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Description
If you could bring back one living being from the whole of the history of time, what would you choose? Comedian and former stem-cell biologist Helen Pilcher has thought about this problem, a lot. In Bring back the King, Helen explains the cutting-edge science that makes the resurrection of extinct animals a very real possibility, and highlights her choices from eras gone by, from the King of the Dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex, to the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley,
From dinosaurs to Dodos, Neanderthals to rock legends, Bring Back the King explains how the burgeoning field of DNA science is being used to help resurrect not just individual animals but entire species from their stony graves.
Funny, intriguing and informative, Bring Back the King describes current initiatives and future plans to restore deceased animals, and uses both science and willful irreverence to assess how these genetic Lazarus's might fare in their brave new world. Could a pet dinosaur be trained to roll over? Would Neanderthals enjoy opera? Could a returning Dodo seek vengeance upon humanity?
Blending the very latest de-extinction technology with cloning, dinosaurs with rock legends, and hard-core popular science with plenty of gags, Bring Back the King is a book that you will simply have to read.
Table of Contents
Extinction may not be forever / The Science of De-extinction / The human genome project / How to choose what to bring back
Chapter 1: The King of the Dinosaurs
The demise of the dinosaurs and their lasting legacy / What could possibly go wrong? / Candidates for resurrection / How to care
for your dinosaur / The science of dinosaur de-extinction.
Chapter 2: The King of the Ancient Humans
The discovery of Neanderthals / I want my mummy / Could we clone a Neanderthal? / What's in it for them? / How would a
Neanderthal fare today?
Chapter 3: The King of the Elephants
The giant animals of the late Pleistocene / Meet the mammophant / Pleistocene Park / Sea-cow resurgence
Chapter 4: The King of the Birds
The story of the Dodo / The Great Comeback – the Passenger Pigeon / As undead as a Dodo / Could the Dodo get its own back?
Chapter 5: Australia's King of Beasts … and the Gastric Brooding Frog
Benjamin – last of the Thylacines / Thank heavens for alcohol / Reviving the Thylacine from a pickled pup / Call the Midwife:
Return of the gastric brooding frog.
Chapter 6: The King of Rock 'n' Roll
The Malthusian growth model of Elvis / A brief history of human cloning / The Second Comeback Special / Resurrecting humans /
Legal, ethical and technical issues.
Chapter 7: All Shook Up
We are more than our genes / The role of epigenetics / The torrid tale of the Burcardo
Chapter 8: It's Now or Never
Just because we could, should we? The ethics of de-extinction / Likely candidates / The hurdles / The future of conservation / Has Elvis really left the building?
Product details
| Published | 01 Dec 2016 |
|---|---|
| Format | Paperback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 304 |
| ISBN | 9781472912268 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Sigma |
| Dimensions | 216 x 135 mm |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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