Placeholder text

Go to cart

On the Future of Species

By Adrian Woolfson

On the Future of Species

By Adrian Woolfson

- Default Title
Description
'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.
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Edition:
1
Number of Pages:
480
Release Date:
2026-02-12
Publication Date:
2026-02-12
Publisher:
Bloomsbury UK
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
1526670968
ISBN13:
9781526670960
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
[email protected]
Weight:
580 g
Height:
155 cm
Width:
234 cm
Thickness:
37 cm
Buy on Amazon
Currently sold out