Life at the Speed of Light: From the Double Helix to the Dawn of Digital Life

This is a serious, scholarly book. I had borrowed a copy from the library, but after reading the first chapter, all about the history of biochemistry, how the idea of how life can derive from non-biological chemicals, and the work that built up to today, I had to own the book so that I can read it carefully and several times, re-read portions and try to connect ideas, out of sequence.In this book, Dr. Venter connected the work of so many people, from many different approaches, for nearly a century, that made it possible for us to do the kind of research that we are doing today. Whereas I don't think this book is completely objective or completely true -- there is certainly 'confirmation bias,' where certain works were chosen to support Dr. Venter's point of view, but it captures the main researchers and explains their work in accessible terms, so that I can look up other sources to decide for myself whether or not I agree with Dr. Venter's explanation. For me, this is a reference book for beginners.

To be honest, I'm only half way through it, but "what could possibly go wrong" at this point.I like to refer to Craig Venter as "Craig Christ". Google it to see why.This book is exactly what I hoped it would be. Its jam packed full of science and tells the story of the discoveries made over the years by the geniuses in the field of scientific endeavor, that lead to the first ever creation of a living organism. (I consider natural life to be evolution, not creation)Unlike what other reviewers would have you believe, it is not a book about J. Craig Venter and his supposed love of the spotlight.Not that I would have minded if it was, because that is the kind of treatment I would expect for someone who was able to give life to inanimate matter.On the contrary, Venter in my judgement, tells the story as accurately as he can, and gives credit where credit is due.There is a lot to be learned in this book about biology and life, and seeing things from the point of view of the people doing the actual work, instead of listening to people babbling about those who are doing actual work.Venter even addresses the concerns of the public, and demonstrates that he and his colleagues acknowledge the great responsibility that comes with their great power. A power they have shared with all of humanity.Update:The ending of the book could be quite scary for someone who isn't aware of how advanced our science has become.Reading the last few chapters brought to mind concepts from some great science fiction writers, as well as Ray Kurzweil's "singularity".Venter also makes generous reference to scifi, in a way that indicates he is aware of what popular culture says about our fears, and the goals the human race intends to reach with these new technologies.If you are someone who is not up to speed on the current state of technology, this book will get you all caught up.But it may blow your mind while doing it.

Another Home run by J. Craig Venter. Science on the edge of our understanding, History the way it should be told, and a future of creation that we will witness in our life times. Read this book, and open your mind to the possibilities and it's realities. The author is not just telling a story, he is telling his story of his life's pursuit of what most considered impossible at the time. For those who have not read his prior book, "Cracking the Genome" Mr. Venter has been and continues to be one of the few people on the planet that has discovered all the genes in our and other species. He is the primary reason that in in the spring of 2000 that President Clinton could make the public announcement that our Human genome had been sequenced nearly 5 years ahead of schedule. I highly recommend both of these books.

This is a very difficult book to rank without knowing its intended audience. Your average genetic scientist (if there is such a thing) might find it extremely informative and enjoyable. The book could also be totally overwhelming and confusing. I found the book to have far more detail in it than I wanted, making it a bit of a slog to get through, but Venter's accomplishment is a great one, worthy of much notice and maybe a Nobel Prize.I would summarize the book as follows: Beginning with a common existing bacteria, Venter altered the genetic code of the bacteria, and using cloning techniques, got it to reproduce. Altering the original bacteria in such a way that it was still viable was one challenge. The lab work to create the new bacteria and get it to reproduce was a very, very, difficult task, taking a few years and countless failures. Machines exist, which, if given a genetic code for a very simple life form and some raw materials, can make make viable copies. The genetic code can be transmitted to the machine via radio waves, hence, Life is created At The Speed of Life.

well narrated by the expert in the field. It is a fascinating story, and actually Venter underplays it as he does not delve into the multiple applications that can be derived from "new" cells. I am sure he is aware of what can be done with new cells, but somehow he does not spell it out, leaving it mostly to the reader's imagination. But Venter has been the first in other things, and it does not surprise me that he wanted to the first in replacing a "useless" nucleus with one made to order. Good luck to him; he deserves it.

