Creation

A gripping account of the synthetic biology revolution: how it is both unlocking the mystery of life's origin and providing the means to engineer new life forms from scratch.

The Origin of Life is a gripping, four-billion-year detective story that uses the latest science to explain what life is and where it first came from, offering answers to the very grandest of questions before arriving at a thrilling solution. This same science has led to a technological revolution: the ability to create entirely new life forms within the lab, known as synthetic biology. The Future of Life introduces these remarkable innovations, explains how they work, and presents a powerful argument for their benefit to humankind.

Read our shortlist post about Creation, written by Dr Christopher Tynan from the Central Laser Facility in Oxford.