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Shrinking the Cat: Genetic Engineering Before We Knew About Genes
In this timely and controversial work, Sue Hubbell contends that the concept of genetic engineering is anything but new, for humans have been tinkering with genetics for centuries. Focusing on four specific examples — corn, silkworms, domestic cats, and apples — she traces the histories of species that have been fundamentally altered over the centuries by the whims and needs of people.
175 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
155 people want to read
About the author
Sue Hubbell
18 books105 followersSue Hubbell is a graduate of the Universtiy of Southern California. She received a master's degree in library science from the Drexel Institute of Technology and was a librarian at Brown University. In addition to her books she has written for Time Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, The New Yorker, the New York Times and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She currently resides in Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 6, 2008
What a fine book. The result of a relentless curiosity about the world around us and a keen mind. It seems that Hubbell has built a dream life where she spends much of her time exploring and thinking about the natural world and it is our fortune that she writes so well and is willing to share her observations...about cats, apples and err.. silkworms.
Like it or not this is the stuff genetic engineering is made of and Hubbell seeks to reconcile our inner edenic impulses with the seductive razor of wild science. At the very least she brings everyone along the spectrum to the negotiating table, implicating us all mad scientists so that we might better understand what our choices are going into the future.
but my favorite part of this book is the lovely stories she tells of silkworms smuggled in the coiffures of princesses and the luxuriant genetic promiscuity of apples. ive always believed in the inherent poetry of science and this book and books like it will be my proof if ever i am called upon to witness.
Like it or not this is the stuff genetic engineering is made of and Hubbell seeks to reconcile our inner edenic impulses with the seductive razor of wild science. At the very least she brings everyone along the spectrum to the negotiating table, implicating us all mad scientists so that we might better understand what our choices are going into the future.
but my favorite part of this book is the lovely stories she tells of silkworms smuggled in the coiffures of princesses and the luxuriant genetic promiscuity of apples. ive always believed in the inherent poetry of science and this book and books like it will be my proof if ever i am called upon to witness.
August 22, 2012
To heck with the cats, they made a rabbit glow in the dark!
I read this so hard I almost ate it!
I read this so hard I almost ate it!
August 10, 2019
Maybe genetic engineering is not as scary as some people think
Sue Hubbell writes natural history as though it were an art form. She is as careful as a poet in the words she uses, and she expresses her sentiments like a classicist, with restraint and the long view. Here her purpose is to turn down the heat in the debate about genetic engineering by pointing out that we humans have been engineering plants and animals for thousands of years. She writes, for example, that "inserting a Bt gene into corn was not nearly as big a deal as creating corn in the first place. was a very big deal." (p. 34)
A "Bt" gene is from the bacterium, Bacilllus thuringiensis, that produces a toxin that kills moths. It also kills monarch butterflies, and Hubbell is giving her reaction to what she terms the "FRANKENFOOD KILLS BUTTERFLIES!!!!" story (p. 22-23) from a few years ago. In short, Hubbell thinks that we have already done a whole lot of genetic engineering and that what we are doing today is just a continuation of that. She warns against unintended consequences of genetic modifications, but she is not alarmed. She writes, "This is an interesting and hopeful time in which to live, even more so to be born into. Our grandchildren are lucky. We are rapidly acquiring knowledge, if not yet understanding, of the genetic basis of life." (p. 159)
Well, I'm not alarmed either, but there is no denying that transgenetic organisms will escape from our farms and ranches and mate up with other creatures in the wild, and there will indeed be those "unintended consequences" that we are warned about. Hubbell calls this the "problem of limits: How do we limit the effects of six billion of our kind on the rest of the world and avoid making alterations that harm other kinds of life and change the world so drastically that we can no longer live in it ourselves?" (p. xii)
Good question, and her answer is we have to "develop a deep, broad, and sensitive understanding" of the processes of life and "marry [that understanding]...to a broadened ecological intelligence." (pp. 159-160) And I suppose whether we are likely to do that or not really depends on whether one is an optimist or a pessimist. Clearly Hubbell is an optimist.
