Venki Ramakrishnan

The visionary science behind the digital human twins that will enhance our health and our futureVirtual You is a panoramic account of efforts by scientists around the world to build digital twins of human beings, from cells and tissues to organs and whole bodies. These virtual copies will usher in a new era of personalized medicine, one in which your digital twin can help predict your risk of disease, participate in virtual drug trials, shed light on the diet and lifestyle changes that are best for you, and help identify therapies to enhance your well-being and extend your lifespan—but thorny challenges remain.In this deeply illuminating book, Peter Coveney and Roger Highfield reveal what it will take to build a virtual, functional copy of a person in five steps. Along the way, they take you on a fantastic voyage through the complexity of the human body, describing the latest scientific and technological advances—from multiscale modeling to extraordinary new forms of computing—that will make “virtual you” a reality, while also considering the ethical questions inherent to realizing truly predictive medicine.With an incisive foreword by Nobel Prize–winning biologist Venki Ramakrishnan, Virtual You is science at its most astounding, showing how our virtual twins and even whole populations of virtual humans promise to transform our health and our lives in the coming decades.

Bör vi leva för evigt? Kommer framtidens människor att övervinna döden? I dag pågår en revolution inom biologin när det gäller vår syn på livet och döden. Aldrig tidigare i historien har människan varit så nära att förstå hur livet skulle kunna pågå betydligt längre än vad det gör i dag. I denna bok utforskar Nobelpristagaren Venki Ramakrishnan jakten på odödlighet vid vetenskapens frontlinjer. Inom en snar framtid kanske vi faktiskt kommer att kunna runda döden och leva betydligt längre än vad vi gör i dag. Men vad händer med en biologisk varelse som aldrig dör? Kan det vara så att vi faktiskt föredrar att dö fast vi kan hindra det? Därför dör vi är en djärv upptäcktsfärd genom vetenskapen om det biologiska livets slut av en av vår tids vetenskapliga portalfigurer.

'Enthralling and packed with insights.' - BILL BRYSON 'A must-read.' - STEPHEN FRY 'Spectacular.' - CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2024 A SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW SCIENTIST BOOK OF THE YEAR AND A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST READ How can science help us live better and longer? A groundbreaking exploration of longevity from Nobel Prize-winning biologist Venki Ramakrishnan __________________ We are living through an exciting revolution in biology. Giant strides are being made in our understanding of why we age, and why some species live longer than others. Will we soon be able to cheat disease and death and live for a very long time, possibly many times our current lifespan? Why We Die shares the latest scientific understanding of what causes ageing and how we might prevent it. Ramakrishnan examines the cutting-edge efforts to extend the human lifespan by altering our natural biology, raising profound questions and unravelling mind-bending answers along the way. Does death serve a necessary biological purpose? What will it mean for us all if some people start living longer? And how can we increase our chances of living long, healthy and fulfilled lives? 'An incredible journey.' - SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE 'Joyfully alive' - STEVE BRUSATTE 'Scientists do not come much more eminent than Venki Ramakrishnan... wonderfully readable... fascinating.' FINANCIAL TIMES *As heard on BBC Radio 4 Start the Week*

"Utterly fascinating." --Bill Bryson"An incredible journey." --Siddhartha Mukherjee*WINNER OF THE 2025 ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS PROSE AWARD FOR BEST BOOK ON BIOLOGY**2025 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS GOLD WINNER FOR SCIENCE AND COSMOLOGY*A groundbreaking exploration of the science of longevity and mortality--from Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki RamakrishnanThe knowledge of death is so terrifying that we live most of our lives in denial of it. One of the most difficult moments of childhood must be when each of us first realizes that not only we but all our loved ones will die--and there is nothing we can do about it.Or at least, there hasn't been. Today, we are living through a revolution in biology. Giant strides are being made in understanding why we age--and why some species live longer than others. Could we eventually cheat disease and death and live for a very long time, possibly many times our current lifespan?Venki Ramakrishnan, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and former president of the Royal Society, takes us on a riveting journey to the frontiers of biology, asking whether we must be mortal. Covering the recent breakthroughs in scientific research, he examines the cutting edge of efforts to extend lifespan by altering our physiology. But might death serve a necessary biological purpose? What are the social and ethical costs of attempting to live forever?Why We Die is a narrative of uncommon insight and beauty from one of our leading public intellectuals.

A major exploration of the science of why and how we age and die - from a Nobel Prize-winning biologist and former president of the Royal Society.'Utterly fascinating. Clear, enthralling and packed with insights.' - Bill Bryson'Ramakrishnan's writing is so honest, lucid and engaging' - Siddhartha MukherjeeThe knowledge of death is so terrifying that we live most of our lives in denial of it. Our fear of death has underpinned our religions, inspired our cultures, and also driven our science. Today we are living through a revolution in biology. Giant strides are being made in our understanding of why we age and die, and why some species live longer than others. Immortality, once a faint hope, has never been more within our grasp.Here, Nobel Prize-winning biologist Venki Ramakrishnan offers a definitive look at why we die - and whether we can do anything about it. Covering the recent breakthroughs in scientific research, he examines the cutting edge of efforts to extend lifespan by altering our natural biology and how this raises profound questions. Although we might not like it, might death might serve a necessary biological purpose? And what are the social and ethical costs of attempting to live forever? As science advances, we have much to gain. But might we also have much to lose?Why We Die is a narrative of uncommon insight and beauty from one of our leading public intellectuals.

