New Swedish Books, autumn 2020 1
55 Autumn 2020 The Unnatural Selection of Our Spe
cies In this follow-up to the celebrated The ReOrigin of Species, biologist and science writer Torill Kornfeldt takes the reader on a voyage to the frontline of human genetic research. We visit luxurious fertility clinics, American bio-hackers and Chinese scientists racing to cure illnesses by inserting new genes into our bodies’ cells; scientists that give monkeys human genes and in so doing change the sizes of their brains. Without compromising her rigour Kornfeldt explains clearly and comprehensibly, and while not forcing her own conclusions onto the reader she asks important and difficult questions. How could we apply genetic engineering to humans? Should we change our own genes? Should we improve the genes of our future children, even if this means that any new characteristics would be passed on? These are questions we need to answer right here, right now. The last decade’s technical developments have transformed these issues from science fiction to our reality. Henrik Brändén’s choice Torill Kornfeldt Selected works Mammutens återkomst 2016 Popular Science, 238 p. Torill Kornfeldt Publisher Natur & Kultur Rights Kontext Agency Rita G Karlsson rita@kontextagency.com Photo: Erik Ardelius