{"product_id":"the-tangled-tree-a-radical-new-history-of-life-9781476776637","title":"The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn this \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller and longlist nominee for the National Book Award, \"our greatest living chronicler of the natural world\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e), David Quammen explains how recent discoveries in molecular biology affect our understanding of evolution and life's history. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the mid-1970s, scientists began using DNA sequences to reexamine the history of all life. Perhaps the most startling discovery to come out of this new field--the study of life's diversity and relatedness at the molecular level--is horizontal gene transfer (HGT), or the movement of genes across species lines. It turns out that HGT has been widespread and important; we now know that roughly eight percent of the human genome arrived sideways by viral infection--a type of HGT. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Tangled Tree\u003c\/i\u003e, \"the grandest tale in biology....David Quammen presents the science--and the scientists involved--with patience, candor, and flair\" (\u003ci\u003eNature\u003c\/i\u003e). We learn about the major players, such as Carl Woese, the most important little-known biologist of the twentieth century; Lynn Margulis, the notorious maverick whose wild ideas about \"mosaic\" creatures proved to be true; and Tsutomu Wantanabe, who discovered that the scourge of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a direct result of horizontal gene transfer, bringing the deep study of genome histories to bear on a global crisis in public health. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"David Quammen proves to be an immensely well-informed guide to a complex story\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e). In \u003ci\u003eThe Tangled Tree\u003c\/i\u003e, he explains how molecular studies of evolution have brought startling recognitions about the tangled tree of life--including where we humans fit upon it. Thanks to new technologies, we now have the ability to alter even our genetic composition--through sideways insertions, as nature has long been doing. \"\u003ci\u003eThe Tangled Tree \u003c\/i\u003eis a source of wonder....Quammen has written a deep and daring intellectual adventure\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid Quammen's books include \u003ci\u003eBreathless\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Tangled Tree\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Song of the Dodo\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Reluctant Mr. Darwin\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSpillover\u003c\/i\u003e. He has written for\u003ci\u003e The New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarper's Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e The Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNational Geographic\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003ci\u003e Outside\u003c\/i\u003e, among other magazines, and is a three-time winner of the National Magazine Award. Quammen shares a home in Bozeman, Montana, with his wife, Betsy Gaines Quammen, author of \u003ci\u003eAmerican Zion\u003c\/i\u003e, and with three Russian wolfhounds, a cross-eyed cat, and a rescue python. Visit him at DavidQuammen.com.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50635186012434,"sku":"9781476776637","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_421d442b-0d8d-438d-97f7-0ac1556a22d9.jpg?v=1732837124","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-tangled-tree-a-radical-new-history-of-life-9781476776637","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}