The author of this book, Craig Venter, is one of the most famous modern geneticists; he was the first to decipher the human genome. However, this radical scientific breakthrough turned out to be only a stage in the further career of the great pioneering scientist: today the Venter Institute, founded by him, is at the forefront of biotechnology: it is there that the most advanced research is being conducted on the synthesis of artificial life. Venter is convinced that humanity is entering the “digital age of biology” - an era when the further evolution of the human race will be in our own hands.