Update: some copies printed between December 3, 2018, and January 16, 2019, had a printing/spacing error. Contact the authors for more information.

Biotechnology and genetic engineering are exciting new topics that are taking the world by storm. Every year, billions of people use products that are connected to genetic engineering, yet few have the opportunity to explore and practice the concepts and skills that make biotechnologies possible. With biotechnology and genetic engineering being rapidly growing career paths there is no reason to wait until university to get a glimpse of these exciting subjects thanks to the world’s first beginner’s guide to genetic engineering.

A combination of real-world hands-on activities and fundamentals, this book is written with many levels of depth so you can choose how you want to learn. Are you a hands-on or visual learner? Each chapter starts with one or more activities to anchor the concepts found in the fundamentals section. Fundamentals go into the theory behind the hands-on experiences and cover the first principles of biology, biochemistry, and genetic engineering. If you are not looking to complete the hands-on exercises, Zero to Genetic Engineering Hero is written with many fun analogies to help explain concepts and includes more than 130 color illustrations and breakout discussions that recommend web search terms to guide you on the internet. Unlike other textbook options that offer information, Zero to Genetic Engineering Hero offers a narrative that makes learning the information more interesting.

Zero to Genetic Engineering Hero makes use of Amino Labs’ Minilab ecosystem* to enable you to do real scientific exercises at home, in the classroom, or in a makerspace. Most importantly, you don’t need any prior knowledge of genetic engineering or biology.

Zero to Genetic Engineering Hero is the most cutting-edge and accessible education book for learning genetic engineering. It was even edited by teenagers, aged 12-14! We are confident that with this book, you, your family or students can become Genetic Engineering Heroes.

“This book is the perfect journey for students to learn the basics of programming bacteria. Covering the first principles, extracting proteins you’ve engineered bacteria to create, and controlling genetic circuits are the topics you need to know before you start innovating on your iGEM or Science Fair project.” K. Turton, High School iGEM advisor & Synthetic Biologist

“Zero to Genetic Engineering Hero is an amazing book. While at first glance it comes off as intimidating, a brief perusal shows its simple straightforward supportive style. This is a book that will draw out enthusiasm and commitment in a student.”Ted Selker, Computer scientist, Inventor.

Are you new to biotechnology and genetic engineering? Sounds daunting? Don’t worry! Let Zero to Genetic Engineering be your guide into this mysterious, fun, and important subject. Simply take your journey one chapter at a time and, upon completing each chapter, you will be surprised at your new found knowledge and skills, which prepare you for the next chapter.

LEARN HOW TO:
Practice responsible genetic engineering: Take the Genetic Engineers’ Pledge
Set up your space
Practice safe science
Isolate DNA
Grow E. coli cells
Complete genetic engineering of E. coli cells
Extract engineered proteins
Process chemicals with engineered enzymes
Manually turn on genes in your engineered organisms

*Many hands-on activities, including the Amino Labs ecosystem, require additional purchases but are optional.