Overview

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.

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"""A superbly written explanation of how the origin of life on Earth became a question for science and what the answer might be."" -- ""Brian Cox, broadcaster for the BBC, professor of physics at the University of Manchester, and author of Why Does E=mc�?"" ""Just as the last century was regarded as the golden age of physics, so it is becoming increasingly clear that the twenty-first is the century of biology. This book is the perfect 'story so far.'"" -- ""Jim Al-Khalili, broadcaster for the BBC, professor of physics at the University of Surrey, and author of Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics"" ""Rutherford tells the epic history of life on Earth and eloquently argues the case for embracing technology that allows us to become biological designers."" -- ""Alice Roberts, broadcaster for the BBC, professor of public engagement in science at the University of Birmingham"" ""Suddenly science is close to understanding the Indian rope trick by which life emerged from non-life four billion years ago. Adam Rutherford has written an engaging account of both the mystery and its impending resolution; he has also provided a fascinating glimpse of the impending birth of a new, synthetic biology."" -- ""Matt Ridley, author of Genome"""

Author Information

Adam Rutherford is a science writer and broadcaster. He studied genetics at University College London, and during his PhD on the developing eye, he was part of a team that identified the first known genetic cause of a form of childhood blindness. His books include A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived-finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in nonfiction-and Creation, which was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize. He writes and presents BBC's flagship weekly Radio 4 program Inside Science; The Cell for BBC Four; and Playing God (on the rise of synthetic biology) for the leading science series Horizon; in addition to writing for the Guardian. Walter Dixon is a broadcast media veteran of more than twenty years' experience with a background in theater and performing arts and voice work for commercials. After a career in public radio, he is now a full-time narrator with more than fifty audiobooks recorded in genres ranging from religion and politics to children's stories.

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