Pulse: The Coming Age of Systems And Machines Inspired by Living Things

Robert Frenay

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006 - Science - 545 pages

"Pulse" is not about dance music, not about heart rates--and not about electromagnetic fields. What it does describe is a sea change in human affairs, a vast and fundamental shift that is about to transform every aspect of our lives. Written in lively prose for lay readers, Pulse shows how ideas that have shaped Western science, industry, and culture for centuries are being displaced by the rapid and dramatic rise of a "new biology"--by human systems and machines that work like living things.
In "Pulse," Robert Frenay details the coming world of
- emotional computers
- ships that swim like fish
- hard, soft, and wet artificial life
- money that mimics the energy flows in nature
- evolution at warp speed
And these are not blue-sky dreams. By using hundreds of vivid and concrete examples of cutting-edge work, Frenay showcases the brilliant innovations and often colorful personalities now giving birth to a radical new future. Along the way, he also offers thoughtful conclusions on the promises--and dangers--of our transformation to the next great phase of "human cultural evolution."

What people are saying

Review: Pulse: The Coming Age of Systems and Machines Inspired by Living Things

User Review  - Diana - Goodreads

Very technical at times, but very interesting to follow subjects I know a bit about (I will have to reread the section on computer technology and economics to get the most out of it, but really ...

Review: Pulse: The Coming Age of Systems and Machines Inspired by Living Things

User Review  - Connor - Goodreads

Pulse really got me thinking about a lot of different things. This book has a really wide scope and just enough depth to sufficiently cover each topic, but you can tell that there is so much more to ...

About the author

Robert Frenay is a freelance writer and former contributing editor to "Audubon" magazine. "Pulse" is his first book. He divides his time between New York City and upstate New York.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Pulse: The Coming Age of Systems And Machines Inspired by Living Things
• Author: Robert Frenay
• Edition: annotated
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006
• ISBN: 0374113270, 9780374113278
• Length: 545 pages
• Subjects: Science / Biotechnology; Technology & Engineering / General