Publication
Princeton University Press (2016), Edition: Reprint, 240 pages
Original publication date
2015
Collections
Awards
Independent Publisher Book Awards (Gold — Science — 2016)
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — Science & Technology — 2015)
AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books (Finalist — 2016)
PROSE Award (Winner — 2016)
Description
"Could extinct species like mammoths and passenger pigeons be brought back to life? The science says yes. In [this book], Beth Shapiro, evolutionary biologist and pioneer in 'ancient DNA' research, walks readers through the astonishing and controversial process of de-extinction. From deciding which species should be restored, to sequencing their genomes, to anticipating how revived populations might be overseen in the wild, Shapiro vividly explores the extraordinary cutting-edge science that is being used--today--to resurrect the past"--Amazon.com.
User reviews
LibraryThing member trigstarom
I received this book via NetGalley from in exchange for an honest and completely unbiased review.
I want to start noting that I generally dislike the maltreatment of animals and cruelty enacted in laboratories, so this could not be an unbiased review.
How to Clone a Mammoth is about cloning and the
Unfortunately, while the conservation of failing ecosystems is a valiant effort, Shapiro goes further by stating that we shouldn’t restrict this technology to de-extintion. In fact. she offers cloning technologies as a method to alter endangered species who lack diversity or cannot adapt to climate change quickly enough. The desire to play with the biology of struggling species is a cold, analytical leap in Shapiro’s logic. It describes the chilling future of this technologies and the lack of morality found in those wielding it.
On top of the desire to alter live species, Shapiro theorizes that if new species are created to fill ecological niches there may come a day when our creations may do more damage than good to the ecosystem we are trying to maintain. The shocking conclusion is that we should eradicate the species if it starts to harm the ecosystem only further destroyed Shapiro’s work. The death of living creatures should never be something brazenly thrown around. Although Shapiro highlights that there would have to be careful consideration this matter, and perhaps even a council should be drawn up to purpose such mass slaughters.
Shapiro covers back breeding as one method for bringing back the mammoth and outlines the struggle for recreating the auroch, they are creating new technologies to slip “scissors” into a nucleus to snip out the genetic code they don’t want, and plan to use “glue” to paste the new genetic code geneticists have created to make sure the new genetic code is fused. The techniques covered in this book are both cutting edge and leading back to the selective breeding practices to rebirth various animals: the Dodo, the auroch and Passenger Pigeon.
I also learned how an egg is made inside a chicken, chickens cannot be cloned, ancient DNA is much trickier than we can imagine, and Asian Elephants just might be the closest relative to the mammoth.
Although I abhor Shapiro’s ethical arguments I enjoyed her work. How to Clone a Mammoth was extremely educational for the average reader over a broad range of topics and it attempts to conquer very delicate moral issues. Although sometimes repetitive with ideas, this book is well worth a look for people who know very little about cloning and biology.
I want to start noting that I generally dislike the maltreatment of animals and cruelty enacted in laboratories, so this could not be an unbiased review.
How to Clone a Mammoth is about cloning and the
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various problems concerned with the technologies used to clone cells. Shapiro explains these problems in the most base way, only touching on much of the scientific jargon that would confuse the average reader. She also explains that cloning would not return a perfect specimen from the Ice Age as popular belief has led us to imagine. Instead, the creatures developed from cloning would be mammoth-like. These species would act to revive ecosystems by filling in the gaps where interactions between species has gone dormant due to the extinction of one or more animal.Unfortunately, while the conservation of failing ecosystems is a valiant effort, Shapiro goes further by stating that we shouldn’t restrict this technology to de-extintion. In fact. she offers cloning technologies as a method to alter endangered species who lack diversity or cannot adapt to climate change quickly enough. The desire to play with the biology of struggling species is a cold, analytical leap in Shapiro’s logic. It describes the chilling future of this technologies and the lack of morality found in those wielding it.
