Bring Back the King
by Helen Pilcher
If you could bring back just one animal from the past, what would you choose? It can be anyone or anything from history, from the King of the Dinosaurs, T. rex, to the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley, and beyond.
De-extinction - the ability to bring extinct species back to life - is fast becoming reality. Around the globe, scientists are trying to de-extinct all manner of animals, including the woolly mammoth, the passenger pigeon and a bizarre species of flatulent frog. But de-extinction is more than just bringing back the dead. It's a science that can be used to save species, shape evolution and sculpt the future of life on our planet.
In Bring Back the King, scientist and comedy writer Helen Pilcher goes on a quest to identify the perfect de-extinction candidate. Along the way, she asks if Elvis could be recreated from the DNA inside a pickled wart, investigates whether it's possible to raise a pet dodo, and considers the odds of a 21st century Neanderthal turning heads on public transport.
Pondering the practicalities and the point of de-extinction, Bring Back the King is a witty and wry exploration of what is bound to become one of the hottest topics in conservation - if not in science as a whole - in the years to come. READ THIS BOOK - the King commands it.
Paperback
English
Brand New
Notes
Scientist and comedy writer Helen Pilcher goes on a quest to identify the perfect de-extinction candidate.
Author Biography
Helen Pilcher was a stand-up comedian for more than ten years, before the arrival of children meant she couldn't physically stay awake beyond 9pm. During this time, she performed at the Edinburgh comedy festival, at London's Comedy Store, and at various smoky pubs and clubs across Britain. She was a finalist for Jongleurs New Act of the Year (1998, 1999), the BBC New Stand Up Competition (1999) and Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny (1999). In 2002, she teamed up with fellow comedian Timandra Harkness to write and perform 'The Comedy Research Project' a stand-up comedy show commissioned for the very first Cheltenham Science Festival.
Unusually, Helen is also a professional science writer, with a PhD in stem-cell biology. She was formerly a journalist for Nature online, specialising in genetics; before that, she ran the Science in Society programme at the Royal Society, and before that, she worked as a senior scientist for a biotechnology company, engineering a series of human stem cell lines for transplantation into damaged human brains, this following on from her doctoral research into stem-cell therapy for Alzheimer's disease.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: Bringin' It Back
1. King of the Dinosaurs
2. King of the Cavemen
3. King of the Ice Age
4. King of the Birds
5. King of Down Under
6. King of Rock 'n' Roll
7. Blue Christmas
8. I Just Can't Help Believing
9. Now You See It ...
Key References: A Little Less Conversation a Little More Reading
Acknowledgements
Index
Review
Pilcher's wit shines through ... You will be left with a newfound respect for conservationists' hands-on methods of preserving genetic material. * Sunday Times * A friendly tour of genetics and cloning, with a bit of history thrown in. * Wall Street Journal * Science at its funniest! -- Sara Pascoe, writer and comedian Is likely to make you think and chuckle in equal measure. * How it Works * A fluid and witty writer; up there with Bill Bryson. -- Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, science commentator, author and presenter Blending the very latest de-extinction technology with cloning, and hard-core popular science with levity, this charming book will generate a lot of thoughtful discussion and a chuckle or two. * Forbes.com * Leaping off the page are insights into many charismatic and neglected species, and the amazing humans who fight to preserve our future. This revolution will inspire our generation the way that voyages of the Beagle and Apollo have before it. -- George Church, Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Director of PersonalGenomes.org Pilcher asks provocative questions about both the nature of science and what it means to be human. * Publisher's Weekly *
Long 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.
Review Quote
With humour and accuracy, Helen Pilcher surveys the wondrous array of wildlife de-extinction and preservation projects that employ current breakthroughs in genomic technology. (Plus Elvis, who was a different kind of wild.)
Promotional "Headline"
A unique blend of the science of de-extinction, cloning and comedy
Feature
Rigorously researched, scientifically accurate, very funny
Details
