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Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History’s Most Iconic Extinct Creatures
Ben Mezrich takes us on an exhilarating true adventure story from the icy terrain of Siberia to the cutting-edge genetic labs of Harvard University. A group of young scientists, under the guidance of Dr. George Church, the most brilliant geneticist of our time, works to make fantasy reality by sequencing the DNA of a frozen woolly mammoth harvested from above the Arctic circle, and splicing elements of that sequence into the DNA of a modern elephant. Will they be able to turn the hybrid cells into a functional embryo and bring the extinct creatures to life in our modern world?
Along with Church and his team of Harvard scientists, a world-famous conservationist and a genius Russian scientist plan to turn a tract of the Siberian tundra into Pleistocene Park, populating the permafrost with ancient herbivores as a hedge against an environmental ticking time bomb.
Along with Church and his team of Harvard scientists, a world-famous conservationist and a genius Russian scientist plan to turn a tract of the Siberian tundra into Pleistocene Park, populating the permafrost with ancient herbivores as a hedge against an environmental ticking time bomb.
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First published July 4, 2017
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About the author
Ben Mezrich
56 books1,463 followersBen Mezrich has created his own highly addictive genre of nonfiction, chronicling the amazing stories of young geniuses making tons of money on the edge of impossibility, ethics, and morality.
With his newest non-fiction book, Once Upon a Time in Russia, Mezrich tells his most incredible story yet: A true drama of obscene wealth, crime, rivalry, and betrayal from deep inside the world of billionaire Russian Oligarchs.
Mezrich has authored sixteen books, with a combined printing of over four million copies, including the wildly successful Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, which spent sixty-three weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and sold over 2 million copies in fifteen languages. His book, The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal – debuted at #4 on the New York Times list and spent 18 weeks in hardcover and paperback, as well as hit bestseller lists in over a dozen countries. The book was adapted into the movie The Social Network –written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher – and was #1 at the box office for two weeks, won Golden Globes for best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best score, and was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning 3 including best Adapted Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin. Mezrich and Aaron Sorkin shared a prestigious Scripter Award for best adapted screenplay as well.
With his newest non-fiction book, Once Upon a Time in Russia, Mezrich tells his most incredible story yet: A true drama of obscene wealth, crime, rivalry, and betrayal from deep inside the world of billionaire Russian Oligarchs.
Mezrich has authored sixteen books, with a combined printing of over four million copies, including the wildly successful Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, which spent sixty-three weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and sold over 2 million copies in fifteen languages. His book, The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal – debuted at #4 on the New York Times list and spent 18 weeks in hardcover and paperback, as well as hit bestseller lists in over a dozen countries. The book was adapted into the movie The Social Network –written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher – and was #1 at the box office for two weeks, won Golden Globes for best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best score, and was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning 3 including best Adapted Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin. Mezrich and Aaron Sorkin shared a prestigious Scripter Award for best adapted screenplay as well.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 462 reviews
May 24, 2017
The story told in this book was fascinating, but I found the creative nonfiction method employed in telling it waaaay too creative. I actually spent the first thirty pages or so trying to make sure the book was actually nonfiction at all. Some Googling proved that, yes, these people are real and are actually doing what the book purports- attempting to de-extinct the woolly mammoth through cutting edge genetic engineering. Fascinating. But the book seemed in such a rush to be fascinating and to set up scenes for the already-optioned movie that it failed to come across as serious. There were even scenes set in the future, after a woolly mammoth has supposedly been created and born. I wanted a bit less creativity and narrative and a few more facts, maybe a footnote or a reference. Intriguing but ultimately too superficial to be satisfying.
June 6, 2017
Mezrich picks interesting topics, I will concede that. Readers may already have heard some years ago that a Harvard lab was working on de-extinction of the Woolly Mammoth. Mezrich brings us up to date on this project; indeed, the first and last chapters in this “nonfiction” are set in the future.
If you are familiar with Mezrich’s writing, the author weights the concept narrative nonfiction heavily on the narrative and fiction sides, ostensibly to stoke momentum and get folks interested. The only problem is that his very good instincts about what is intrinsically an interesting story fights with his method. Sometimes the reader has to thrash through pages of invented dialogue to reach a critical conclusion, a real buzz killer if there ever was one.
But this story works on many levels, and while we are following his careful step-by-step thrust with one eye, our mind is busy on the operations of a lab and the implications of the study for medicine, for wildlife, for every aspect of our visible and invisible world. Mezrich eventually addresses many of these key issues in the text, usually making the science sound responsible and considered.
