On the Future of Species

Scientists already know how to read the language of DNA and to edit it. Woolfson details the new frontier—writing new DNA scripts from scratch

Thomas R. Cech, Nobel Prize winner and author of THE CATALYST

A terrific read that will be interesting to a very broad audience. I particularly enjoyed the blend of engagingly narrated scientific history with forecasting the future. Adrian is absolutely correct that we are embarking on a new era in which humankind will be able to create completely new kinds of biology that evolution has never explored. This is both tremendously exciting and rather scary

Patrick Maxwell, Regius Professor of Physic and Head of the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge

In On the Future of Species, Adrian Woolfson explores the profound opportunities and challenges that arise when we turn evolution upside down - beginning not with random mutation but with deliberate selection. He envisions artificial biological intelligence, where synthetic genomics converges with AI-driven predictive genomics to enable the reshaping and creation of life itself. Woolfson’s book prepares readers for the scientific, moral and societal dilemmas that will accompany such a transformation and concludes by outlining a framework - a scaffold for a manifesto - that humanity will need to deliberate as synthetic biology evolves

John-Arne Rottingen, CEO of the Wellcome Trust

A fascinating read exploring the principles of biology applied to medicine from a different lens. It has parallels with modern medicine with the emerging field of genome synthesis and its significant implications for healthcare, the wider environment and global health. I thoroughly recommend for all audiences, from students to healthcare professionals of all backgrounds

Professor Mumtaz Patel, President of the Royal College of Physicians

Our genomes – and those of all creatures – are riddled with “spaghetti code”, hopelessly convoluted by accidents of evolutionary history, demanding new approaches to unlock brave new worlds of biological possibility. This dazzling and prescient dive into the future of species explores the emergence of artificial biological intelligence, capable of unravelling the enigmatic regulatory code of genomes

Jef Boeke, Director of Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Medical Center

The past two centuries have seen two profound shifts in our understanding of evolutionary biology – the nineteenth-century realisation that evolution exists and the gradual unpicking through the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries of the genomic mechanisms that control the development of living organisms. Adrian Woolfson sets out in this book the fascinating notion that we could one day – perhaps quite soon – see a third revolution in which we directly tap into this genetic code to author entirely new biological species. The implications are profound and I thoroughly encourage anyone with an interest in the natural world to read this important book

Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum

A hopeful guide to the 'Brave New World' of AI-powered bioscience ... Authoritatively defines what a 'post-Darwinian' future could and should look like

Tom Ireland, editor of THE BIOLOGIST and author of THE GOOD VIRUS

On the Future of Species explains how we got to understand the chemistry of life, setting the scene for a mind-blowing exploration of the opportunities opened up by this understanding for tackling diseases and possibly improving the human body. But at the same time it offers wise council about the dangers involved in such tinkering, and points up the need for regulation. It is both timely and authoritative, and deserves to be widely read.

John Gribbin, bestselling author of IN SEARCH OF SCHRODINGER'S CAT

Every great leap in human progress begins with a new way of seeing. For centuries, we’ve viewed biology as something to be studied. Adrian Woolfson wants us to see it as something to be authored. With AI as our collaborator we are learning to speak the language of life itself - and in doing so, to design the future of our species. This is a mind-expanding tour of life’s programmable frontier, revealing the astonishing future we’re already building today

Amy Webb, bestselling author of THE BIG NINE and THE GENESIS MACHINE

Woolfson's lucid prose describes fascinating details about the hundreds of scientists whose work allows us to speed-read genomes now, and to write genomes soon. Life on Earth will, literally, never be the same. What will new designer species do for us, and to us? This book provides essential background for urgently needed deep discussions

Randolph Nesse, author of GOOD REASONS FOR BAD FEELINGS

Adrian Woolfson has written a forward looking, detailed history about the developments in the new field of synthetic biology whereby by rewriting the genetic code, biological functions can be added or removed from cells and organisms and entirely new species created. This history leads to the conclusion that the future of humanity includes or depends on the editing and rewriting of the human genetic code. Importantly Woolfson discusses key ethical steps that society must agree on to move forward. The book is well-timed to help stimulate discussion, as we move into CRISPR editing of human genes and some reckless attempts at human cloning

