A leading biologist looks at how humans have meddled with evolution throughout history – and what we will do next
Beth Shapiro is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz. She has appeared on the BBC, National Geographic and Discovery, and written for the Financial Times and Observer. She is the author of the award-winning How to Clone a Mammoth.
‘An accessible, enlightening writer… Big history meets big science
– and it’s great entertainment.’
*The Times, Best Books of 2021*
‘[Life as We Made It] 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.’
*New Scientist*
‘[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.’
*Publishers Weekly*
‘A brilliant combination of science, natural history, and
first-person experience, Life as We Made It shows 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.’
*Jennifer Doudna, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry*
‘For the past two decades, Beth Shapiro has pioneered using ancient
DNA to understand the diversity of life. In Life as We Made It, 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.’
*Neil Shubin, evolutionary biologist and author of Your Inner
Fish*
‘Very few people write about the insane complexities and
power of biology with greater clarity, insight and levity than Beth
Shapiro.’
*Adam Rutherford, author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever
Lived*
‘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.’
*Jamie Metzl, author of Hacking Darwin*
‘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.’
*Emma Marris, author of Wild Souls*
‘[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… She
builds a convincing case… there is no doubt that synthetic biology
has the potential to help solve some of our biggest global
problems. With this clear-eyed account of its humanitarian
potential, Shapiro has done the field a great service.’
*Nature*
‘Life as We Made It presents a compelling vision that encourages us
to be more open-minded.’
*New Statesman*
‘Thoughtful and entertaining’
*Wall Street Journal*
‘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.’
*Economist*
‘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.’
*Professor Matthew Cobb, University of Manchester*
‘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.’
*Austin Burt, professor of evolutionary genetics, Imperial College
London*
‘Deeply thought-provoking… 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.
Shapiro’s book is timely and well worth reading.’
*Simon Cocking, Irish Tech News*
‘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.’
*Booklist*
‘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 Life as We Made It, 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.’
*Science*
‘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.’
*The Inquisitive Biologist*
‘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… Life as We Made It 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.’
*Reaction*
‘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…’
*Engadget*
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