{"product_id":"life-as-we-made-it-9780861544370","title":"Life as We Made It","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA leading biologist looks at how humans have meddled with evolution throughout history – and what we will \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003edo next\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘An accessible, enlightening writer… Big history meets big science – and it’s great entertainment.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e, Best Books of 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘[\u003cem\u003eLife as We Made It\u003c\/em\u003e] provides a detailed exploration of some of the most influential technologies of our time. It also offers a tantalising glimpse of what might be in store in the future, when humanity starts to mix things up all over again.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eNew Scientist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘[A] fun-filled survey… Shapiro’s anecdotes are full of energy… Perfect for fans of Mary Roach, this is science writing with much to savour.’\u003c\/p\u003e * \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A brilliant combination of science, natural history, and first-person experience, \u003cem\u003eLife as We Made It \u003c\/em\u003eshows how our species has been manipulating nature for nearly as long as we’ve been around. Anyone who wants to better understand the future of life – human and otherwise – should read this book.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Jennifer Doudna, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘For the past two decades, Beth Shapiro has pioneered using ancient DNA to understand the diversity of life. In \u003cem\u003eLife as We Made It\u003c\/em\u003e, her twin passions for cutting-edge science and natural history leap from every page. This book will entertain and challenge you to think in new ways about our role in the future of life on Earth.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Neil Shubin, evolutionary biologist and author of \u003ci\u003eYour Inner Fish\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Very few people write about the insane complexities and power of biology with greater clarity, insight and levity than Beth Shapiro.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Adam Rutherford, author of \u003ci\u003eA Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘In this brilliant new book, biologist Beth Shapiro tells the incredible story of how we’re remaking much of nature and lays out a thoughtful path for how we can survive and thrive by learning to more wisely apply our god-like powers.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Jamie Metzl, author of \u003ci\u003eHacking Darwin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Shapiro chronicles the many ways humans have influenced the evolutionary trajectories of other species, from prehistory through the present day. Tools like CRISPR are just the latest way we have shaped the life on this planet. She effectively makes the case that our use of evolution as a tool is ethically acceptable, if done carefully and with informed consent.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Emma Marris, author of \u003ci\u003eWild Souls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘[Shapiro’s] expansive survey of the hopes and fears – and the hypes and fails – of genetic manipulation is an enjoyable tour of “impossible” species created to solve pressing human problems\u003c\/strong\u003e… She builds a \u003cstrong\u003econvincing\u003c\/strong\u003e case… there is no doubt that synthetic biology has the potential to help solve some of our biggest global problems. \u003cstrong\u003eWith this clear-eyed account of its humanitarian potential, Shapiro has done the field a great service\u003c\/strong\u003e.’\u003c\/p\u003e * \u003ci\u003eNature\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eLife as We Made It\u003c\/em\u003e presents a compelling vision that encourages us to be more open-minded.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Philippa Nuttall * \u003ci\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Thoughtful and entertaining’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Adrian Woolfson * \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘In an age when “technology” has become synonymous with the information kind, it is worth being reminded that other sorts are available. And with one of them people can, if they so choose, remake themselves.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eEconomist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Throughout our existence, humans have been unconscious genetic engineers. In this excellent summary of the most exciting parts of 21st-century biology, Beth Shapiro shows how we have inadvertently shaped the natural world, producing extinctions and slowly altering domestic animals. Above all, she optimistically describes how we might be able to use our new conscious ability to engineer genomes to save species and deliberately change the world for the better.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Professor Matthew Cobb, University of Manchester\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘An engaging account of how our ancestors’ actions, over tens of thousands of years, ended up modifying our genomes and those of countless other species, a thanksgiving for the beauty and bounty wrought by these changes, and a thoughtful, refreshingly optimistic anticipation of what is to come as we, one way or another, exert ever greater control over evolution.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Austin Burt, professor of evolutionary genetics, Imperial College London\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cstrong\u003eDeeply thought-provoking\u003c\/strong\u003e… Around two to three decades ago the protests against genetically modified food types seemed warranted and necessary due to far too many unknowns. Now, with more precise genetic editing, examples such as Golden Rice discussed by Shapiro demonstrate that we are now in more nuanced times, and this is a topic that does need to be examined and more closely debated. \u003cstrong\u003eShapiro’s book is timely and well worth reading\u003c\/strong\u003e.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Simon Cocking, \u003ci\u003eIrish Tech News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘The scientific study of ancient DNA preserved in extinct species and the possibility of de extinction make for truly fascinating reading. Employing just the right amount of paleontology, history, genomics, and archaeology, Shapiro warns that we stand on the precipice of fashioning a new, unnatural nature. The risk of messing up the future of other species and even the planet itself looms large.’\u003c\/p\u003e * \u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Shapiro takes readers on a succinct and compelling journey through historical events, inventions, and decisions that have forever changed the course of life on Earth… In what is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of \u003cem\u003eLife as We Made It\u003c\/em\u003e, Shapiro clearly articulates key questions whose answers will define how we think about and use the power we now yield… Shapiro offers readers a history lesson from which to pull both caution and inspiration. In doing so, she sets the table for a needed conversation about our lasting imprint on the tree of life. It is up to us to take a seat.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eScience\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Shapiro is a fantastic science communicator who addresses the many nuances of each topic she touches, and she can be disarmingly funny. I heartily recommend you read this book.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- The Inquisitive Biologist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Beth Shapiro’s unmissable book… My advice is not to waste time on COP26, and read this book instead… She is a thoughtful academic… This book brings readers up to date, assessing the impact on research of the Covid-19 event and the appetite for adopting riskier technologies more quickly… \u003cem\u003eLife as We Made It\u003c\/em\u003e turns a potentially chilling threat into a promise – so long as those charged with the process are as far-seeing and practical as its author. That’s the challenge upon which readers will be left reflecting.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Reaction\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Beth Shapiro takes readers on a journey of scientific discovery, explaining how symbiotic relationships between humans and the environment around us have changed – but not always for the better…’\u003c\/p\u003e * Engadget *","brand":"Oneworld Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49406361076055,"sku":"9780861544370","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780861544370.jpg?v=1730495539","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/life-as-we-made-it-9780861544370","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}