Craig Venter led one of the two organisations that gave us the first full draft of the human genome in 2001. But he has achieved much more than this. A PhD graduate himself, he also has that rare entrepreunarial genius that brought together his love of science, and in particular genetic science, with the ability to promote his own ideas and attract commercial and non-commercial support and funding to bring his ideas into fruition as world level pioneering research. The book has all the hall marks of a brilliant autobiography. It lucidly explains complex scientific facts, methodologies and the inner working of genomes in a way that an ordinary reader can readily grasp.Beginning with the story of Nobel Prize winning physicist, Erwin Schroedinger, who inspired Watson and Crick to looking for the double helix of DNA, he moves on to his own pioneering research in producing the first complete bacterial genome, the first archael genome, and then the extraordinary, controversy-laden epic of setting up the company, Celera, which invented major new methodologies to make possible the deciphering of the complexities of the entire human genome. This utterly changed the research approaches to the modern world of genomics.Venter continues to hit the cusp of exploration, producing the first bacterial form with a deliberately determined genome that aimed at discovering the basic genes required for the simplest cellular form of life.One wonders what he will take on next - the first true artificially created life form using entirely novel genes?

Some years ago I stumbled upon on an article discussing about “Synthetic Biology” and remembering not paying too much attention to it seemed to me as Synthetic biology was more of an area touching at science-fiction than actually Science.I was not wrong… but not right either.It was untilLATSOL-204x313 some months ago researching books on molecular biology that I found “Life at the Speed of Light: From the Double Helix to the Dawn of Digital Life”by “J. Craig Venter which happened to be about this subject and after reading the book cover to cover the book opened my eyes on a whole field I wasn’t aware of.As it is clearly said within the book, most of molecular biology and related fields fall towards a reductionist experimental approach while synthetic biology ultimate goal is all about creation.The book is an beautiful synthesis of all the major scientific breakthroughs (and when suited J. Craig Venter involvement) that lead to the historical event of the first “living” “synthetic” cell ever made in history[1].Going throughout the history we rediscover the key experiments that went against “vitalism” during the 19th century to the many stepping stones from the 50’s to the 70’s that lead to the foundation of today’s molecular biological knowledge.But most importantly I discovered that it was Schrödinger with this book “What is life” was the first that aimed to describe life with physics and chemistry alone and that the ultimate success of J. Craig Venter was he and his team managed to leave evidence of that heritage.In summary what happened is that J. Craig Venter and this team managed to transplant a synthetic bacterial genome to another bacterial species and used protein expression visualization to point that indeed DNA is the software of life as the cell had changed to a “synthetic cell”.More technically they first started out by creating their first synthetic genome by using a bacteria called M. genitalium[2] as it was the smallest known genome that could constitute a living self-replicating cell. They cut it up into 101 cassettes (DNA snippets) insert to a yeast cell (eukaryotic) and reconstitute the synthetic genome with the Deinococcus (bacteria) repair system.Secondly with another intermediate experiment, they successfully transplanted the genome of M. mycoides to M. capricolum another bacterial species. This illustrated the principle of DNA as the software of life.But one of the most challenging aspects was moving the synthetic chromosome within the yeast cell to a prokaryotic cell (bacteria) as to create synthetic life.Since bacteria’s have different systems of DNA methylation (as to protect their own restrictive enzymes) and DNA conformations to yeast cells. As such they could only be used as an intermediate step towards their goal of a synthetic cell.M. genitalium became too problematic for this execution so after initial reluctance the team switched to the M. mycoides as the genome to be “synthesized”. Long story short they succeed and made headlines in May 2010.The implications are immense as they managed to go from a digital code to chemical expression.As J. Craig Venter extrapolates this idea (translate code to chemical form) in his book, he visions a future where hypothetically this could lead to an endless amount of customized solutions available worldwide within an instant. Imagine a world where vaccines, strains, antibiotics could be sent within seconds abroad or even to space. That is a future that could very well happen within our lifetimes.

This is a fitting sequel to Venters first book- My Life Decoded - and is a must for those interested in the latest developments in DNA related science. The book starts with an interesting and fairly comprehensive overview of the attempt to explain and to try and overturn the concept of the vis vitalis- the idea that the chemistry of life was somehow unique and could not be replicated in a test tube; an idea that was brilliantly and irrefutably overturned with the synthetic creation of urea by Karl Wohler in 1828.The discovery of the structure of DNA and the subsequent race to unravel the mysteries of the genome is then dealt with in a highly readable fashion but the subsequent chapters in which the latest recombinant technologies are described may find the unitiated struggling with the jargon. The chapters in which he describes the design and industrial applications of artificial DNA are a delight and in themselves make the book worth reading. New concepts in vaccine design are discussed especially those where rapid deployment is essential such as flu pandemicsIn short this is a book for the enthusiast who has some background knowledge of the subject matter whereas the casual reader my find it rather heavy going.

Bought as a gift but came in pristine condition despite not being in any wrapping. Can't complain

A personal account of some of the latest and more revolutionary experiments in modern biology.

Very enjoyable.

