Description
Book SynopsisProgrammable Planet is a grand tour through the world of synthetic biology, telling the stories of the colorful visionaries whose ideas are shaping discoveries. Ted Anton explores the field from its beginning in fighting malaria in Africa to the COVID vaccines and beyond.
Trade ReviewProgrammable Planet captures the passion and energy of those at the genesis of the construction of the genetically engineered world. -- Christopher Voigt, Daniel I.C. Wang Professor of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
If you’ve ever wondered about the promise—and the peril—of synthetic biology and its power to transform life, then
Programmable Planet is the book for you. Ted Anton’s exploration of both the history and the future of the ways we engineer life is incisive, engaging, and downright fascinating. -- Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of
The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety in the Early Twentieth CenturyProgrammable Planet is a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read. Anton is an expert storyteller who blends the human element with cutting-edge science like a synthetic biologist engineering a novel organism. Timely and at times provocative, the book provides a wonderful grounding for those interested in learning more about synthetic biology’s promise and threat. And we should all be interested in learning more. -- Aoife Brennan, president and chief executive officer, Synlogic
In this rollicking compendium, Anton documents a huge number of ways synthetic biology can be used in practice, embedding these examples in the experiences of the people involved. -- Drew Endy, Stanford University
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Part I. Beginnings1. A Glass of Absinthe: A Malaria Medicine
2. A Radical Philosophy
3. Pandora’s Box: The Triumph and Temptation of Gene Editing
4. The Silk Road: Directing Evolution
5. Wild: Remaking Life
Part II. Ripples in the Water6. Rush: Biology-Made Medicines
7. New Nature: A Do-It-Yourself Environment
8. Hearth and Home
9. Fantastic Voyages: Mining and the Military
10. The Killers: Viruses as Healers
Part III. Bioindustrial Revolution11. Race to a Vaccine
12. Global Production: Perils and Profits of a New Science
13. The Moirai’s Gift
14. To the Planets, and Beyond: Synthetic Biology in Space
15. Futurama
Acknowledgments
Timeline
Glossary
Further Reading
Notes
Index