Hubbell writes primarily about corn, silkworms, cats, and apples in four easy to read and interesting chapters. We learn how the silk industry began in China and how attempts were made again and again, often by government fiat, to transplant the farms to other places in the world, including the United States, and how most attempts failed. We learn how corn was cultivated from teosinte and turned into the biggest agricultural crop in the US, in no small part because corn syrup has become the sweetener of choice by the American food industry, particularly in sodas and snack foods. But what I want to know is what happened to the delicious and tender sweet (but not too sweet) yellow corn that came into the supermarkets every year? Now what we get is white, bland, too sweet and nearly tasteless. As Hubbell points out, sometimes what happens is crops are modified for appearance and shelf life and favor is sacrificed. She gives the example of the red delicious apple that really is beautiful to look at, but too bland to be called delicious.
Incidentally is it interesting to compare her chapter on apples with that by Michael Pollan in his The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World (2001). Pretty much the same story is told of how apples do not develop to type from seed but need to be grafted; and how every once in a great while a tree grown from seed will indeed result in something very tasty. Whereas Pollan had some fun debunking the Johnny Appleseed mythology while pointing out that most apples in those days were grown to be made into hard cider, Hubbell contents herself with mentioning that hard (and soft cider, she adds) were one of the few things people could drink that were safe.
In the chapter on cats we learn that cats have shrunk as a consequence of their domestication; indeed they have smaller skulls and smaller brains. However, Hubbell writes, "Just because...cats...have been genetically modified...it does not follow that they are any less than their wild cousins." (p. 94) This reminds me of the idea that domesticated animals in general are (and need to be) "dumber" than their wild relatives. Hubbell references Helmut Hemmer's Domestication: The Decline of Environmental Appreciation (1990) as explaining that domesticated cats can be tame because their "brain centers for sensitivity to changes in sound and movement are reduced," making them "less jumpy" and "able to accept the fact that sometimes twigs snap." (p. 92) This reminds me of one of my pet theories that domesticated humans (perhaps I should say "self-domesticated") are not as smart as we once were when we roamed the savannahs and made our living hunting and gathering. To live in our crowded cities with all the noise, crowding, pollution, etc., we must needs have our "environmental appreciation" turned down, otherwise we might suffer from sensory overload. It might be that part of the price we pay to be civilized is to be dumbed down.
I would enthusiastically give this book five stars, but it is rather short (160 pp; about 45,000 words). Sue Hubbell said her previous book Waiting for Aphrodite would be her last, but then she got interested in the public debate over genetically engineering and so wrote this book. I predict she will write another; at least I hope she does. Her eloquent and reasoned tone about a subject that stirs so much emotion is welcome and needed.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
Sue Hubbell writes natural history as though it were an art form. She is as careful as a poet in the words she uses, and she expresses her sentiments like a classicist, with restraint and the long view. Here her purpose is to turn down the heat in the debate about genetic engineering by pointing out that we humans have been engineering plants and animals for thousands of years. She writes, for example, that "inserting a Bt gene into corn was not nearly as big a deal as creating corn in the first place. was a very big deal." (p. 34)
A "Bt" gene is from the bacterium, Bacilllus thuringiensis, that produces a toxin that kills moths. It also kills monarch butterflies, and Hubbell is giving her reaction to what she terms the "FRANKENFOOD KILLS BUTTERFLIES!!!!" story (p. 22-23) from a few years ago. In short, Hubbell thinks that we have already done a whole lot of genetic engineering and that what we are doing today is just a continuation of that. She warns against unintended consequences of genetic modifications, but she is not alarmed. She writes, "This is an interesting and hopeful time in which to live, even more so to be born into. Our grandchildren are lucky. We are rapidly acquiring knowledge, if not yet understanding, of the genetic basis of life." (p. 159)
Well, I'm not alarmed either, but there is no denying that transgenetic organisms will escape from our farms and ranches and mate up with other creatures in the wild, and there will indeed be those "unintended consequences" that we are warned about. Hubbell calls this the "problem of limits: How do we limit the effects of six billion of our kind on the rest of the world and avoid making alterations that harm other kinds of life and change the world so drastically that we can no longer live in it ourselves?" (p. xii)
Good question, and her answer is we have to "develop a deep, broad, and sensitive understanding" of the processes of life and "marry [that understanding]...to a broadened ecological intelligence." (pp. 159-160) And I suppose whether we are likely to do that or not really depends on whether one is an optimist or a pessimist. Clearly Hubbell is an optimist.
