Virtual Event: Matthew Cobb

Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library welcome MATTHEW COBB—author and professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Manchester—for a discussion of his new book As Gods: A Moral History of the Genetic Age. He will be joined in conversation by KEVIN DAVIES—author of Editing Humanity: The CRISPR Revolution and the New Era of Genome Editing.

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While payment is not required, we are suggesting a $5 contribution to support this author series, our staff, and the future of Harvard Book Store—a locally owned, independently run Cambridge institution. In addition, by purchasing a copy of As Gods on harvard.com, you support indie bookselling and the writing community during this difficult time.

About As Gods

In 2018, scientists manipulated the DNA of human babies for the first time. As biologist and historian Matthew Cobb shows in As Gods, this achievement was one many scientists have feared from the start of the genetic age. Four times in the last fifty years, geneticists, frightened by their own technology, have called a temporary halt to their experiments. They ought to be frightened: Now we have powers that can target the extinction of pests, change our own genes, or create dangerous new versions of diseases in an attempt to prevent future pandemics. Both awe-inspiring and chilling, As Gods traces the history of genetic engineering, showing that this revolutionary technology is far too important to be left to the scientists. They have the power to change life itself, but should we trust them to keep their ingenuity from producing a hellish reality?

Praise for As Gods

“With this masterfully written, and deeply researched, book about the birth and future of genetics, Cobb catapults us into a world full of the joys of discovery, the intense rivalries and friendships between scientists, and the many moral and scientific uncertainties about genetics that await us.” ―Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Gene

“A gripping, bawdy tale of science fiction morphing into business history . . . Exhaustively researched and beautifully written . . . the histories of recombinant DNA, biotech, GMOs, gene therapy, and cloning in a single lively, accessible account.” ―Nathaniel Comfort, Professor of the History of Medicine, John Hopkins University

“A riveting guide to the new age of genome engineering, revealing how ideas and technology that until recently existed only in science fiction are now a stunning clinical reality . . . Required reading for anyone who cares about the future of humanity and our planet.” ―Kevin Davies, author of Editing Humanity