The Genetic Age: Our Perilous Quest To Edit Life

(Hardback, Main)

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'Brilliant .. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough' - Henry Marsh, New Statesman (about The Idea of the Brain)

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

'Praise for The Idea of the Brain:

'Brilliant ... I cannot recommend this book strongly enough' - Henry Marsh

'Engrossing' - Wall Street Journal

'A book I wish I could have written, and one that I will be thinking about for a long time' - Marina Picciotto, editor-in-chief

'The scope, sweep and insight are stunning' - Michael Gazzaniga, author

'The best book produced in my lifetime on the brain' - Richard C Atkinson, UC President Emeritus

Author Bio

Matthew Cobb is Professor of Zoology at the University of Manchester. The presenter of the BBC radio series Genetic Dreams, Genetic Nightmares, his previous books include The Idea of the Brain: A History, which was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford, and Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Discover the Genetic Code, which was shortlisted for the Royal Society Winton Book Prize.