Life as We Made It: How 50,000 Years of Human Innovation Refined--And Redefined--Nature
| AUTHOR | Shapiro, Beth |
| PUBLISHER | Basic Books (10/19/2021) |
| PRODUCT TYPE | Hardcover (Hardcover) |
Description
From the first dog to the first beefalo, from farming to CRISPR, the human history of remaking nature When the 2020 Nobel Prize was awarded to the inventors of CRISPR, the revolutionary gene-editing tool, it underlined our amazing and apparently novel powers to alter nature. But as biologist Beth Shapiro argues in Life as We Made It, this phenomenon isn't new. Humans have been reshaping the world around us for ages, from early dogs to modern bacteria modified to pump out insulin. Indeed, she claims, reshaping nature--resetting the course of evolution, ours and others'--is the essence of what our species does. In exploring our evolutionary and cultural history, Shapiro finds a course for the future. If we have always been changing nature to help us survive and thrive, then we need to avoid naive arguments about how we might destroy it with our meddling, and instead ask how we can meddle better. Brilliant and insightful, Life as We Made It is an essential book for the decades to come.
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Product Format
Product Details
ISBN-13:
9781541644182
ISBN-10:
1541644182
Binding:
Hardback or Cased Book (Sewn)
Content Language:
English
More Product Details
Page Count:
352
Carton Quantity:
20
Product Dimensions:
5.80 x 1.50 x 9.30 inches
Weight:
1.20 pound(s)
Feature Codes:
Bibliography,
Index,
Price on Product
Country of Origin:
US
Subject Information
BISAC Categories
Science | Biotechnology
Science | Life Sciences - Evolution
Science | Life Sciences - Molecular Biology
Dewey Decimal:
660.609
Library of Congress Control Number:
2021009604
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
publisher marketing
From the first dog to the first beefalo, from farming to CRISPR, the human history of remaking nature When the 2020 Nobel Prize was awarded to the inventors of CRISPR, the revolutionary gene-editing tool, it underlined our amazing and apparently novel powers to alter nature. But as biologist Beth Shapiro argues in Life as We Made It, this phenomenon isn't new. Humans have been reshaping the world around us for ages, from early dogs to modern bacteria modified to pump out insulin. Indeed, she claims, reshaping nature--resetting the course of evolution, ours and others'--is the essence of what our species does. In exploring our evolutionary and cultural history, Shapiro finds a course for the future. If we have always been changing nature to help us survive and thrive, then we need to avoid naive arguments about how we might destroy it with our meddling, and instead ask how we can meddle better. Brilliant and insightful, Life as We Made It is an essential book for the decades to come.
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Author:
Shapiro, Beth
Beth Shapiro is associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including "Nature" and "Science", and she was a 2009 recipient of a MacArthur Award. She lives in Santa Cruz.
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List Price $30.00
Your Price
$29.70