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The Future of Species

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents On the Future of Species by Adrian Woolfson, read by Peter Noble.

'Visionary and exhilarating ... A work of astonishing scope and imagination' TIM COULSON
'The book we need right now ... Essential reading' TOM ELLIS
'A brilliantly crafted, sweeping exposition with profound insights' TIM WHITE

Imagine a future where we grow houses rather than build them. Where smartphones are living, clothing has opinions, and all human knowledge fits into a speck of DNA. A world where disease is a thing of the past, and the human lifespan is dramatically extended.

To achieve this, says Adrian Woolfson – founder of the genome writing company Genyro – we must transform biology into a predictive, programmable engineering material. That means decoding the generative grammar of DNA: the language of life itself. It may then be possible to author genomes – and, if we choose, even rewrite our own.

We are at the cusp of a technological revolution, driven by the convergence of artificial intelligence and synthetic biology. Currently at the scribbling phase – writing the genomes of viruses, bacteria and yeast – we will eventually author the genomes of extinct and never-before-realised species. Life will become computable, detached from its past, and no longer bound by Darwinian evolution.

While offering extraordinary opportunities, this power also carries great risk and it is vital for everyone to understand what the future might hold. Genome writing can help preserve the planet, but may also undermine human nature and disrupt ecosystems. In this bold and visionary account, Woolfson provides a guide to how this might all be achieved and how we should navigate this astonishing new world, offering a moral compass to help us do so safely, wisely and ethically.

Critics Review

A visionary and exhilarating exploration of biology’s next great frontier. Adrian Woolfson has written a work of astonishing scope and imagination, charting the convergence of artificial intelligence and genome synthesis. He takes readers from the foundations of molecular genetics to the threshold of a world in which we may author entirely new species, whilst reimagining human health. Bold, lucid, and deeply original, On the Future of Species is essential reading for anyone interested in the destiny of life on Earth and beyond
Tim Coulson, author of A LITTLE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING FROM THE BIG BANG TO YOU
The book we need right now; a clear-eyed, comprehensive look at how AI, gene editing, and synthetic biology are converging to give humanity unprecedented power over its own evolution. Part history, part forecast, entirely compelling. Woolfson guides us through the landmarks of molecular biology with the assurance of an expert and the enthusiasm of a born storyteller. He brings a rare combination of industry experience and literary skill to one of the most consequential questions of our time. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand where genomic technologies are taking us
Tom Ellis, Professor of Synthetic Genome Engineering, Imperial College London
A brilliantly crafted, sweeping exposition with profound insights essential for any citizen of the twenty-first century
Tim White, Professor of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley
Darwin wrote The Origin of Species in 1859. With the emergence of large language of life models - artificial biological intelligence - it was the right time to envision On the Future of Species. Woolfson delivers that in this brilliant book, a very thoughtful and thorough assessment of the profound implications of editing and rewriting our code
Eric Topol, founder of Scripps Research Institute and author of SUPER AGERS
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
Author Adrian Woolfson
Narrator Peter Noble
Duration 17 hours and 36 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781526670991
Format Audiobook
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre Biography: science, technology and medicine, Biotechnology, Evolution, Genetics (non-medical), Popular science
Availability AU, GB, IE

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