of new technologies. They suggest that those with certain political, religious, and philosophical beliefs must “challenge” their orientations; yet at no point do they seem to subject their own opinions to this challenge.
Finally, The Genesis Machine misses its primary objective: that of depicting the current landscape and future avenues of synthetic biology. Although this book provides a general understanding of the majors topics in this field today, much of the technical advances of our day are lost in unnecessary narration.
June 26, 2022
Great book that runs the gamut of synthetic biology
The term "natural" used to be substantially easier to apply to basic items like fruit and animals. It is both exhilarating and frightening to consider "improving" genetic material, but humans have a knack for putting their marks on everything imaginable.
"The Genesis Machine" by Amy Webb and Andrew Hessel takes on the Herculean effort (at breakneck speed) of categorizing, assessing and theorizing how synthetic biology is changing – and will change – the world. The book goes into just enough detail (and contains plenty of footnotes, if you want to dive further) about an array of topics, from CRISPR to artificial intelligence to vaccine creation (and hindrance).
The book's first three parts – past (thorough and grounded), present (eye-opening and dizzying) and future (a lot of good, albeit not necessarily all practical, what ifs) – outline the situation at hand. The final section details a list of recommendations and guidelines for how the world should proceed in this area.
It all sounds good on paper, but if we're being pragmatic about it, the rich and powerful will ultimately push forth agendas that will create an even more dramatic divide between them and their minions. This book is a great way to help organize the players and keep tabs on the highlights. And there's plenty of money to be made in this space, so let's hope that at least some of the breakthroughs keep the planet and humanity afloat.
The term "natural" used to be substantially easier to apply to basic items like fruit and animals. It is both exhilarating and frightening to consider "improving" genetic material, but humans have a knack for putting their marks on everything imaginable.
"The Genesis Machine" by Amy Webb and Andrew Hessel takes on the Herculean effort (at breakneck speed) of categorizing, assessing and theorizing how synthetic biology is changing – and will change – the world. The book goes into just enough detail (and contains plenty of footnotes, if you want to dive further) about an array of topics, from CRISPR to artificial intelligence to vaccine creation (and hindrance).
The book's first three parts – past (thorough and grounded), present (eye-opening and dizzying) and future (a lot of good, albeit not necessarily all practical, what ifs) – outline the situation at hand. The final section details a list of recommendations and guidelines for how the world should proceed in this area.
It all sounds good on paper, but if we're being pragmatic about it, the rich and powerful will ultimately push forth agendas that will create an even more dramatic divide between them and their minions. This book is a great way to help organize the players and keep tabs on the highlights. And there's plenty of money to be made in this space, so let's hope that at least some of the breakthroughs keep the planet and humanity afloat.
July 4, 2022
The book's title and the subjects are amazing and catch a lot of attention, however, I didn't enjoy the book. It is a good idea with a description of current and future research on life modification thru genetic manipulation, something that I advocate and support, it gives examples of this research but failed to discuss more deeply on each topic. For example, it describes the disease and gives the current diagnosis and treatment, then mention in the future with synthetic biology it could be treated, with no mention of how it will be done or if someone is working on that. If, by chance, it's mentioned that someone is working on something don't go deeper into the subject on how or at least references or publication. The author makes a good description of the risks of synthetic biology however as the rest of the book doesn't make a deep discussion of the moral and practical consequences of manipulating DNA.
Most governments have no blueprint articulating long-term research and development funding targets at this critical juncture for emerging science and technology, which includes synthetic biology as well as the adjacent technologies supporting it, such as artificial intelligence, home automation, and biometric data collection, and the like. However, if there are people writing science divulgation books about Synthetic Biology, AI, Quantum Computing, and other break-thru technologies, there are people who are thinking about how to use and profit from them.
Most governments have no blueprint articulating long-term research and development funding targets at this critical juncture for emerging science and technology, which includes synthetic biology as well as the adjacent technologies supporting it, such as artificial intelligence, home automation, and biometric data collection, and the like. However, if there are people writing science divulgation books about Synthetic Biology, AI, Quantum Computing, and other break-thru technologies, there are people who are thinking about how to use and profit from them.
April 1, 2024
Книга главы института Future Today Эми Уэбб и одного из основоположников синтетической биологии, исследователя Эндрю Гесселя «Машина творения. Новые организмы, редактирование генома и лабораторные гамбургеры» посвящена теме генной инженерии, ее возможностям, перспективам и угрозам.
Начинается она с того, что во введении соавторы рассказывают о не самых простых эпизодах своей жизни — Эми делиться опытом нескольких неудачных беременностей, закончившихся выкидышами, а Эндрю описывает свои мысли и ощущения во время обратной вазэктомии, которую ему пришлось делать, когда он вопреки принятому в юности решению осознал, что хочет иметь детей.
Дальше они говорят, что благодаря тому, как наука, в частности, синтетическая биология, меняет нашу реальность, страдания, которые им обоим пришлось пройти на пути к родительству, в ближайшие десятилетия могут стать аномалией. «Новое научное направление обещает пролить свет на то, как зарождается жизнь и как ее можно воссоздавать при самых разнообразных устремлениях: чтобы мы имели возможность лечить людей без лекарственных препаратов, получать мясо, не забивая животных, и создавать семьи, когда подводит природа», — пишут они.
Оба автора твердо верят в торжество и невероятные возможности научного прогресса, но не обходят вниманием возможные риски таких стремительных трансформаций. В книге описаны несколько апокалиптических сценариев возможного развития и применения генетических технологий в будущем, в котором «машина творения» будет решать, как осуществлять зачатие детей, как распознавать болезни и бороться со старением, где жить и что есть.