Hubbell writes primarily about corn, silkworms, cats, and apples in four easy to read and interesting chapters. We learn how the silk industry began in China and how attempts were made again and again, often by government fiat, to transplant the farms to other places in the world, including the United States, and how most attempts failed. We learn how corn was cultivated from teosinte and turned into the biggest agricultural crop in the US, in no small part because corn syrup has become the sweetener of choice by the American food industry, particularly in sodas and snack foods. But what I want to know is what happened to the delicious and tender sweet (but not too sweet) yellow corn that came into the supermarkets every year? Now what we get is white, bland, too sweet and nearly tasteless. As Hubbell points out, sometimes what happens is crops are modified for appearance and shelf life and favor is sacrificed. She gives the example of the red delicious apple that really is beautiful to look at, but too bland to be called delicious.
Incidentally is it interesting to compare her chapter on apples with that by Michael Pollan in his The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World (2001). Pretty much the same story is told of how apples do not develop to type from seed but need to be grafted; and how every once in a great while a tree grown from seed will indeed result in something very tasty. Whereas Pollan had some fun debunking the Johnny Appleseed mythology while pointing out that most apples in those days were grown to be made into hard cider, Hubbell contents herself with mentioning that hard (and soft cider, she adds) were one of the few things people could drink that were safe.
In the chapter on cats we learn that cats have shrunk as a consequence of their domestication; indeed they have smaller skulls and smaller brains. However, Hubbell writes, "Just because...cats...have been genetically modified...it does not follow that they are any less than their wild cousins." (p. 94) This reminds me of the idea that domesticated animals in general are (and need to be) "dumber" than their wild relatives. Hubbell references Helmut Hemmer's Domestication: The Decline of Environmental Appreciation (1990) as explaining that domesticated cats can be tame because their "brain centers for sensitivity to changes in sound and movement are reduced," making them "less jumpy" and "able to accept the fact that sometimes twigs snap." (p. 92) This reminds me of one of my pet theories that domesticated humans (perhaps I should say "self-domesticated") are not as smart as we once were when we roamed the savannahs and made our living hunting and gathering. To live in our crowded cities with all the noise, crowding, pollution, etc., we must needs have our "environmental appreciation" turned down, otherwise we might suffer from sensory overload. It might be that part of the price we pay to be civilized is to be dumbed down.
I would enthusiastically give this book five stars, but it is rather short (160 pp; about 45,000 words). Sue Hubbell said her previous book Waiting for Aphrodite would be her last, but then she got interested in the public debate over genetically engineering and so wrote this book. I predict she will write another; at least I hope she does. Her eloquent and reasoned tone about a subject that stirs so much emotion is welcome and needed.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
April 11, 2012
This book comes from the perspective that genetic engineering has been going on for all time and therefore, perhaps it is not as frightening a prospect in and of itself as the newspaper headlines might lead us to believe. The author notes that as a species, we are the "fiddlingest animal the world has ever seen" and that we are just now at the point of questioning how all of our meddling is impacting the rest of the planet. The question of limits is provacatively explored, and caution is urged. Scientific and matter of fact. Interesting, but I had to take it in small bites.
May 19, 2017
This was cute, and one of those books I read because I like to pretend I understand science. In complete laymen's terms, this book looks at four species (house cats, silkworms, apples, and corn) that were "created" by humans. The writing is very anecdotal, which is entertaining, although I could have gone for a little more real scientific information, maybe a little more contrasting what people thought then, and what we know now. But really, what do I expect when I pick out a science book based on the cute kitty on the cover?