I started to grow more uncomfortable towards the end of the book, when we are reminded that the science has progressed so far so fast that genomic modifications have escaped the lab environment and can be undertaken in a made-over garage for relatively small costs, and that billionaires of every stripe are lining up to make their money count for something big.
The real excitement of this story is in our imaginations, and what the skills and knowledge of present-day scientists can allow us to imagine. Mezrich places us in fund-raising meetings with billionaires, allowing the most humble among us to enjoy the same stories and sense of excitement that fuels movers and shakers. If the glamour of the whole thing begins to seem suspect at some point, I think you’ve caught my sense of unease.
Mezrich shares the history of the project, including the work by Nikita Zimov in Northern Siberia, determining that wooly mammoths seemed to have played a role in preserving the permafrost levels of the tundra, by upturning the soil and exposing lower layers to the freezing temperatures. His father, Sergey Zimov, apparently theorized that reestablishing animal herds that roamed Siberia earlier in human history might play a role in keeping escaping carbon and methane, now sequestered in permafrost, from accelerating the speed at which the earth warms.
The fact that woolly mammoth remains are discovered regularly now in thawing and melting ice and snow of the north is something I had not known. The ancient ivory from the tusks is not protected and is therefore an important source of income for hunters, sold in lieu of protected elephant tusks, for the same reasons, to the same buyers.
The scientists involved in the story at one of the Church labs at Harvard are fascinating individuals in their own right, each with a backstory that only fuels our interest. The project has been going on long enough now that the twenty-something personnel involved at the beginning of the project are turning it over to others, younger ones still, to ensure continuity of skills on such a forward-looking project. The whole concept and execution of the mammoth idea is sufficiently…mammoth…and complex enough to make readers feel as though they have been subtly changed by the experience.
If you are familiar with Mezrich’s writing, the author weights the concept narrative nonfiction heavily on the narrative and fiction sides, ostensibly to stoke momentum and get folks interested. The only problem is that his very good instincts about what is intrinsically an interesting story fights with his method. Sometimes the reader has to thrash through pages of invented dialogue to reach a critical conclusion, a real buzz killer if there ever was one.
But this story works on many levels, and while we are following his careful step-by-step thrust with one eye, our mind is busy on the operations of a lab and the implications of the study for medicine, for wildlife, for every aspect of our visible and invisible world. Mezrich eventually addresses many of these key issues in the text, usually making the science sound responsible and considered.
I started to grow more uncomfortable towards the end of the book, when we are reminded that the science has progressed so far so fast that genomic modifications have escaped the lab environment and can be undertaken in a made-over garage for relatively small costs, and that billionaires of every stripe are lining up to make their money count for something big.
The real excitement of this story is in our imaginations, and what the skills and knowledge of present-day scientists can allow us to imagine. Mezrich places us in fund-raising meetings with billionaires, allowing the most humble among us to enjoy the same stories and sense of excitement that fuels movers and shakers. If the glamour of the whole thing begins to seem suspect at some point, I think you’ve caught my sense of unease.
Mezrich shares the history of the project, including the work by Nikita Zimov in Northern Siberia, determining that wooly mammoths seemed to have played a role in preserving the permafrost levels of the tundra, by upturning the soil and exposing lower layers to the freezing temperatures. His father, Sergey Zimov, apparently theorized that reestablishing animal herds that roamed Siberia earlier in human history might play a role in keeping escaping carbon and methane, now sequestered in permafrost, from accelerating the speed at which the earth warms.
The fact that woolly mammoth remains are discovered regularly now in thawing and melting ice and snow of the north is something I had not known. The ancient ivory from the tusks is not protected and is therefore an important source of income for hunters, sold in lieu of protected elephant tusks, for the same reasons, to the same buyers.
The scientists involved in the story at one of the Church labs at Harvard are fascinating individuals in their own right, each with a backstory that only fuels our interest. The project has been going on long enough now that the twenty-something personnel involved at the beginning of the project are turning it over to others, younger ones still, to ensure continuity of skills on such a forward-looking project. The whole concept and execution of the mammoth idea is sufficiently…mammoth…and complex enough to make readers feel as though they have been subtly changed by the experience.
March 27, 2021
. . . "it's only science fiction until we remove the fiction. Then it becomes real."
Mezrich's book offers an interesting look at one scientific team's efforts to bring back the Woolly Mammoth.
