The Genetic Age: Our Perilous Quest To Edit Life

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A TIMES ENVIRONMENT AND SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022

'The ideal guide to what is not just a fiendishly complex area of science but also an ethical minefield' Mail on Sunday

A new gene editing technology, invented just seven years ago, has turned humanity into gods. Enabling us to manipulate the genes in virtually any organism with exquisite precision, CRISPR has given scientists a degree of control that was undreamt of even in science fiction.

But CRISPR is just the latest, giant leap in a long journey to master genetics. The Genetic Age shows the astonishing, world-changing potential of the new genetics and the possible threats it poses, sifting between fantasy and the reality when it comes to both benefits and dangers.

By placing each phase of discovery, anticipation and fear in the context of over fifty years of attempts to master the natural world, Matthew Cobb, the Baillie-Gifford-shortlisted author of The Idea of the Brain, weaves the stories of science, history and culture to shed new light on our future. With the powers now at our disposal, it is a future that is almost impossible to imagine - but it is one we will create ourselves.

Reviews

'Fascinating, occasionally chilling and very readable' - Rhys Blakely

'Detailed and deeply researched ... striking ... complex' - Henry Marsh

'[A] deeply researched and often deeply troubling history of gene science ... [in search of] decency and honor in a morally complex field.' - Deborah Blum

'Disturbing and readable' - New Scientist

'Comprehensive ... you can sense Cobb's excitement and enthusiasm' - TLS

Author Bio

Matthew Cobb is Professor of Zoology at the University of Manchester. His previous books include The Idea of the Brain: A History, which is shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford prize, Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Discover the Genetic Code, which was shortlisted for the Royal Society Winton Book Prize, and the acclaimed histories The Resistance and Eleven Days in August.