How to Grow a Human: Adventures in How We Are Made and Who We Are
Oct 2019 · University of Chicago Press
Ebook
372
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
The award-winning science writer shares "a winding romp through advances in cell biology [that] pushes readers to ponder the boundaries of life" ( Science).
In the summer of 2017, scientists removed a tiny piece of flesh from Philip Ball's arm and turned it into a rudimentary "mini-brain." The skin cells, removed from his body, did not die but were instead transformed into nerve cells that independently arranged themselves into a dense network and communicated with each other, exchanging the raw signals of thought. This was life—but whose? That disconcerting question is the focus of Philip Ball's How to Grow a Human.
In this mind-bending tour of cutting-edge cell biology, Ball shows how recent innovations could lead to tailor-made replacement organs; new medical advances for repairing damage and assisting conception; and new ways of "growing a human." Such methods would also create new options for gene editing, with all the attendant moral dilemmas.
Ball argues that these advances can never be "just about the science," because they are already laden with a host of social narratives, preconceptions, and prejudices. But beyond even that, these developments raise provocative questions about identity and self, birth and death, and force us to ask how mutable the human body really is—and what forms it might take in years to come.
In the summer of 2017, scientists removed a tiny piece of flesh from Philip Ball's arm and turned it into a rudimentary "mini-brain." The skin cells, removed from his body, did not die but were instead transformed into nerve cells that independently arranged themselves into a dense network and communicated with each other, exchanging the raw signals of thought. This was life—but whose? That disconcerting question is the focus of Philip Ball's How to Grow a Human.
In this mind-bending tour of cutting-edge cell biology, Ball shows how recent innovations could lead to tailor-made replacement organs; new medical advances for repairing damage and assisting conception; and new ways of "growing a human." Such methods would also create new options for gene editing, with all the attendant moral dilemmas.
Ball argues that these advances can never be "just about the science," because they are already laden with a host of social narratives, preconceptions, and prejudices. But beyond even that, these developments raise provocative questions about identity and self, birth and death, and force us to ask how mutable the human body really is—and what forms it might take in years to come.
The award-winning science writer shares "a winding romp through advances in cell biology [that] pushes readers to ponder the boundaries of life" ( Science).
In the summer of 2017, scientists removed a tiny piece of flesh from Philip Ball's arm and turned it into a rudimentary "mini-brain." The s...
Discover more
About the author
Philip Ball is a writer, author, and broadcaster, and he was formerly an editor at Nature. His writing on scientific subjects has appeared in places ranging from New Scientist to the New York Times. He is the author of several books, including, most recently, Beyond Weird, also published by the University of Chicago Press. He lives in London.
Philip Ball is a writer, author, and broadcaster, and he was formerly an editor at Nature. His writing on scientific subjects has appeared in places ranging from New Scientist to the New York Times. He is the author of several books, including, most recently, Beyond Weird, also published by the U...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
