Reviews

 "Programmable Planet Review: Biology's Big Bonus. The idea of using life to improve life, the guiding principle of bioengineering, is yielding exciting results." David Shaywitz, Wall Street Journal, Aug. 20, 2023

"Programmable Planet captures the passion and energy of those at the genesis of the construction of the genetically engineered world."  Christopher Voigt, Daniel I.C. Wang Professor of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"If you’ve ever wondered about the promise—and the peril—of synthetic biology and its power to transform life, then Programmable Planet is the book for you. Ted Anton’s exploration of both the history and the future of the ways we engineer life is incisive, engaging, and downright fascinating."  Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety in the Early Twentieth Century

"Programmable Planet is a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read. Anton is an expert storyteller who blends the human element with cutting-edge science like a synthetic biologist engineering a novel organism. Timely and at times provocative, the book provides a wonderful grounding for those interested in learning more about synthetic biology’s promise and threat. And we should all be interested in learning more."  Aoife Brennan, president and chief executive officer, Synlogic

"In this rollicking compendium, Anton documents a huge number of ways synthetic biology can be used in practice, embedding these examples in the experiences of the people involved. " Drew Endy, Stanford University

Previous books--

Planet of Microbes: "Anton's captivating narrative follows the field's evolution through key findings in symbiosis, archaea and the microbiome..." Barbara Kiser, Nature

The Longevity Seekers in Nature:
"A  “silver tsunami” is upon us, writes Ted Anton: by 2050, one-third of  people in the developed world will be over 60. The time has come to  tease out the “molecular tipping points” involved in maintaining  geriatric health... Kicking off with molecular biologist Cynthia Kenyon —  who in 1993 pinpointed a single-gene mutation that doubles the lifespan  of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans — Anton reveals a young field already rife with larger-than-life personalities and lab drama aplenty."

www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7451/full/497563

In the journal Ageing and Society
www.journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=915033 “An accessible insight into a complex research area . . . [The Longevity Seekers]  is an easy and interesting read, with a clear, well-structured format,  comprehensive notes section, and a very interesting summary [of the]  timeline of developments.”

Article on longevity and jobs appeared in SLATE:  
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/10/labor_lump_do_older_workers_keep_young_workers_down.html

A nice review in Harper's, by Bee Wilson: "At Death's door: The hope and hokum of immortality" 
"Anton vividly recounts the excitement in the various labs in the early 2000s and the intensity of the scientists' search."  http://harpers.org/archive/2013/11/at-deaths-door-2/
 

The Chicago Book Review 
“Ted Anton has crafted an engaging, accessible examination of the quest to understand longevity. . . . [The Longevity Seekers]  unwinds like a fast-paced thriller, as Anton recounts the highly  competitive race in which scientists, research labs, and global drug  companies engage in the search for a magic bullet to extend human life.”

The Longevity Seekers was featured on the National Public Radio program, "Big Picture Science." 
http://www.seti.org/BiPiSci/LongLiveLongevity

Scott McLemee, review of The Longevity Seekers in Inside Higher Ed.
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/05/22/review-ted-anton-longevity-seekers-science-business-and-fountain-youth

Sandra Loh featured The Longevity Seekers on her National Public Radio program "The Loh Down on Science" in southern California
http://www.lohdownonscience.org/author-ted-anton-takes-your-questions-on-longevity-research-from-2-3-pm-pst 

"If live to be 150 -- and thanks to Ted Anton I now know how - I doubt I will ever read a book about the science of aging as enthralling as The Longevity Seekers.”

 John Seabrook, New Yorker

"We've been searching for the so-called Fountain of Youth for centuries but Ted Anton makes the quest invigoratingly new again in  this beautifully told story of 21st century researchers in  pursuit of the secrets of longevity. There's vividly clear science here, there's the grit and determination of the scientists themselves, and the result is a book both engaging and illuminating on the subject of long, long life."

Deborah Blum, Author of The Poisoner’s Handbook

“Research, money, and ego are the basic ingredients in the modern day quest to live longer—or forever. Ted Anton takes us into the laboratories and boardrooms in the worldwide competition for longevity, and with expertise and wit tells a wondrous story of contemporary science.”

Daniel S. Greenberg, Author of Science for Sale

"In this lively account, Ted Anton shares his fascination with what goes on when creatures age, and explores the possibility that aging can be delayed or even avoided. With a lively and accessible style, he conveys the concepts, the personalities, and the pressures in the world of serious but enthusiastic research that one day might turn us all into Methuselahs."

Peter Atkins, Oxford University