HOW TO BUILD A DRAGON OR DIE TRYING: A SATIRICAL LOOK AT CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE

Book ID/图书代码： 14600019C00022

English Summary/英文概要： What if you could have your own real dragon? While that might seem like just a fantasy, today cutting-edge science has brought us to the point where it might really be possible. This book looks into the possibilities of making living, fire-breathing dragons. The world has been fascinated with dragons for thousands of years. Fictional dragons still have a firm place in pop culture, such as Smaug from The Hobbit as well as the dragons in Game of Thrones and in the How to Train Your Dragon movies. This new book discusses using powerful technologies such as CRISPR gene editing, stem cells, and bioengineering to make real dragons. It also goes through what useful information we can learn from animals such as Pteranodons and amazing present-day creatures in our quest to build actual dragons. The book goes on to discuss the possibility of building other mythical creatures such as unicorns and mermaids. Overall, How to Build A Dragon is also meant as a satirical look at cutting-edge science, and it pokes fun at science hype. Anyone who is interested in dragons or cutting-edge science will enjoy this book! It is written in a humorous, approachable way making science fun and easy to understand, including for young adults.

The author is well-known scientist Paul Knoepfler who is familiar to the public for his science, his blog The Niche, and his frequent contributions to lay stories on new science concepts such as stem cells and CRISPR. He also is known for his TED talk on designer babies with more than 1.3 million views, and his two books Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide and GMO Sapiens: The Life-Changing Science of Designer Babies. The co-author, his daughter Julie Knoepfler, is a high school student interested in science and writing. She has her own blog on literary and film analysis, and enjoys taking a humorous look at culture through writing.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 推荐理由

1.本书用生动幽默的语言，探讨了如何运用CRISPR基因编辑、干细胞和生物工程等技术实现制造喷火龙的可能性；

2.本书作者是加州大学生物医学科学家Paul Knoepfler，他在干细胞、CRISPR基因编辑等领域非常活跃，其在TED就基因伦理问题的演讲，观看次数超过1300万次。

3.本书适合生物学本科和研究生，及对人类生物学、生物工程、干细胞研究、遗传学和基因组学感兴趣的普通大众阅读使用。(LDN)

Awards/获奖情况：This co-authored book explores how advances in cell biology, CRISPR gene editing and bioengineering might be used to make a live dragon. The result is a gloriously tongue-in-check scientific epic ... How to Build a Dragon or Die Trying is deliberately flamboyant and outrageous. It’s also funny and smart. Far from a how-to guide for ne er-do-wells to weaponize reptiles, it is designed to spark healthy curiosity in anyone who enjoys a ripping good science read. --Nature

Written in a conversational and accessible style, the book details the steps of how somebody could go about building a dragon and other creatures like unicorns using the technology of today and the near future. A lot of inspiration was drawn from traits of existing animals ... Be sure to look out for Julie’s favourite chapter tackling the fire-breathing aspect of dragons or Paul’s favourite section on creating other mythical creatures. --Davis Enterprise

About the Author/作者介绍： I’m a scientist, writer, and advocate.

My daughter Julie and I have written a new book, How to Build a Dragon, that literally goes through how one would build a real dragon.

I’m a professor of cell biology and human anatomy at UC Davis School of Medicine. My lab’s research focuses on stem cell and cancer cell biology. Our big picture goals are to make safer and more effective stem cell therapies and new cancer treatments. We use cutting edge technologies like stem cells, CRISPR, and organoids in our work. I’m also very interested in policy matters like on whether to use CRISPR to make designer babies. My TED talk on that last topic has more than 1.3 million views:

https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_knoepfler_the_ethical_dilemma_of_designer_babies?language=en

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