Life At The Speed of Light (from the double helix to the dawn of digital life) By J.Craig Venter A review by Barry Hibbitt for the Cote d'Azur Men's Book GroupMolecular biology is the new knowledge and power that comes from proof through synthesis that DNA is the software of life,claims Craig Venter in this extciting and extraordinary record of his role in the attempts to create artificail life.He and his colleagues are innovators in creating just over two years ago, the world's first synthetic life form in designing new species. This talented and remarkable man is the person responsible for the private sequencing of t he human genome. He is CEO and chief executive officer of an Institute dedicated to genomic research. Clearly he is controversial and - maybe because of his obvious commercial attitude to much of his work - the Book Group while heaping praise on his book, criticised the diffiiculty of understanding much of the academic language used to describe the processes of cellular organisms and their relavence to DNA function, The Group's scientific members did not have that hurdle to leap over but the journeymen struggled with the text that some felt was directed at his colleagues rather than the Public. The sheer depth and importance of his reported work plus his view of future biological research , received deserved acclaim. Some concerns were expressed about modified food crop cells. The dangers of mininterpreting and thereby misleading people was made clear in the publiciy given to the first synthetic bacteriopbage PHI X 174 to have its genome sequenced and activated. The then President Lyndon Johnson announced the amazing discovery and said " These men have unlocked a fundemental secret of Life..." No, Mr {President, they had not. The publicity bullentin made it clear. It read in part "PHI X 174 consists of a circular DNA chromosone wrapped in a icosahedra; 'coat' of proteins , including a dozen pentagonal spikes....." Latrer on it made it clear that the virus is no more alive than a salt crystal!. It typically replicates by using living cells as hosts. Infection begins when the DNA is penetrated and a bacterial cell is hijcked and creates many more viruses. You would not say it is alive but that it is active. Venter says synthetic cells wiill have the ability to fight diseases and produce, say, artificial species, cattle, crops, plants and dogs and to rapidly create new vaccines in the face of epidemic. The Group raised concerns about commercial feed and crops for cattle but largely loved this book and applauded Venter's near genius approach to a very complicated subject. He also predicts the time when we can use telecommunications to send digital information about the structure of DNA to Mars at the speed of light to make a living cell on another planet. Venter ends his book with with a very positive piece of guesswork...."It is hard to imagine where this new era of biology will take us..but i know that the voyage will be as empowering as it is extraordinary." Finis

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It was good book for me

Se vi piace la biologia questo libro vi piacerà

This book was bought for a friend interested in this subject.Seen after a TV programme on the author,which was very informative,it was thought to be an ideal present as it is written in an easy to understand way .

*A full executive summary of this book is available at newbooksinbrief dot com.Ever since the structure of DNA was deciphered by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953, the field of biology has advanced at a lightning-quick pace. In this time, we have learned how DNA codes for the manufacture of proteins of which every living thing is made, and thus acts as the blueprint of life. We have also learned to read this blueprint; to splice it (to transfer genes, and hence features, from one organism to another—and even one species to another); to synthesize it from its component parts; and we have even learned to rewrite DNA to yield wholly new biological products, features and organisms. Thus recent advances have not only allowed us to gain a better understanding of what life is and how it works, but have also allowed us to take control of life and to manipulate it to help advance our ends—and in fields as wide-ranging as food production, medicine, energy, environmental protection etc. And this is just the beginning, for biologists still have much to learn about which genes code for what features, and how to manipulate DNA to achieve the best results—and thus we can expect that some of the greatest applications to come out of biology are yet to come.The biologist J. Craig Venter has been at the forefront of biological research for the past 35 years, and has played a pivotal role in some of its most important advances (including everything from sequencing the human genome, to creating the first synthetic life form), and in his new book Life at the Speed of Light: From the Double Helix to the Dawn of Digital Life, Venter takes us through the major advances that have occurred since the time of Watson and Crick—and also touches on what is likely to come next.After taking us through the basics of DNA, Venter touches on the advances that led up to his effort to sequence the entire 3-billion-letter human genome. This story includes all of the major advances in biologists’ ability to read DNA, and culminates with the success of the human genome project.From here we are taken through biologists’ efforts to move from reading DNA to synthesizing it in the lab. Once again, Venter and his collaborators have played a central role in these advances, including being responsible for the latest and greatest accomplishment here—which involved synthesizing a modified version of the genome of a single-celled organism, booting it up inside a recipient cell, and having it survive, thrive and reproduce. Venter gives a detailed account of this accomplishment, and thus we are given an inside view into the scientific process—with all its trials, tribulations, and glorious successes.Finally, Venter details where biology is headed now, and next—including where his own research is taking him. Here we learn about the cutting-edge of synthetic biology, which is the attempt to transform biology into an engineering science. Specifically, we learn how biologists are continuing to perfect the art of manipulating DNA, and how this is leading to exciting new applications across many fields. To give just one example, take Venter’s work with influenza vaccines. Venter is in the process of using synthetic biology to design, manufacture, and deliver influenza vaccines in a fraction of the time that it now takes—work that promises to save millions of lives in the event of future influenza outbreaks.On the more speculative side of things, Venter ventures into how new advances might be used to probe for life in other parts of the universe—and how the genomes of any such life might be read, and sent back to earth on the back of electromagnetic waves to be synthesized and recreated in the lab. Life at the speed of light indeed!It was a delight to read about the recent history and latest advances in biology from one of its most accomplished and renowned practitioners. Some might find Venter’s level of detail regarding his own work to be somewhat tedious at times, but I found this to be one of the strong points of the book. The only short-coming of the book, I thought, is that it does jump around somewhat, and the details are occasionally difficult to follow (so be prepared to read through it VERY carefully). All in all, though, a very good popular science book. A full executive summary of the book is available at newbooksinbrief dot com; a podcast discussion of the book will be available soon.