How can science help us live better and longer? A groundbreaking exploration of longevity from Nobel Prize-winning biologist Venki Ramakrishnan SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2024A SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW SCIENTIST BOOK OF THE YEARA FINANCIAL TIMES BEST SUMMER READ'Enthralling and packed with insights.' - BILL BRYSON'A must-read.' - STEPHEN FRY'Spectacular.' - CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN__________________We are living through an exciting revolution in biology. Giant strides are being made in our understanding of why we age, and why some species live longer than others. Will we soon be able to cheat disease and death and live for a very long time, possibly many times our current lifespan?In Why We Die, Ramakrishnan takes us on a riveting journey to the frontiers of biology. He explains the latest scientific understanding of exactly why we age and how we might prevent it. He examines the cutting-edge efforts to extend lifespan by altering our natural biology and raises profound questions. Might death serve a necessary biological purpose? As science advances, what will it mean for us all if people start living longer? And how can we increase our chances of living long, healthy and fulfilled lives?Why We Die is a narrative of uncommon insight and beauty from one of our leading public intellectuals.'An incredible journey.' - SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE'Joyfully alive' - STEVE BRUSATTE'Scientists do not come much more eminent than Venki Ramakrishnan... wonderfully readable... fascinating.' FINANCIAL TIMES*As heard on BBC Radio 4 Start the Week*

"Utterly fascinating." --Bill Bryson"An incredible journey." --Siddhartha Mukherjee*WINNER OF THE 2025 ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS PROSE AWARD FOR BEST BOOK ON BIOLOGY**2025 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS GOLD WINNER FOR SCIENCE AND COSMOLOGY*A groundbreaking exploration of the science of longevity and mortality--from Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki RamakrishnanThe knowledge of death is so terrifying that we live most of our lives in denial of it. One of the most difficult moments of childhood must be when each of us first realizes that not only we but all our loved ones will die--and there is nothing we can do about it.Or at least, there hasn't been. Today, we are living through a revolution in biology. Giant strides are being made in understanding why we age--and why some species live longer than others. Could we eventually cheat disease and death and live for a very long time, possibly many times our current lifespan?Venki Ramakrishnan, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and former president of the Royal Society, takes us on a riveting journey to the frontiers of biology, asking whether we must be mortal. Covering the recent breakthroughs in scientific research, he examines the cutting edge of efforts to extend lifespan by altering our physiology. But might death serve a necessary biological purpose? What are the social and ethical costs of attempting to live forever?Why We Die is a narrative of uncommon insight and beauty from one of our leading public intellectuals.

A Nobel Prize-winning biologist's "engaging and witty" (Forbes) memoir tells the riveting story of his race to discover the inner workings of biology's most important molecule Everyone has heard of DNA. But by itself, DNA is just an inert blueprint for life. It is the ribosome--an enormous molecular machine made up of a million atoms--that makes DNA come to life, turning our genetic code into proteins and therefore into us. Gene Machine is an insider account of the race for the ribosome's structure, a fundamental discovery that both advances our knowledge of all life and could lead to the development of better antibiotics against life-threatening diseases. But this is also a human story of Ramakrishnan's unlikely journey, from his first fumbling lab experiments to his fierce competition with some of the world's best scientists. Gene Machine is a frank insider's account of the pursuit of high-stakes science.

The visionary science behind the digital human twins that will enhance our health and our futureVirtual You is a panoramic account of efforts by scientists around the world to build digital twins of human beings, from cells and tissues to organs and whole bodies. These virtual copies will usher in a new era of personalized medicine, one in which your digital twin can help predict your risk of disease, participate in virtual drug trials, shed light on the diet and lifestyle changes that are best for you, and help identify therapies to enhance your well-being and extend your lifespan—but thorny challenges remain.In this deeply illuminating book, Peter Coveney and Roger Highfield reveal what it will take to build a virtual, functional copy of a person in five steps. Along the way, they take you on a fantastic voyage through the complexity of the human body, describing the latest scientific and technological advances—from multiscale modeling to extraordinary new forms of computing—that will make “virtual you” a reality, while also considering the ethical questions inherent to realizing truly predictive medicine.With an incisive foreword by Nobel Prize–winning biologist Venki Ramakrishnan, Virtual You is science at its most astounding, showing how our virtual twins and even whole populations of virtual humans promise to transform our health and our lives in the coming decades.

Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan tells the thrilling story of how scientists unlocked a new window onto how life works ‘Beyond superb.’ Bill Bryson ‘A wonderful book.’ Ian McEwan Everyone knows about DNA, the essence of our being, the molecule where our genes reside. But DNA by itself is useless without a machine to decode the genetic information it contains. The ribosome is that machine. Venki Ramakrishnan tells the story of the race to uncover its enormously complex structure, a fundamental breakthrough that resolves an ancient mystery of life itself.

A Nobel Prize-winning biologist tells the riveting story of his race to discover the inner workings of biology's most important molecule "Ramakrishnan's writing is so honest, lucid and engaging that I could not put this book down until I had read to the very end." -- Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene Everyone has heard of DNA. But by itself, DNA is just an inert blueprint for life. It is the ribosome -- an enormous molecular machine made up of a million atoms -- that makes DNA come to life, turning our genetic code into proteins and therefore into us. Gene Machine is an insider account of the race for the structure of the ribosome, a fundamental discovery that both advances our knowledge of all life and could lead to the development of better antibiotics against life-threatening diseases. But this is also a human story of Ramakrishnan's unlikely journey, from his first fumbling experiments in a biology lab to being the dark horse in a fierce competition with some of the world's best scientists. In the end, Gene Machine is a frank insider's account of the pursuit of high-stakes science.