Author: medkth

Having enjoyed listening to Adrian Woolfson discussing his new book ‘On the Future of Species: Authoring Life by Means of Artificial Biological Intelligence’ on the Radio 4 programme ‘Start the Week’ a few months ago, it was a real honour to be invited along with my Leeds History and Philosophy of Science colleagues Lizzie Schulz and Greg Radick to the launch event held for his book at Daunt’s Bookshop on Marylebone High Street in London recently.

Adrian’s book argues that, through the convergence of artificial intelligence with synthetic genome technology, biology may well become programmable – one powerful example of this being the directed synthesis of novel protein structures that have been designed with specific functions in mind such as therapeutic antibodies.

Usually if I write to newspapers, it’s to bang the drum about long dead scientists who no-one has heard of…but while this is a bit outside my home turf of history of science, a review of new film ‘Tron Ares’ in a recent weekend Financial Times prompted me to write in response to make what (I hope!) is a serious point…

Saddened at the passing of my colleague Jon Hodge – when I first left the lab bench and moved into history and philosophy of science (HPS), I found myself on a very steep learning curve. But throughout this tough time, Jon was always welcome source of support and inspiration. I learned a lot from him, but perhaps the most important lesson he taught me was in a 2016 public lecture that he gave with Dr. Laura Sellers in which he warned against the allure of reductive, simplistic narratives in what is a very complex world. It was intended at the time as advice to budding historians to think critically about popular historical narratives but as I look around at the world in 2025, I think that Jon’s cautionary words echo far beyond the lecture theatres and seminar rooms of academia…Thanks Jon, you’ll be missed.

Had they still been around, I’m sure that, as keen cricket fans, Leeds based scientists William Astbury & Florence Bell would have taken a break from work on the DNA structure & wool to be at Headingley yesterday for England’s stunning victory in the Test Match against India.

Having written a book that, thanks to Astbury & Bell’s work on DNA, contains both science – and cricket thanks to the legendary 1981 Headingley Ashes, I was delighted that I could be there myself yesterday – right over the road from Astbury’s former home on Kirkstall Lane.

And a MASSIVE thanks must also go to Butlers and Boundary Hotel on Cardigan Road, Headingley Leeds who helped save the day (along with England’s batting!) by kindly providing secure laptop storage for those of us who had come along hoping to sneak in some work during breaks for lunch and tea!