On top of the desire to alter live species, Shapiro theorizes that if new species are created to fill ecological niches there may come a day when our creations may do more damage than good to the ecosystem we are trying to maintain. The shocking conclusion is that we should eradicate the species if it starts to harm the ecosystem only further destroyed Shapiro’s work. The death of living creatures should never be something brazenly thrown around. Although Shapiro highlights that there would have to be careful consideration this matter, and perhaps even a council should be drawn up to purpose such mass slaughters.
Shapiro covers back breeding as one method for bringing back the mammoth and outlines the struggle for recreating the auroch, they are creating new technologies to slip “scissors” into a nucleus to snip out the genetic code they don’t want, and plan to use “glue” to paste the new genetic code geneticists have created to make sure the new genetic code is fused. The techniques covered in this book are both cutting edge and leading back to the selective breeding practices to rebirth various animals: the Dodo, the auroch and Passenger Pigeon.
I also learned how an egg is made inside a chicken, chickens cannot be cloned, ancient DNA is much trickier than we can imagine, and Asian Elephants just might be the closest relative to the mammoth.
Although I abhor Shapiro’s ethical arguments I enjoyed her work. How to Clone a Mammoth was extremely educational for the average reader over a broad range of topics and it attempts to conquer very delicate moral issues. Although sometimes repetitive with ideas, this book is well worth a look for people who know very little about cloning and biology.
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LibraryThing member Philogos
This is a very interesting subject and very rigorously and thoroughly presented. It makes a case for de-extinction and presents the science behind it as of today diving into the significant complexity of this enterprise in a clear and objective analysis of the issues raised by the possibility of
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de-extinction. Two main criticisms: The first being that the title has been sexed up to sell more books. As Prof Shapiro makes clear, cloning a mammoth is not ever actually going to happen. The best that can be done is to create a genetically engineered elephant with some mammoth characteristics. The second criticism relates to the inconclusiveness inherent in writing a book on a subject that is developing so quickly. It doesn't quite leave things on a cliff edge but it's not far off and it would be nice to have a subscription channel to keep up with what happens next. Show Less
LibraryThing member SChant
What a fascinating and thought-provoking book. It covers the science, technology, ethics, and (many!) difficulties of the process of de-extinction. It's a few years old now, but I think very relevant. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the ideas of ecosystem revival, genetic manipulation,
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and of course conservation. Show Less
LibraryThing member qaphsiel
Really a 3.5.
This book has a lot of good information in it. Shapiro is very practical and up front about the current state of the art regarding bringing extinct species back to life. She does not stop there, but also discusses the political aspects as well as the larger practical aspect: what are
The writing is somewhat uneven and didn't grab me. It's not a page turner. Some things get repeated more than they need be - while on the other hand some more technical aspects or terms are glossed over. If you know or remember some biology, it's not a problem. For example, I'm guessing that most readers would appreciate terms like prokaryotic and eukaryotic being clearly defined, even if one can infer their meanings from context.
So, a strong recommendation to anyone with an interest in the topic, particularly because the book is current and keeps things real. Otherwise, you may want to pass on this one.
This book has a lot of good information in it. Shapiro is very practical and up front about the current state of the art regarding bringing extinct species back to life. She does not stop there, but also discusses the political aspects as well as the larger practical aspect: what are
Show More
the larger goals, is there an appropriate environment to which the de-extincted creature be re-introduced (de-unintroduced?).The writing is somewhat uneven and didn't grab me. It's not a page turner. Some things get repeated more than they need be - while on the other hand some more technical aspects or terms are glossed over. If you know or remember some biology, it's not a problem. For example, I'm guessing that most readers would appreciate terms like prokaryotic and eukaryotic being clearly defined, even if one can infer their meanings from context.
So, a strong recommendation to anyone with an interest in the topic, particularly because the book is current and keeps things real. Otherwise, you may want to pass on this one.
Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9780691173115
Physical description
240 p.; 5.25 inches
Pages
240