About the Book: In How Life Works, renowned science writer Philip Ball unveils a groundbreaking perspective on biology that challenges traditional views—rejecting ideas like genes as rigid blueprints, proteins as perfectly engineered tools, or cells as fixed entities. Instead, Ball presents life as a multi-layered, self-organizing system, where genes, cells, tissues, and organs interact dynamically under their own rules—and often with surprising agency how-life-works.philipball.co.ukUniversity of Chicago Press. Through vivid explanations of cutting-edge research, he illustrates how we’re learning to reprogram cells, engineer novel tissues, and even envision regenerating limbs or creating entirely new life forms that evolution never imagined Pan MacmillanUniversity of Chicago Press. The result is a sweeping, awe-inspiring journey into the “new biology”—one that reframes how we understand life’s essence and its vast future possibilities