Wondrous tales of futuristic science experiments that happen to be true.
A survey of cutting-edge research projects designed to resurrect extinct species.
Swedish science journalist Kornfeldt knows what everyone thinks when they learn that it may be possible to bring ancient animals back to life using edited DNA: Can scientists bring back dinosaurs? Perhaps not so astonishingly in this age of hyperspeed scientific progress, there are people working on it, including the real-life paleontologist who consulted on all of the Jurassic Park movies and whose dinosaur resurrection project is funded by George Lucas. However, as the author ably shows in her first book, dinosaurs aren’t the whole story. Kornfeldt chronicles her many journeys around the world to meet the many researchers who have dedicated their careers to bringing back the dead. From passenger pigeons to wooly mammoths to the Pyrenean ibex, extinct animals (and some plants, too) inspire passion in a certain type of scientist, especially those with access to new DNA extraction and gene-editing techniques. In clear prose absent of jargon, the author relates the challenges and triumphs of the offbeat characters who peer into the genetic material of beings who expired tens of thousands of years ago and work to re-create it. Kornfeldt is excellent at presenting such scenarios with a wary enthusiasm, acknowledging the significant “potential and risks of de-extinction.” She also notes that such research—however magnificent the stakes—may be met with a mixed response from the public when the born-again species are genetically modified organisms and, probably, out of human control once reintroduced in the wild. As she writes, “it remains to be seen how resurrecting a species would work in practice.” The author’s careful synthesis of accomplishment versus aspiration is also spot-on—even world-class scientists will be dreamers, and there is much more research to be conducted before mammoths once again lumber across the tundra.
Wondrous tales of futuristic science experiments that happen to be true.Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-947534-36-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scribe
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
The Johnstown Flood was one of the greatest natural disasters of all time (actually manmade, since it was precipitated by a wealthy country club dam which had long been the source of justified misgivings). This then is a routine rundown of the catastrophe of May 31st, 1889, the biggest news story since Lincoln's murder in which thousands died. The most interesting incidental: a baby floated unharmed in its cradle for eighty miles.... Perhaps of local interest-but it lacks the Lord-ly touch.
Pub Date: March 18, 1968
ISBN: 0671207148
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1968
IN THE NEWS
A media-savvy scientist cleans out his desk.
Tyson (Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, 2017, etc.) receives a great deal of mail, and this slim volume collects his responses and other scraps of writing.
The prolific science commentator and bestselling author, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History, delivers few surprises and much admirable commentary. Readers may suspect that most of these letters date from the author’s earlier years when, a newly minted celebrity, he still thrilled that many of his audience were pouring out their hearts. Consequently, unlike more hardened colleagues, he sought to address their concerns. As years passed, suspecting that many had no interest in tapping his expertise or entering into an intelligent give and take, he undoubtedly made greater use of the waste basket. Tyson eschews pure fan letters, but many of these selections are full of compliments as a prelude to asking advice, pointing out mistakes, proclaiming opposing beliefs, or denouncing him. Readers will also encounter some earnest op-ed pieces and his eyewitness account of 9/11. “I consider myself emotionally strong,” he writes. “What I bore witness to, however, was especially upsetting, with indelible images of horror that will not soon leave my mind.” To crackpots, he gently repeats facts that almost everyone except crackpots accept. Those who have seen ghosts, dead relatives, and Bigfoot learn that eyewitness accounts are often unreliable. Tyson points out that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, so confirmation that a light in the sky represents an alien spacecraft requires more than a photograph. Again and again he defends “science,” and his criteria—observation, repeatable experiments, honest discourse, peer review—are not controversial but will remain easy for zealots to dismiss. Among the instances of “hate mail” and “science deniers,” the author also discusses philosophy, parenting, and schooling.
A media-savvy scientist cleans out his desk.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-324-00331-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
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