J. Craig Venter (1946–2026)

First I must say that Venter is rather full of himself which definitely comes through in this book. He thinks of himself as a champion of pure science but he also doesn't like losing. However, the story he has to tell about sequencing the human genome is fascinating, full of details about the science, the feuds between the various groups involved, and something about why the science was so important. If one can get through the first parts covering his early years and his service in Vietnam show more without totally losing patience, Venter's account of his life in research becomes a lot more interesting. It is quite detailed however and the reader new to genetics and laboratory research in biochemistry and genomics will find some sections hard to follow. Also the infighting and political aspects of the struggle to break new ground in these fields may surprise some readers. Note that several of the LT recommendations that come up for A Life Decoded were written by Venter's competitors in the "race" to sequence the human genome. It might be interesting to compare them. show less

From the maverick who first "shotgun-sequenced" the human genome, the story of digital biology, of how his group engineered the first synthetic microbes, of the emerging ethics-conscious era of computer-aided design of life forms, of possible teleportation (long-distance copying) of biological materials such as phages that will serve as therapy tools to replace no-longer-effective antibiotics -- all bad news (hooray!) for "vitalists [and] those who want to believe that life depends on show more something more than a complex composite of chemical reactions." (p 109) show less

I only got through half of this due to time constraints, but its a great book. His life is much more interesting than I thought it was going to be, but towards the middle, the story runs into a bit of a thick patch - it becomes too scientific and business-like, and the magic of the early narrative (his ability to use his experiences and weave them into a picture of self-discovery and life lessons runs out around this time... coincidentally, this is also the part that I stopped reading).

He's show more had an exemplary (and rather controversial) career, so this one is definitely worth a read, especially for anyone thinking about going into research. show less

This is actually a review of the Blinkist summary of the book.....so maybe slightly unfair to Venter (Did he actually take the time to write the book? Or was there a ghost-writer?). Much of the content ..such as the history of DNA and Schrodinger's "What is life" were familiar to me. I guess the main new thing for e was the idea of being able to teleport the code to Mars (or anywhere else) and re-assemble the molecules there. For example, producing a new antibiotic on a Mars Colony. Though show more it does assume the you will have all the gear there to do this.
For me, the book was interesting but not an essential read so i will probably not indulge by reading the full text.
But here are a few nuggets from the summary (ie a summary of the summary).
The study of biology asks one profound, powerful question: “What is life?”
Schrödinger was one of the first thinkers to suggest that everything that happens in a cell
German chemist Friedrich Wöhler.....chemically synthesized urea, the primary component of urine.....the first product that was normally only produced by living creatures.....it created a stir.
But the question of whether we can produce life artificially is no longer as pressing as it once was. Today, the question is whether we should. Plenty of people fear the potential dangers involved in “playing god.”
Today, the fields of chemistry, biology and computing have come together to give rise to modern genomics and genetic science.
In the 1970s, gene splicing made a huge leap forward. While early experiments involved only simple viruses, scientists in 1972 performed the first gene splice using more complex bacteria.
As DNA is the code of life, RNA is its delivery boy, transporting code from DNA to the ribosomes, or the cellular protein factories that put amino acids into the correct order to produce proteins.
the author founded The Institute for Genomic Research, the world’s biggest DNA-sequencing laboratory.
For the experiment, the team chose a “simple” virus called Phi X 174. This virus infects bacteria, and is called a bacteriophage. Phi X 174 had been used in various experiments for more than 40 years, and so was well-known in the genetics community. Phi X 174’s simple structure (with only 11 genes) resulted in the virus being the first to be genetically sequenced, as well as the first to have its genome copied. All this made Phi X 174 a perfect candidate virus for the team’s attempts to synthesize a complete chromosome.
In a mere two weeks, the team was able to prove that synthetic DNA, chemically built from computer code, contained the information necessary to produce a virus!
would it be possible then to synthesize a much more complicated
The team sought out the tiniest-known genome that is part of a living, self-replicating cell, called Mycoplasma genitalium. This tiny bacterium causes urinary tract infections in humans.
After painstakingly examining the DNA sequence and identifying the team’s watermark, they announced the successful, synthetic production of a bacterial genome.
The team abandoned M. genitalium in favor of a newly acquired synthetic genome from M. mycoides. This rapidly reproducing bacterium allowed them to review results within days.
However, things didn’t go as planned. With DNA sequencing, even the smallest errors can be fatal.
A closer look revealed the culprit: a miniscule, one-letter deletion in the base pair DNA sequencing. This seemingly small mistake threw off everything that followed it.
The team caught the error and corrected the sequence. The subsequent transplants went off without a hitch, and made genetics history in the process: the first living, self-replicating species to have a computer for a parent!
getting people to agree on what constitutes “life” is no easy task.
Technological advances have enabled homemade versions of lab tools, and open-source information might make it possible for nearly anybody to mess with the “software” of life. For example, bioterrorists could learn to produce potentially lethal germs, such as the bacteria that causes the bubonic plague, which killed tens of millions of people in the Middle Ages.
Building on their work using computer code to generate living organisms, the author’s team has been exploring ways to turn genetic information into electromagnetic waves capable of traveling great distances.
For instance, you could teleport the DNA of the Martian bacteria to a lab on earth, where scientists could devise and then teleport back an antibiotic.
But soon we may have robotically controlled genome sequencers that can read the DNA of any microbe and send the information straight back to laboratories on earth,
Modern biology has discovered life’s secrets, and they’re found in our DNA. Geneticists have in recent years unlocked the tools to manipulate, copy and even digitize genetic code, thereby opening up futuristic possibilities, such as transmitting DNA online or teleporting genetic code from Mars.
So, intgeresting but not essential reading for me. three stars from me. show less