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Alive

Synthetic cells, feral robots, rebellious AI, and the design of radical life
By Madeline Schwartzman
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Brief Description
A timely examination of a wide range of projects exploring the boundaries of what it means to be alive, speculating on what 'life' is, and how humankind will (or will not) fit into a new order of hybrid species: a sort of sci-fi guidebook to lab-built... Read More
Format: Hardback
$8500
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A timely examination of a wide range of projects exploring the boundaries of our existence.

A timely examination of a wide range of projects exploring the boundaries of what it means to be alive, speculating on what 'life' is, and how humankind will (or will not) fit into a new order of hybrid species: a sort of sci-fi guidebook to lab-built humans

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A timely examination of a wide range of projects exploring the boundaries of what it means to be alive, speculating on what 'life' is, and how humankind will (or will not) fit into a new order of hybrid species: a sort of sci-fi guidebook to lab-built humans.

A silicone jellyfish with a rat's heart, a drone that smells using the antenna of a moth, wearables made from cultured human skin, an AI-populated digital snack bar in the metaverse. These projects and many more offer a mind-bending, head-turning vision of the future that Madeline Schwartzman demonstrates is just around the corner.

Curated from new developments in synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, robotics, engineering, biology, and art, this broad-ranging survey demonstrates the myriad ways in which our perception of what it means to be alive has dramatically changed. Where do we draw the new lines? Are there any boundaries we should not cross? And what if...?

By examining these new 'beings', Alive maps out a vision of new partnerships, uncanny hybrids, and collaborative intelligences, as science fiction rapidly becomes science fact.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780500026861

Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 28 August 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Illustration: 425 Illustrations, color

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Edward Ashton

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 230.0mm

Height: 280.0mm

Weight: 1620g

Pages: 256

Collections

Education & Reference Engineering, Technology & Agriculture Madeline Schwartzman Non-Fiction

About the Author

Madeline Schwartzman is an artist, writer, filmmaker, architect and educator who explores human narratives and the human sensorium through all of the above. She is also the author of See Yourself Sensing and See Yourself X.

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