Начинается она с того, что во введении соавторы рассказывают о не самых простых эпизодах своей жизни — Эми делиться опытом нескольких неудачных беременностей, закончившихся выкидышами, а Эндрю описывает свои мысли и ощущения во время обратной вазэктомии, которую ему пришлось делать, когда он вопреки принятому в юности решению осознал, что хочет иметь детей.
Дальше они говорят, что благодаря тому, как наука, в частности, синтетическая биология, меняет нашу реальность, страдания, которые им обоим пришлось пройти на пути к родительству, в ближайшие десятилетия могут стать аномалией. «Новое научное направление обещает пролить свет на то, как зарождается жизнь и как ее можно воссоздавать при самых разнообразных устремлениях: чтобы мы имели возможность лечить людей без лекарственных препаратов, получать мясо, не забивая животных, и создавать семьи, когда подводит природа», — пишут они.
Оба автора твердо верят в торжество и невероятные возможности научного прогресса, но не обходят вниманием возможные риски таких стремительных трансформаций. В книге описаны несколько апокалиптических сценариев возможного развития и применения генетических технологий в будущем, в котором «машина творения» будет решать, как осуществлять зачатие детей, как распознавать болезни и бороться со старением, где жить и что есть.
December 13, 2022
For fans of: The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, Brave New World, The Time Machine
This was super fascinating and I think did a really great job of objectively breaking down the history and future of gene editing. This is a topic that can become highly politicized and this explained both the science, future capabilities, ethical dilemmas, and consequences of synthetic biology. It touched on a lot of different topics from farming, to reproduction, to global warming, and was comprehensive and in-depth without getting dry. Highly highly recommend it if you want to understand more about where science will be headed in the next 50-100 years and the societal shifts that will come along with it.
This was super fascinating and I think did a really great job of objectively breaking down the history and future of gene editing. This is a topic that can become highly politicized and this explained both the science, future capabilities, ethical dilemmas, and consequences of synthetic biology. It touched on a lot of different topics from farming, to reproduction, to global warming, and was comprehensive and in-depth without getting dry. Highly highly recommend it if you want to understand more about where science will be headed in the next 50-100 years and the societal shifts that will come along with it.
September 20, 2023
This was great. I work in the field and was postponing reading the book as I somehow expected that it wont really be worth it as it wont surprise me. It indeed was not surprising read, yet it was totally worth it- the offers big picture view on SynBio. The way it shows it in context of society and regulation was certainly instructive, and made me aware of future scenarios that I have not considered.
Some notes from reading:
* we wiped out 83 percent of the animal species
* perspective papers matter (e.g. ARPANET)
* there will be economic incentive to genetically screen and later also improve babies, thus also an incentive for IVF
* The number of genes in the bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses that make up our microbiomes is two hundred times the number of the genes in the human genome
* Insurance costs in the US have increased a staggering 740 percent in the past thirty year
* someone can take a glass you drank from and have your DNA sequenced without you knowing
* CRISPR patent belongs to Broad who filed after Berkeley, because they paid to be fast-tracked
* closed living systems are breeding and testing ground for sustainable innovation
* longevity will mean more housing problems
Some notes from reading:
* we wiped out 83 percent of the animal species
* perspective papers matter (e.g. ARPANET)
* there will be economic incentive to genetically screen and later also improve babies, thus also an incentive for IVF
* The number of genes in the bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses that make up our microbiomes is two hundred times the number of the genes in the human genome
* Insurance costs in the US have increased a staggering 740 percent in the past thirty year
* someone can take a glass you drank from and have your DNA sequenced without you knowing
* CRISPR patent belongs to Broad who filed after Berkeley, because they paid to be fast-tracked
* closed living systems are breeding and testing ground for sustainable innovation
* longevity will mean more housing problems
September 18, 2022
3.5 stars. Synthetic biology merges biology and computers. It makes things like the human genome project, mRNA vaccines, and targeted cancer treatments possible. This book neatly lays out how synthetic biology evolved, what is possible today, what is feasible in the near future, and some of the ethical challenges that need to be considered. When the first test tube baby was born in the 1970’s it was shocking news. Today, assisted human pregnancies are routine, and it’s even possible to bring baby lambs to term in synthetic wombs. But to what extent should parents pick and choose which embryos to keep? And if it becomes possible to modify embryos to “improve” them, should it be done? This is just the tip of the iceberg. Bio-warfare, food production, extending human lifespans. In the early days of the telephone or the internet, it was hard to imagine where the future would lead. Synthetic biology might be at the start of a brave new world.
March 20, 2022
An excellent introduction to the current state of the synthetic biology. It’s fair to say we are on the cusp of a massive game changer that will cut across all our lives, with the ability to, not just read, but write genetic code, allowing us to potentially eradicate genetic diseases, change the pressure on the food supply chain, engineer viruses and, yes, enhance humans. Clearly it’s a field ripe with ethical dilemmas, but the authors are keenly aware of the major upsides as well as the potential for misuse.
The book clearly wants to get us up to speed with what’s coming so we can make informed decisions. I got the sense that they are frustrated with the current misinformation that’s legion out there and they are urging scientists to be as clear as possibly in their communication so that the budding field is not misrepresented.
Good luck with that
The book clearly wants to get us up to speed with what’s coming so we can make informed decisions. I got the sense that they are frustrated with the current misinformation that’s legion out there and they are urging scientists to be as clear as possibly in their communication so that the budding field is not misrepresented.
Good luck with that
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