A Harvard biologist and master inventor explores how new biotechnologies will enable us to bring species back from the dead, unlock vast supplies of renewable energy, and extend human life.
In Regenesis, George Church and science writer Ed Regis explore the possibilities 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. 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,Regenesisis nothing less than a guide to the future of life.
George M. Churchis professor of genetics at the Harvard Medical School and member of the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering.
Ed Regisis author of seven science books, most recentlyWhat Is Life? Investigating the Nature of Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology.
In
Regenesis, a book exploring the scienceof synthetic biology, George Church and Ed Regis imagine a world wheremicro-organisms are capable of producing clean petroleum or detecting arsenicin drinking water, where people sport genetic modifications that render theirbodies impervious to the flu, or where a synthetic organism can be programmedto invade and destroy cancer cells.
Wall Street Journal [A]n important andsurprisingly accessible book, magisterially structured to intertwine theaccelerated history of synthetic biology with its precedents in humanity'searlier technological revolutions and in the epochal evolution of life itself. Thebook packs in a superb short course on life's molecular workings, enabling thereader to grasp hlc"