Richard C. Francis
Author of Epigenetics: The Ultimate Mystery of Inheritance
About the Author
Richard C. Francis is a science journalist with a PhD in neurobiology from Stony Brook University. He is the author of the acclaimed books Epigenetics and Why Men Won't Ask for Directions.
Works by Richard C. Francis
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Common Knowledge
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- male
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Reviews
Domesticated: Evolution in a Man-Made World by Richard C. Francis
Not sure about this book. Sorry, I can't tell more.
When thinking of domesticated mammals today, you probably don't give much thought to how or why such domestication occurred. As you gaze into the eyes of your pet dog or cat you likely aren't thinking of their wild ancestors. Why were some species better candidates for domestication than others? What was the ancestral cow? Would you be surprised to learn that ferrets and guinea pigs were both domesticated more than 2,500 years ago? What species today are believed to be still in the middle of the domestication process? Though some of the genetics language undoubtedly went over my head, for fans of natural history this book is a fascinating peek into the relationships humans have forged with other mammals over millennia.… (more)
Fascinating but explains very little. I guess it's not too bad as it did get me interested in the topic but you'd hope that a scientist would actually try to explain the science as well.
Extremely interesting, beautifully written book about the domestication of animals - dogs, cats, cattle, camels, reindeer, rodents, sheep, goats, horses and humans. Author anecdotes are kept to a minimum and when included are actually relevant to the science being discussed. Now the author just needs to do a similar book on the domestication of plants. :)
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- Members
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- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 13
- ISBNs
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- 4