They weren't going to clone a Woolly Mammoth. They were going to make one. They weren't going to transfer genetic material from a frozen carcass, they were going to create the material in a dish and implant it within a living elephant cell.
The book reads like a novel, and definitely entertains, though the text seems light on real facts. There's no satisfying ending to the tale, other than to say we won't be booking our tickets to Pleistocene Park any time soon . . .
Mezrich's book offers an interesting look at one scientific team's efforts to bring back the Woolly Mammoth.
They weren't going to clone a Woolly Mammoth. They were going to make one. They weren't going to transfer genetic material from a frozen carcass, they were going to create the material in a dish and implant it within a living elephant cell.
The book reads like a novel, and definitely entertains, though the text seems light on real facts. There's no satisfying ending to the tale, other than to say we won't be booking our tickets to Pleistocene Park any time soon . . .
December 16, 2024
3.5 Stars
As someone fascinated by the topic of resurrecting extinct animals, I was engrossed in the factual elements of this book. However I wasn't prepared for how much this book would dive into the personal backgrounds of the scientists working on this book.
I wish this book had more conclusions but ultimately this is a subject that is still in limbo (or at least was at the time of publication). I will need to do my own research to see where this is at now.
As someone fascinated by the topic of resurrecting extinct animals, I was engrossed in the factual elements of this book. However I wasn't prepared for how much this book would dive into the personal backgrounds of the scientists working on this book.
I wish this book had more conclusions but ultimately this is a subject that is still in limbo (or at least was at the time of publication). I will need to do my own research to see where this is at now.
July 16, 2019
Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History's Most Iconic Extinct Creatures is mostly about the hows and whys, with a little bit about the shoulds?. It provides a good starting point for the layman who's interested in genetics. This could also work as the biography of geneticist George Church.
June 28, 2020
I found this nonfiction book about the science project to bring back the woolly mammoth amazing! We've all seen the famous Jurassic Park and how they created dinosaurs in the movie, but this book explains how scientists could do it for real - but it would be with mammoths instead of dinosaurs.
Now I like science and I think you should like science or at least be curious about it to read this book. There's a lot of science in here with lots of big words and talk about DNA and petri dishes. Luckily it's written in a very easy to read way. In fact I found the writing style smooth flowing. I didn't expect to get hooked on this book from page one but I did! I just couldn't put it down (and I had only intended to glance at the opening chapter)... You don't really need to be a scientist to read this but a very basic idea of what DNA is would be helpful.
Basically this is the life story of the scientist named George Church..in many ways it's a biography as the book tells his story on how he set out to bring the Mammoth back to life..now I'm not one for reading biographies! But I actually loved this one! Why? I liked reading about his problems in the lab and how he solved them. I just found it so interesting! There are also chapters on how they dig up the remains of extinct animals in the far north, places like Siberia.
And the bits about the animals were fascinating!! I had no idea that a pasture kept the earth cooler than a forest or a jungle! Or that herd animals had anything to do with the permafrost. I just loved this little tibits! And there's a few others scattered throughout the book, too, but that one was my favorite. Apparently large herds serve a purpose and it's better for the environment.
And it's amazing to think there are scientists out there right now busy working on this. I had heard about the project for the dino-chicken but I hadn't heard about this one!
The book also covers other science projects like how to tackle lime disease on Nantucket and another project about mosquitoes.
A great read! I'm glad I found this book!
Now I like science and I think you should like science or at least be curious about it to read this book. There's a lot of science in here with lots of big words and talk about DNA and petri dishes. Luckily it's written in a very easy to read way. In fact I found the writing style smooth flowing. I didn't expect to get hooked on this book from page one but I did! I just couldn't put it down (and I had only intended to glance at the opening chapter)... You don't really need to be a scientist to read this but a very basic idea of what DNA is would be helpful.
Basically this is the life story of the scientist named George Church..in many ways it's a biography as the book tells his story on how he set out to bring the Mammoth back to life..now I'm not one for reading biographies! But I actually loved this one! Why? I liked reading about his problems in the lab and how he solved them. I just found it so interesting! There are also chapters on how they dig up the remains of extinct animals in the far north, places like Siberia.
And the bits about the animals were fascinating!! I had no idea that a pasture kept the earth cooler than a forest or a jungle! Or that herd animals had anything to do with the permafrost. I just loved this little tibits! And there's a few others scattered throughout the book, too, but that one was my favorite. Apparently large herds serve a purpose and it's better for the environment.
