A Crack In Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution - Softcover

Doudna, Jennifer A.; Sternberg, Samuel H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1328915360 ISBN 13: 9781328915368

Publisher: Mariner Books, 2018

Synopsis

Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize
  
“The future is in our hands as never before, and this book explains the stakes like no other.” — George Lucas

“Required reading for every concerned citizen.” — New York Review of Books
 
Not since the atomic bomb has a technology so alarmed its inventors that they warned the world about its use. That is, until 2015, when biologist Jennifer Doudna called for a worldwide moratorium on the use of the gene-editing tool CRISPR—a revolutionary new technology that she helped create—to make heritable changes in human embryos. The cheapest, simplest, most effective way of manipulating DNA ever known, CRISPR may well give us the cure to HIV, genetic diseases, and some cancers. Yet even the tiniest changes to DNA could have myriad, unforeseeable consequences—to say nothing of the ethical and societal repercussions of intentionally mutating embryos to create “better” humans. Writing with fellow researcher Sam Sternberg, Doudna shares the thrilling story of her discovery and describes the enormous responsibility that comes with the power to rewrite the code of life.
 
“An invaluable account . . . We owe Doudna several times over.” — Guardian

About this title

About the Author

JENNIFER A. DOUDNA, Ph.D. is a professor in the Chemistry and the Molecular and Cell Biology Departments at the University of California, Berkeley, investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and researcher in the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She is internationally recognized as a leading expert on RNA-protein biochemistry, CRISPR biology, and genome engineering. She lives in the Bay Area.SAMUEL H. STERNBERG, Ph.D., is a biochemist and author of numerous high profile scientific publications on CRISPR technology. He is starting his own laboratory at Columbia University, as assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, beginning in 2018. He lives in New York City.

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JENNIFER A. DOUDNA, Ph.D. is a professor in the Chemistry and the Molecular and Cell Biology Departments at the University of California, Berkeley, investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and researcher in the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She is internationally recognized as a leading expert on RNA-protein biochemistry, CRISPR biology, and genome engineering. She lives in the Bay Area.SAMUEL H. STERNBERG, Ph.D., is a biochemist and author of numerous high profile scientific publications on CRISPR technology. He is starting his own laboratory at Columbia University, as assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, beginning in 2018. He lives in New York City.

Review

“Urgent, riveting, and endlessly fascinating, A Crack in Creation is a journey through the past, present, and future of one of biology’s most significant discoveries. Combining deep historical perspectives, personal narrative, and scientific data, Doudna and Sternberg bring the story of CRISPR and ‘gene editing’ alive with pointed honesty and clarity. This book is destined to become an instant classic. Read it and understand its implications if you want to understand our biological future.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize–winning author ofThe Geneand The Emperor of All Maladies

“The technology of gene editing will be the most important advance of our era, one that will create astonishing opportunities combined with frightening moral challenges. In the tradition of The Double Helix, one of the pioneers of the field describes the exciting collaborative and competitive hunt for the key breakthrough and what it portends for our future.”—Walter Isaacson, best-selling author ofSteve Jobs, Einstein, and The Innovators

“A Crack in Creation, by one of the most pioneering women in science, is both exhilarating and frightening. Jennifer Doudna and her coauthor Samuel Sternberg challenge us to confront the possible dangers of gene editing, even as we embrace its incredible potential. This book is a roadmap to our future.”—Arianna Huffington, best-selling author ofThriveand The Sleep Revolution
 
“Jennifer Doudna is the true pioneer who built the bridge between the basic science of CRISPR and its diverse applications in agriculture and medicine. Writing with Samuel Sternberg, she has crafted a beautifully written book with A Crack in Creation—a pure pleasure for both neophyte and expert. Now is the time to read about the revolution that could change our world.”—George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and author ofRegenesis

“We are developing ever more powerful tools that allow us to change the genetic makeup not only of life around us but also of ourselves. Describing the potential benefits of these tools as well as some of the risks and ethical issues they present to society, A Crack inCreation is a scientific thriller and a gripping read, framed as a personal voyage by a brilliant scientist who played a major role in developing what is currently one of the most promising and powerful ways of editing our genomes.”—Venki Ramakrishnan, president of the Royal Society and winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
 

Edition details

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1328915360
• ISBN 13: 9781328915368
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 304