Creation. How Science is Reinventing Life Itself.

Rutherford, Adam.

ISBN 10: 1617230057 / ISBN 13: 9781617230059

Published by Current, New York, 2013

About this Item

278pp, index, Annotated Bibliography. Or boards in jacket. Near new. Scientists have been exploring the limits of nature by modifying and manipulating DNA, cells and whole organisms to create new ones that would never have existed. From goats that produce spider silk in their milk to bacteria that excrete diesel to genetic circuits that identify and destroy cancer cells we are radically exceeding the boundaries of evolution and engineering. Size: 8vo.

Seller Inventory # 044786

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Creation. How Science is Reinventing Life Itself.
• Publisher: Current, New York
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1617230057
• ISBN 13: 9781617230059
• Binding: Hard Cover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Science, Technical & Mathematics

About this title

Synopsis

What is life?
 
Humans have been asking this question for thou­sands of years. But as technology has advanced and our understanding of biology has deepened, the answer has evolved. For decades, scientists have been exploring the limits of nature by modifying and manipulating DNA, cells and whole organisms to create new ones that could never have existed on their own.
 
In Creation, science writer Adam Rutherford explains how we are now radically exceeding the boundaries of evolution and engineering entirely novel creatures—from goats that produce spider silk in their milk to bacteria that excrete diesel to genetic circuits that identify and destroy cancer cells. As strange as some of these creations may sound, this new, synthetic biology is helping scientists develop radical solutions to some of the world’s most pressing crises—from food shortages to pandemic disease to climate change—and is paving the way for inventions once relegated to science fiction.
 
Meanwhile, these advances are shedding new light on the biggest mystery of all—how did life begin? We know that every creature on Earth came from a single cell, sparked into existence four billion years ago. And as we come closer and closer to understanding the ancient root that connects all living things, we may finally be able to achieve a second genesis—the creation of new life where none existed before.
 
Creation takes us on a journey four billion years in the making—from the very first cell to the ground-breaking biological inventions that will shape the future of our planet.

About the Author

ADAM RUTHERFORD is a science writer and broadcaster. He is an editor at Nature, writes for the Guardian and regularly presents programs for BBC Radio 4 in the UK. He has also presented several acclaimed science series for BBC television, including the award winning three-part series The Cell. A geneticist by training, he has a PhD from University College London.