And it's amazing to think there are scientists out there right now busy working on this. I had heard about the project for the dino-chicken but I hadn't heard about this one!
The book also covers other science projects like how to tackle lime disease on Nantucket and another project about mosquitoes.
A great read! I'm glad I found this book!
September 14, 2017
A great overview of what's been happening in the mammoth restoration project. Is there a satisfying conclusion? Or course not, unless I missed that mammoth herd from the latest Discovery Channel documentary. This is a work in progress - a tediously complicated task of figuring out how to bring back an animal that's been extinct for thousands of years, and whose DNA is not readily available to the science to play with. This is not a cloning project per se, but a reconstruction effort - a reverse engineering, an invention of the wheel lost to time. It's truly fascinating.
If you are considering picking up this book for yourself, please consider what your expectations are. More than anything Woolly is true to it's tagline: "the Quest to Revive". Therefore you will learn more about the scientists involved and hurdles they go through every day, instead of getting to the nitty-gritty descriptions of genetic manipulations. Woolly is a story of humans working on mammoths, not a biology class on the extinct animal. You will not learn a lot of actual science, but you will understand what challenges are being faced and what creative solutions are being used. The author uses quite a literary style for his nonfiction, which might throw some people off, but I enjoyed seeing the relatable side of the top scientists that might come off unapproachable otherwise.
And just for fun, perhaps we are getting closer to getting that pesky DNA: Controversial T. Rex Soft Tissue Find Finally Explained [Live Science]
If you are considering picking up this book for yourself, please consider what your expectations are. More than anything Woolly is true to it's tagline: "the Quest to Revive". Therefore you will learn more about the scientists involved and hurdles they go through every day, instead of getting to the nitty-gritty descriptions of genetic manipulations. Woolly is a story of humans working on mammoths, not a biology class on the extinct animal. You will not learn a lot of actual science, but you will understand what challenges are being faced and what creative solutions are being used. The author uses quite a literary style for his nonfiction, which might throw some people off, but I enjoyed seeing the relatable side of the top scientists that might come off unapproachable otherwise.
And just for fun, perhaps we are getting closer to getting that pesky DNA: Controversial T. Rex Soft Tissue Find Finally Explained [Live Science]
August 31, 2017
The topic of the book is an interesting story of science, and the central figure, George Church, truly is brilliant and awesome. I actually use some of the techniques mentioned in the book in my own work. However, the story is told in such an over-dramatic, hyperbolic style as to be nearly unreadable. Mezrich has really done his subject a disservice. It doesn't help that his depiction of science is of the same ilk as CSI. I'm sorry, but it's not as whiz bang as all that. All in all, a major miss.
January 2, 2021
This was such an interesting book. The science is beyond my understanding, for the most part, but it was presented in an accessible way—enough that I was able to engage and understand the lab work.
This read much like a novel; its structure is unique and compelling and driven as much by character as the story itself.
A+
This read much like a novel; its structure is unique and compelling and driven as much by character as the story itself.
A+
Want to read
July 4, 2017Literally this was my fantasy while ignoring the teachers in AP bio. I have wanted a woolly mammoth since I was a little girl, and I am 100% on board for this.
#thedreamlives
#thedreamlives
June 5, 2021
Loss of one star and a public flogging for the use of iconic in the subtitle.
Other than that, this was fun. There's no extinct species I'd rather see Jurassic-Parkified than the mammoth. The book was a bit too heavy on the creative nonfiction side of the scale, but there's such a sci-fi feel to the deextinction endeavor that it kinda works for a popular treatment of the subject. I believe that any kind of human or chimerical human cloning is morally off limits, but I think there's more room for tinkering with animal DNA. Especially where we broke things, e.g., the passenger pigeon, I think it makes sense for us to try to fix them. (We've broken ourselves most dramatically, but, unlike the critters, we need a Savior to fix us.) I'd be interested in a more knowledgeable, thoughtful examination of the ethics in view of the Dominion Mandate, though.
The author did a decent job narrating, and it was fun to have Church's and Brand's voices at the end.