Da preacht er mal wieder, der Papst der Genomik! Alles ist Information! Wir haben künstliches Leben erschaffen! Und gescheitert sind wir nie, das waren alles tolle Ideen -- auch das als Metagenomik getarnte Weltumsegeln! Ja ja, schon gut, glauben wir, glauben wir ja schon. :-)Von diesen Selbstbeweihräucherungen abgesehen ist das Buch aber sehr lesenswert. Wobei man schon reichlich Ahnung von aktueller Biologie (insbesondere Genomik) haben sollte. Venter setzt sehr viel voraus, erklärt keine Grundlagen, hüpft gleich in medias res.Ich fand die Genome Wars aber noch spaßiger.

Even tho I don't have a Science background I can understand the process that has gone on to get to this achievement. The book helps me to understand and form new thoughts about engineering new life. will need to re read it soon , but the major possibilities are fresh and in the forefront of my mind.

The book is written by likely the most prominent, successful and surely the most visible figure in molecular genetics of our time. High expectations are fully justified. Does he deliver?Yes and no. Dr. Venter focuses on roughly the last decade of research when his journey as scientist and entrepreneur of science took him to unveil the secrets of life and to create life (of a cell) on his own. What came out of it, is 190 pages long mostly self-acclamatory monolog on molecular genetics a la JCV. The book is filled with numerous interesting and occasionally unduly details of that troublesome journey to recreate functioning genom of a cell (Mycomplasma mycoides). What a feat. Yet, the non-insider reader gets relatively little information about the key steps to this unprecedented success; except that the extreme drive is critical part of the recepy. Perhaps the real genius of JCV has been (and still is) his realization of potentials of IT technology to explore genetics. This apparently extremely powerful and highly successful strategy termed whole genome shotgun sequencing is mentioned on several occasions in the book but nowhere explained. The reader would be interested to know how it is possible for a computer to reassemble DNA chopped up into fragments (oligomers) back into flawless DNA chains beating all the statistical odds on the way; perhaps even more interested than in finding out all about the watermarks imprinted into the recreated M. mycoides genome. Reader would also be interested to find out about the state of the art of that sort of research beyond the boundaries of JCV’s labs. Who are the major competitors? Do alternative approaches, other than linear sequencing exists? She or he learns about International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition instead; interesting, popular but certainly not the cutting edge. Perhaps the text could do well with some simple drawings to improve readability particularly in long passages on coding.Remarkable JCV does not address the potential limitations of synthetic life due to epigenetics. Particularly over the decade he covers it has become clear that phylogenetic expression of genomes is anything but straightforward. Numerous genes have been shown to cause no disease, mild or severe disease or entirely different disease in different individuals. While this could be less of a problem in unicellular organisms it could become a limiting problem in combating human disease.Along with this critical omission the discussion of ethics and synthetic life misses the point. It is not question of democratic voting on the issue – apparently many parties do not express major concerns – it is about the fact of enabling men to make simple living substrates whatever men pleases them to be; responsibility hardly anyone can shoulder. While creating simple living forms can become relatively simple in the future it may become much more difficult to harness human diseases by synthetic genetics alone. Consequently, the risk of abuse of simple living forms for whatever reasons could become substantially greater than any benefits derived from their capacity to fight disease. Similar to the atomic energy vs. atomic bomb dilemma, only the future may tell. Only, in the former case the answer may come in much faster.To get a picture about the state of the art of molecular (synthetic) genetics a different book needs to written. Something a la Judson’s The eighth day of creation.