Shrinking the Cat: Genetic Engineering Before We Knew about Genes

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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Dec 12, 2002 - Science - 175 pages
4 Reviews
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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.

 

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User Review  - NielsenGW - LibraryThing

Every living thing on the planet has been genetically modified. Each generation forces changes on the next. Most of the time, this modification is natural and inevitable, but sometimes a helping hand ... Read full review

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - satyridae - LibraryThing

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 ... Read full review

Selected pages

Contents

Of Humanity Tazzie the Good Dog and Corn
xvi
Of Multicaulismania Silkworms and the Worlds First Superhighway
36
Of Lions Cats Shrinkage and Rats
80
Of Apples in Heavens Mountains and in Cow Pastures
120
Afterword
154
APPENDIX
161
SOURCES
163
INDEX
170
Copyright

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Shrinking the Cat: Genetic Engineering Before We Knew about Genes
Sue Hubbell
Snippet view - 2001

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alleles allowed American ancestors animals apple trees apples became become began better breeding bring brought called carried caterpillars cats century China Chinese chromosomes coat cocoons color corn course created developed diseases dogs domestic early East eggs engineering established experiment expressed farm feed fruit genes genetic give grafting grew growing grown hand human hundred industry instance interest Italy kill kind known land later learned leaves less live look mice mori moths mulberry mutations natural original pairs particular plants population problem produce questions rats resistance result Romans seeds selection silk silkworms sort species spread story things thought thousand tion took trade traits traveled trees turn understanding United varieties West wild wildcat worms

Popular passages

Page 166 - The Association of the Black (Non-Agouti) Gene with Behavior in the Norway Rat,
Appears in 21 books from 1915-2004

References to this book

About the author (2002)

Sue Hubbell was the author of eight books, including A Country Year and New York Times Notable Book A Book of Bees . She wrote for the New Yorker, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Smithsonian, and Time, and was a frequent contributor to the Hers" column of the New York Times .

Bibliographic information

QR code for Shrinking the Cat
TitleShrinking the Cat: Genetic Engineering Before We Knew about Genes
AuthorSue Hubbell
Editionillustrated, reprint
PublisherHoughton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002
ISBN0618257489, 9780618257485
Length175 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Science / Life Sciences / Genetics & Genomics
  
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