Other than that, this was fun. There's no extinct species I'd rather see Jurassic-Parkified than the mammoth. The book was a bit too heavy on the creative nonfiction side of the scale, but there's such a sci-fi feel to the deextinction endeavor that it kinda works for a popular treatment of the subject. I believe that any kind of human or chimerical human cloning is morally off limits, but I think there's more room for tinkering with animal DNA. Especially where we broke things, e.g., the passenger pigeon, I think it makes sense for us to try to fix them. (We've broken ourselves most dramatically, but, unlike the critters, we need a Savior to fix us.) I'd be interested in a more knowledgeable, thoughtful examination of the ethics in view of the Dominion Mandate, though.
The author did a decent job narrating, and it was fun to have Church's and Brand's voices at the end.
July 3, 2018
It's impossible to fight your way through the filler in this book in order to get to any science. This is not what I wanted.
August 30, 2021
Started out fantastic for first third of the book. Slowed way down, story got rather lost in all the technical jargon. Less than satisfying ending. Last 40% of book was just citations and index.
December 1, 2025
I guess there just wasn’t enough content to fill an entire book. About 25% was really interesting, but the other 75% felt like painfully boring filler.
Read
October 4, 2017I don't think I'm going to keep reading this book, barely even nonfiction. I was very uncomfortable with the novelistic invented dialogue and scene setting, all of which is unnecessary if the source material is interesting.
June 12, 2024
The only good thing I can say about this is it’s short. I hate having to dig through a bunch of made-up scenarios to get to the facts. If this had been a regular borrow I would have just returned after reading a couple of reviews but it was a Hoopla borrow and I hate wasting one of those. So I wasted my time instead. Stupid. There have got to be better books out there on de-extinction science. I have a couple lined up so fingers crossed they’re better.
July 21, 2017
Creative nonfiction chronicling the work of geneticists on current research about the woolly mammoth. Unfortunately, the book is light on facts and only superficially addresses questions of ethics, funding, scientific philosophies, etc. Not awful, but not stimulating either.
January 16, 2018
Fascinating look at the science of genetics and a project that may one day bring the Woolly Mammoth back to life.
August 21, 2017
I was hoping for something different. perhaps that colored my opinion. not that good. as I said, hoped it would be different
September 24, 2019
This felt clumsily written and half-told. Only cool for random mammoth facts.
Also this guy is way too high on Harvard's supply. Get over it!
Also this guy is way too high on Harvard's supply. Get over it!
February 7, 2018
The juice wasn’t worth the squeeze on this one.... not his best topic. Highlight was learning a little more about the cloning vs DNA alteration options when it comes to bringing back the extinct.
#hardpass
#hardpass
December 17, 2017
Super weird style mixing fact with fiction, just too many liberties taken with this. Made it 80 pages before moving on to something else.
October 14, 2018
Shortly after starting this book, I admit I was thinking that it was the mammal version of Crichton Jurassic Park. It read like an adventure story. The surprising part is that this is a non-fiction book about George Church and his work (as well as his lab assistants and research team) into actually reviving a woolly mammoth.
It skips around quite a bit especially in the beginning as it goes through his childhood, his early college/university years, earning his degrees and the early research projects. He is renown for his work in genetic sequencing which this book focuses on since it is only due to genetic manipulation will the mammoth ever return.
It also goes into why scientists are working on reviving the mammoth - beyond the bragging rights, awards, acclaim and millions if the company can reproduce the process with other animals - and it is about surprisingly, climate change and some Russian scientists working on bringing cold-resistant animals back to the arctic. Apparently, the presence of large herbivores worked the permafrost areas and the re-introduction of the mammoths would slow its melting. For a full explanation, I definitely recommend reading the book.
It ends - and this really isn't a spoiler - supposedly 'three years from today' (the book was published in 2017) with one of the Russian tundra scientists watching through the fog and low clouds, a large creature steadily approaching.
It is wistful thinking that the re-emergence of a mammoth would take a mere 3 years especially when elephant gestation is nearly two years even if everything worked out perfectly. If it had actually happened, I think it would push most news off the front page for quite some time.
Admittedly, this is a fast moving book that basically can suck you in.
It skips around quite a bit especially in the beginning as it goes through his childhood, his early college/university years, earning his degrees and the early research projects. He is renown for his work in genetic sequencing which this book focuses on since it is only due to genetic manipulation will the mammoth ever return.
It also goes into why scientists are working on reviving the mammoth - beyond the bragging rights, awards, acclaim and millions if the company can reproduce the process with other animals - and it is about surprisingly, climate change and some Russian scientists working on bringing cold-resistant animals back to the arctic. Apparently, the presence of large herbivores worked the permafrost areas and the re-introduction of the mammoths would slow its melting. For a full explanation, I definitely recommend reading the book.
