Within the framework of synthetic biology, engineers design new computational systems of biological interest, startups sell printers capable of converting computer code into "living organisms," while network architects use DNA instead of hard drives. Other scientists develop elaborate systems where human organs at the nanoscale live and grow outside the human body. Biologists, engineers, computer scientists, and many other researchers have jointly shaped a complex ecosystem of experts, research laboratories, computer systems, government agencies, and private enterprises that create new ways of understanding life, as well as new forms of it. It is a true machine of genesis.

Soon, life will no longer be a game of chance but a result of design and choice. The machine of genesis will determine how we perceive and define family, how we recognize disease and address aging, how we build our homes and how we feed ourselves. It will play a crucial role in managing the climate emergency we are experiencing today and ultimately in the very survival of the human species.