Masterminds

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James Watson, J. Craig Venter, Francis Collins, Cynthia Kenyon . . . you may not know them, but you should. They are the masterminds of genetics and biotechnology who want you to live to be 150 years old, to regenerate your heart and brain, to create synthetic life. For better or worse, they are about to alter life on earth forever.

Award-winning journalist David Ewing Duncan tells the remarkable stories of cutting-edge bioscientists, revealing their quirky, uniquely fascinating, sometimes vaguely unsettling personas as a means to understand their science and the astonishing implications of their work. This book seamlessly combines myth, biography, scholarship, and wit that poses the all-important question: Can we actually trust these masterminds?

“Duncan turns a scarily bright light on the exploding frontiers of biotechnology” “Duncan turns his discerning eye toward the role of personality in science … remarkable profiles … Duncan’s prose is lively and engaging” “Explores the personalities and motivations of researchers now operating at the cutting edge of headline-making science.” “A provocative, entertaining, and, yes, chilling journey.” “A book for every human being who read the science section over the past few years and thought, Holy #@&!!” “Vivid, memorable portrayals of the scientists working on biology’s most fascinating frontiers.” “Daring and dead-accurate. Top notch.” “A sparkling, fascinating book about the most important phenomenon of the new millennium, the biotech revolution.” “200 year old people? Emails sent by brain waves? [Duncan] sketches the (possible) future.” “An interesting book . . . clear and helpful.” “Valuable insights into the debates within genetic science . . . intriguing”

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