Craig Venter, Founder of the Institute for Genomic Research and the J. Craig Venter Institute

Woolfson’s On the Future of Species offers a lucid and prescient account of the transition from natural evolution to intentional genome design. As synthetic genomics moves from editing to whole-genome rewriting, this book provides an indispensable guide to the possibilities, responsibilities, and profound choices ahead

Patrick Yizhi Cai, Chair Professor of Synthetic Genomics, The University of Manchester

In On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin presented artificial selection as a “magician’s wand,” enabling expert human breeders to conjure into existence whatever new living forms they desired. According to Adrian Woolfson, a vastly more powerful successor now in the works is artificial biological intelligence: the AI-guided synthesis of genomes, for purposes ranging from the curing of illness to the creation of new species. On the Future of Species is at once a history of these remarkable developments, a report from the scientific and technological frontlines, and an attempt to chart a path through the morally complex territory ahead. A fascinating and important book

Gregory Radick, author of DISPUTED INHERITANCE: THE BATTLE OVER MENDEL AND THE FUTURE OF BIOLOGY

A thoughtful and troubling reflection on the future of life, human and otherwise, prepared by a notable expert on what life used to be

Antonio Damasio, Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience, Psychology and Philosophy, University of Southern California

We have progressed from being able to read the genetic script in our DNA, to modifying it. But we stand at a threshold where, because of a conjunction of increasingly powerful tools in both molecular biology and computation, we may be in future be able to synthesize entirely new scripts and create entirely new forms of life. This book is a fascinating look at the possibilities and what their consequences might be

Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize winner and author of GENE MACHINE: THE RACE TO DECIPHER THE SECRETS OF THE RISOSOME

A lucid, thoughtful, at times troubling review of a new era in biology

Kirkus

An intriguing and disturbing analysis of a biological revolution ... Compelling, clear and straightforward

Guardian

Raises some of the most challenging philosophical and ethical issues that humankind has ever had to address

Sunday Times

A pocket guidebook for the public to comprehend a future where biology becomes infrastructure

The Standard

Fascinatingly scary stuff to huddle under the duvet with

New Scientist

An intriguing tale … It contains much that is fascinating, enticing, and usefully provocative

Lancet

Considers the ungodly convergence of AI and synthetic biology

New Statesman, The Best Non-Fiction to Read this Year

A sweeping account of the history and science behind this transformational technology ... Woolfson's attention to detail is excellent, with precise explanations that are accessible to non-specialists while offering enough depth to engage experts

Nature

Offers a lucid and occasionally unsettling account of an under-appreciated technological revolution that will affect us all, allowing humanity to attempt what Darwin believed only nature could accomplish: to write the next chapter of life.

Financial Times

Essential reading

The Tribune

A vital contribution to the controversial debate around genetic manipulation, that could change humanity as we know it

Morning Star

On the Future of Species makes clear that the question is no longer whether biology can be written but which biological possibilities must remain unwritten

Science

Woolfson's argument is that our species is now exploring this library intelligently: learning its structure to navigate directly to meaningful sequences and generate new lifeforms. This is not a futurist text or a warning of technologies to come: it's something people are doing today, at companies like his

New Zealand Listener

The inner workings of AI remain poorly understood; Woolfson hopes the book is equally suited to both the cautious traveller and eager advocate. This magnificent book concludes with the thought-provoking 'A Manifesto for Life', a tentative starting point for reflection and discussion on substantive moral, ethical, societal and philosophical issues

Good Reading Magazine

A very important and extremely timely contribution to the growing literature of books aiming to break down knowledge barriers around synthetic biology for the general population. It is super current, as generative biology develops around us

Paul Freemont

An absorbing history, tracing the deciphering of life’s chemistry ... This narrative is complemented by the story of the rise of computing and artificial intelligence

Wall Street Journal

He is helping build the technology with which we may soon outdo Darwin himself

De Standaard

The style of Woolfson's rich narrative features much entertaining detail about the personalities and interactions involved in the great biological discoveries

Otago Daily

Fascinating

Spectator