[T]he creation of xenobots could be considered a microcosm of something happening far more widely across the globe as organisms respond creatively to the pressures we impose on them. All living things are in a constant negotiation with their environments and it's this interplay that drives evolution. But as humans now dominate nearly every environment on Earth in one way or another, a new factor has entered the evolutionary equation - us.

Humans have shaped the bodies of other creatures at least since dogs were domesticated around 30,000 years ago. But the combination of industrialised farming, introduced species, urbanisation, pollution, and climate change are creating unprecedented selective pressures. We have become the world's greatest evolutionary force.