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Super Cells: Building with Biology (TED Books Book 41) by [Nina Tandon, Mitchell Joachim]

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Nina Tandon

Mitchell Joachim

Super Cells: Building with Biology (TED Books Book 41) Kindle Edition

by Nina Tandon (Author), Mitchell Joachim (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

16 ratings

In this eye-popping tour of the new biological frontier, Nina Tandon and Mitchell Joachim describe the tantalizing array of inventions already being created with nature’s elemental building block: the cell. Imagine personalized bone replacements, living condominium complexes, bacteria-made haute couture, and top sirloin grown without a farm. Tandon and Joachim, daring inventors in their own right, contend that we’re entering a new technological era, one in which we can create smarter technologies by making cells our partners in design. And they confront the thorny questions that come with playing with the power of life.

Print length

103 pages
Language

English
Publication date

February 10, 2014
File size

11645 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ICXN3VA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ TED Conferences (February 10, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 10, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 11645 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 103 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #854,495 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #152 in Biotechnology (Kindle Store)
- #556 in Biotechnology (Books)

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James Michael Bailey

Interesting view of typically academic subjects

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2014

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This book definitely opens the mind to thinking about biology as a much more relevant and personal subject of real world applications. Sort of makes you question your own belief structure and morality with our removed(yet connected) relationships with microorganisms. Definitely a good read for anyone with interests pertaining to sciences of really any sort but especially biology, chemistry, or biophysics.

2 people found this helpful

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This is a succinct and easy to digest book about the rapid advances in biotech ...

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2015

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This is a succinct and easy to digest book about the rapid advances in biotech as it relates to art, architecture, fashion and more. A great book to start investigating current research in this fascinating field.

2 people found this helpful

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Al Warren

Check it out! A must read!

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2014

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What a great look into the future!! This will eliminate tissue rejection. What a wonder!

One person found this helpful

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Mr. Snows

Building with Biology or: "How we Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cells"

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2016

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"How we Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cells" that was the very first thing that came into my mind when finished reading. Highly recommended lecture as an introduction to novel cells.

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Zacha Rosen

A Great Tour

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2014

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I normally complain about state of the art books that just turn out to be a laundry list of upcoming approaches to a field. Not this one. This tour blew my mind.

One person found this helpful

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M. Riccardi

Super Cells: Building With Biology - The Hope (and Hype) of Biodesign

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2014

(Short excerpt from the longer book review/analysis published on the blog Planetsave.com - http://planetsave.com/2014/04/15/super-cells-building-with-biology-the-hope-and-hype-of-bio-design-book-review/)

Part `history of', part `how to', and a good portion hype, Super Cells ~ Building With Biology, by Nina Tandon and Mitchell Joachim, is a fascinating, inspiring, and not-infrequently self-promoting/congratulating celebration of the "collision of Biology, Design and Digital Fabrication."

The book heralds a new movement referred to as bio-design (or biodesign) in which diverse designers appropriate the tools and methods of bio-engineering as well as a relatively new scientific discipline called synthetic biology (note: synthetic biology seeks to synthetically replicate cellular and biological processes and mechanisms for human ends) to ostensibly "transform" the whole of modern society and culture.

Biodesign, according to co-author and architect Mitchell Joachim, is the "cure for affluenza" and, in the long evolutionary path of human society, "is the next step toward a resilient harmony where human kind and Nature seamlessly blend."

Taking us from Medicine (focusing on tissue engineering -- the most practical and valuable use for such super cells) and Architecture to Fashion, Food and Art/Entertainment, Super Cells -- a TED Book -- is replete with momentous declarations like "The time of building with living cells has arrived"(!) and generous pepperings of techno-hep buzz phrases like "disruptive technology" and "paradigm shift", along with a plethora of bio-techno neologisms and eco-ethical sentiments.

For those living without the Internet for the past half dozen years, the annual TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design) conference has spawned innumerable `TED talk" videos - known for their provocative topics, cool visuals, and often over-hyped achievements and speculative predictions - and, more recently, TED eBooks.
Super Cells, at a mere 72 pages in length (PDF version), is none-the-less rich with "super" cellular experiments and explorations inspired by this new bio-aesthetic. The book is comprised of six chapters covering the spectrum of biodesign endeavors and innovations: 1] Medicine: Living Devices, 2] Architecture: Grow a Home, 3] Fashion: Cellular Atelier, 4] Food: Ranch in a Lab, 5] Art: Cellular Muses, 6] Entertainment: Biotic Games.

Chapters 2 and 5 are written by Joachim, the remainder by Tandon. The two styles of writing generally work well enough (like inter-woven branches, one being a bit thicker) with Tandon's writing being a more technical and serious sounding, and Joachim's writing being a bit more fluid and "arty". The ebook's introduction is a tad unpolished but manages to lay out the basic ideas of the book - enjoining the reader to "imagine the possibilities"...and lists "self-healing bridges, plentiful human body parts, high-tech fabrics..." as just a sampling of the marvels awaiting us in this brave, new, bio-designed world. It almost sounds utopian. Indeed, a barely restrained eco-techno-utopianism pervades most of the content of the book.

3 people found this helpful

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Mary F Bonner

remarkable accomplishment

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2014

In that it opened doors to possibilities so revolutionary and transforming, possibilities I was ignorant of, it was truly mind-bending. Not only were its ideas exciting and its optimism uplifting, but it was beautifully written, as well-- clear, accessible, and with a flawless command of the language.

3 people found this helpful

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Lex Pelger

Great review of the trending excitement in the synthetic biology ...

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2014

Great review of the trending excitement in the synthetic biology community. Nicely broken down by sections and illustrated by entertaining interviews

One person found this helpful

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Radhey

Good read

Reviewed in India on October 11, 2015

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This is one of a series of TED books. The idea is to provide shot nonfiction work in 40-50 pages by leading thinkers, scientists and philosophers in their respective fields. Most of these books were first delivered as TED lectures at famous TED conferences and later converted into books. Some people may find some of the ideas presented in these books as too radical and/or provocative. Still these are best read as useful introductions to topical issues of our times.