It ends - and this really isn't a spoiler - supposedly 'three years from today' (the book was published in 2017) with one of the Russian tundra scientists watching through the fog and low clouds, a large creature steadily approaching.
It is wistful thinking that the re-emergence of a mammoth would take a mere 3 years especially when elephant gestation is nearly two years even if everything worked out perfectly. If it had actually happened, I think it would push most news off the front page for quite some time.
Admittedly, this is a fast moving book that basically can suck you in.
February 17, 2018
Wow! I don't know whether to be fascinated or frightened by the genetic engineering possibilities that are out there. Equally interesting is the story of each and every person featured in the book. They give a better understanding of why scientists are so fascinated by bioengineering. There are both ethical and environmental issues to ponder. Scientists seem to feel that re-introducing the woolly mammoth could prevent further destruction of permafrost and thus prevent the emission of greenhouse gases that will be overwhelming if we lose the permafrost. There is much to ponder; much to be excited about and much to fear. I also enjoyed hearing the scientists' voices presenting some important points in the end of the book. This is an audio book not to be missed. You don't have to be into science or science fiction to enjoy this book that outlines our future.
August 18, 2018
Wow. What a great book! I learned so much and supremely enjoying the story telling. This is the first book by Ben Mezrich that I read but it won't be the last.
The topic of course is of great interest to me. Science, genetics and conservation combined with stories about a vast assortment of actors at play in these areas. The connection of how the resurrection of the woolly mammoth "will help to defuse the ticking time bomb hidden in the frozen north" is fascinating to me.
The tremendous respect that Ben has for Dr. George Church, who is responsible for cutting-edge genetic labs at Harvard University, is clearly evident in his writing. After reading this book, I can understand why he does.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand more about genetics and some of the major players in this sphere.
The topic of course is of great interest to me. Science, genetics and conservation combined with stories about a vast assortment of actors at play in these areas. The connection of how the resurrection of the woolly mammoth "will help to defuse the ticking time bomb hidden in the frozen north" is fascinating to me.
The tremendous respect that Ben has for Dr. George Church, who is responsible for cutting-edge genetic labs at Harvard University, is clearly evident in his writing. After reading this book, I can understand why he does.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand more about genetics and some of the major players in this sphere.
June 27, 2018
This is the best book I've read in a while. It deals with the work Sergey and Nikita Zimov are doing to convert the arctic back to pasture land as it was in the Pleistocene and avert the global methane disaster from the melting of the permafrost. Their work dovetails with the work done by Allan Savory and echos the Permaculture Movement. It is controversial because it reverses the conceived cause and effect of climate change and desertification. Perhaps land use is the cause of desertification.
I once read an article which claimed that septuagenarians that continued competitive running lived longer. Well Duh!
I once read an article which claimed that septuagenarians that continued competitive running lived longer. Well Duh!
October 26, 2020
The most interesting thing about this book is the fact that it is written like a story, while also teaching you about the science of genetic engineering. However, the book does not do a perfect job of being a story while also teaching the reader. For instance, many times throughout the book the story pauses to explain something, and it takes quite a while for the story to unpause. Although, it is still very impressive that the author was able to make facts and articles into an interesting story in the first place. The book is fun to read, and almost never gets boring. It will tell you a lot about genetic engineering and it will do it in an interesting way. I would highly recommend this.
June 16, 2022
Honestly loved this book and the way it was written/narrated. I have a weakness for science related books/audiobooks of all kinds and since I'm no genius scientist myself I really appreciate when the books are written in an accessible way for most general audiences. This one in particular is written like a novel and has a wonderful pace.
5 exciting genetic experiments out of 5 scary genetic experiments
5 exciting genetic experiments out of 5 scary genetic experiments
July 27, 2017
This is creative non-fiction, not straight-up non-fiction. I knew that going in but this book goes way beyond the boundaries of CNF and is mostly entirely a fictional novel based on real info. More like speculative fiction. I couldn't get past the first 50 pages. I skimmed around further ahead and wasn't seeing much different so I bailed - and I rarely bail on a book.
May 15, 2018
Neat science story about the process (and rationale) of reviving the mammoth and other extinct species, and the characters involved in recent attempts. I hope to see a mammoth in my lifetime, and of course I am one of those annoying persons discussed in the book who'd appreciate a miniature version to keep as pets, as well!
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