September 1, 2025
I know on the surface, you might think you'll only learn about silkworms and the history of silk, cats and their domestication, and apples--but I promise it's fascinating. I learned some stuff, and that's always a good thing.
March 16, 2025
Picked this up in a delightful little used book shop, and I’m so glad I did. Hubbell writes about corn, cats, and apples with a genuine warmth, curiosity, and sense of history.
October 16, 2014
This book is not a bestseller, and probably not well known, but it is one that deserves to be. As an author of similar books, like “Waiting for Aphrodite”, Sue Hubbell created this book at a time of controversy, when the talk of genetic engineering was at its highest. This book was written to explain that the concept of genetic engineering is not as harmful as it sounds—we’ve been doing it for thousands of years! “Shrinking the Cat” is a fairly brief text that describes the human, and natural, processes of genetic engineering. By using the histories of corn, silkworms, cats, and apples, Hubbell interestingly tells her audience about this controversial scientific topic and teaches us that genetic engineering is not that harmful, terrifying thing that the media sometimes makes it out to be.
Throughout my life, I was never one to read the nonfiction section of the library, and be enthralled with the books I read. But, this book was a pleasant surprise. “Cat” makes reading a scientific topic like genetic engineering more interesting for the average reader, and also simple and easy to understand. Several concepts found in the book, like the founder effect and genetics, are explained more simply than the average nonfiction science-based book. Hubbell’s points are solid and are well supported, so even the staunchest opponent toward processes like genetic engineering would be able to understand her side of the argument. She helps the reader learn that genetic engineering is an ancient process, even if our ancestors didn’t know that’s what it was, and because of that, we wouldn’t have many of the things we have today (like apples) without it. She also tells the history of genetic engineering thoughtfully and without the tone of great formality and speaks to the reader, like a teacher generally would a student.
I will admit to say this book will probably not be for everyone. I only say this because I know that some are not that interested in topics such as this and nonfiction is not a topic they generally choose (like myself), but it is definitely worth the read. If you are interested in genetics and biology, but yet not that interested in nonfiction works, “Shrinking the Cat” by Sue Hubbell is for you.
Throughout my life, I was never one to read the nonfiction section of the library, and be enthralled with the books I read. But, this book was a pleasant surprise. “Cat” makes reading a scientific topic like genetic engineering more interesting for the average reader, and also simple and easy to understand. Several concepts found in the book, like the founder effect and genetics, are explained more simply than the average nonfiction science-based book. Hubbell’s points are solid and are well supported, so even the staunchest opponent toward processes like genetic engineering would be able to understand her side of the argument. She helps the reader learn that genetic engineering is an ancient process, even if our ancestors didn’t know that’s what it was, and because of that, we wouldn’t have many of the things we have today (like apples) without it. She also tells the history of genetic engineering thoughtfully and without the tone of great formality and speaks to the reader, like a teacher generally would a student.
I will admit to say this book will probably not be for everyone. I only say this because I know that some are not that interested in topics such as this and nonfiction is not a topic they generally choose (like myself), but it is definitely worth the read. If you are interested in genetics and biology, but yet not that interested in nonfiction works, “Shrinking the Cat” by Sue Hubbell is for you.
April 5, 2016
Another interesting read from Sue Hubbell. I have thoroughly enjoyed every book of hers I have read--and I have read most of them. Like any good science writer, she has the knack of taking complex technical material and making it accessible. She does extensive research, so her claims definitely come off as accurate. This particular book is a response to the furor over genetic engineering; she makes a rather compelling point that humans have been doing genetic engineering for centuries, albeit less efficiently, because we didn't have tools for direct transfer of DNA. She makes the point through three stories of human-engineered objects: the silk moth, the house cat, and the edible apple. In each case, the ultimate discovery is that the engineered result could not survive without humans. (Though cats, at least, she argues, would be able to evolve and survive in other forms.) If you are interested in science and if you want a less controversial take on the whole question of genetic engineering, I recommend this book.
