Synthetic Eden: Essays on Design of Humans and Environment

One of the most defining characteristics of our species is our constant quest towards perfection. The driven has driven our species forward and has shaped our planet in the way that we see fit. As our understanding of nature becomes greater, so does the power we exert over it. Science allows us not only to manipulate the world around us, but also to change ourselves. This, of course, raises some interesting philosophical questions. Like what does it really mean to be human? And where do we draw the line?
In this book, a variety of emerging fields of science that will drastically change the lives of future generations, are explored. We shall lay out the myriad of way in which humans can meddle with natural systems on both a profoundly large scale (ecosystems) as well as on incredibly small ones (genomes) and everything in between. Based on what we are able to do today, we can speculate what the future may look like, trying to answer that essential question: Can we create our own paradise?

The authors - Honours Program 2010-2012 Biology, Utrecht University. HipsyDruck Germany.