July 31, 2009
A collection of long essays on domestication and more modern genetic tinkering on selected species: mainly corn, silkworms, cats, and apples.
Not as compulsively readable as Hubbell's other collections of essays, but interesting and thought provoking. She covers some of the same material that Michael Pollan does, and just as well, with a 'further reading' section at the end and a good index.
Did you know that cats' brains have shrunk over 10% in the last 1000 years?
Hubbell says they're not necessarily dumber, though, they just don't need to be as attentive as wild hunters. Also, feral cats don't eat many rats - the rats are just too big these days (there's a lot of interest on the evolution of rats in this essay, too).
Not as compulsively readable as Hubbell's other collections of essays, but interesting and thought provoking. She covers some of the same material that Michael Pollan does, and just as well, with a 'further reading' section at the end and a good index.
Did you know that cats' brains have shrunk over 10% in the last 1000 years?
Hubbell says they're not necessarily dumber, though, they just don't need to be as attentive as wild hunters. Also, feral cats don't eat many rats - the rats are just too big these days (there's a lot of interest on the evolution of rats in this essay, too).
March 26, 2016
A light and interesting examination of how people have and continue to shape the world we are a part of. Most recently this is genetic engineering, but throughout human history, people have shaped the world around us through domestication and selective breeding, with positive, negative, unintended, and unpredictable consequences. It also touches on some of the less than well-defined yet seemingly fundamental areas of science; for example, what is a species? The big upshot is not a ringing condemnation of genetic engineering, but an argument to consider it in the context of history and thoughtfully consider what we are and what we really want to be.
October 25, 2010
Hubbell's book is fascinating and absorbing. I loved the cogent explanation of ginger/not-ginger cat genes in the formation of calico cats. I liked the section on apples too, though Hubbell's description of John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman diverges wildly from other sources I remember reading long ago. I'm more than half-tempted to pursue that story...
All in all, a lovely, compact treatise on how homo mutabilis (as she dubs us) interacts with its world.
All in all, a lovely, compact treatise on how homo mutabilis (as she dubs us) interacts with its world.
June 7, 2009
Covers four stories of humans tinkering with nature: corn, silkworms, cats, and apples. I liked the history of what's been done, but would have preferred a bit more of her analysis of what it means to continue down this path. Because genetic engineering *is* different from artificial selection.
January 12, 2011
This is my all time favorite casual science read. If Sue Hubbell could write about every topic like this... I would know about everything. :) I LOVE this book. I used it as a backdrop to teach high school biology students about genetics and they were enthralled.
June 28, 2012
Nicely written and enjoyably breezy, this is a lovely introduction for anyone interested in the genetics of domesticated lifeforms. It's packed with interesting tidbits about how familiar plants and animals came to be, and the ways that humans "fiddle" with everything around them.
February 20, 2013
The author makes a fair argument that genetic engineering is nothing new. Humans have breeding and creating hybrids and new breeds since humans first realized they could influence nature but doing the selecting for it. The book is well-researched and well-constructed.
April 29, 2013
A really good book. Hubbell demonstrates that genetic engineering is nothing new - we've been at it since before we could write. A clear voice of reason in amongst all the chatter. Read this for a fresh point of view.
February 24, 2011
Although this book is interesting, it is very clearly advocating for less regulation of genetically modified organisms in products. By the end, that angle gets a bit tiresome.
December 6, 2010
Fun to read. A set of chapters about the human influence on the silkworm, corn, cats, and apples. Lots of interesting information
February 7, 2014
With all the talk of GMO modified corn and chickens Sue Hubbell examines our role in altering genetically four different species, cats, corn, apples and silkworms. A very good read.
January 1, 2016
An excellent and beautifully-written work, full of interesting and entertaining details. Lots of very good history as well as history of science.
April 30, 2017
A thought provoking read... should encourage the reader to do their own research, especially when it comes to herbicides and changing foods. Remember! we are what we eat AND what we eat eats! Modifications can be terrible... and I feel they are mad light of often in this book.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews