Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World by Alice Roberts

Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World Reviews

• 
  Ian

  A look at the domestication of various plant and animal species in 10 largely standalone chapters, covering dogs, wheat, cattle, maize, potatoes, chickens, rice, horses and apples, with a last chapter covering humans, of which more later.
  
  I took a little while to get into this. The first chapter, about dogs, didn’t grab me, but perhaps I just needed some time to get into the book’s style. I definitely got more interested as I went along. It’s a difficult book to summarise as each species is different, but there were a few themes that seemed to stand out. One is that in recent years new archaeological discoveries, and more complete genetic analyses, have tended to push back the earliest known dates for the domestication of the species featured, as well as complicating the issue of geographical origins; another is how the process of domestication causes physiological and genetic changes to the affected species. For the most part these changes would be strongly deleterious to survival in the wild. In the last chapter, Prof. Roberts argues that humans are a “self-domesticated” species, who have undergone similar changes, including smaller jaws and teeth than our ancestors, and a reduced level of male aggression. She attributes the latter to sexual selection in favour of less aggressive males. I thought this was interesting but a bit speculative.
  
  The author also expresses concern about how our demands for efficiency and standardisation in food crops have reduced genetic diversity in these species, leaving them vulnerable to disease pests. There is a fair-minded discussion about the pros and cons of genetic modification as a way of increasing crop yields.
  
  One thing I would say is that the book has a slight but noticeable bias towards a British readership. I couldn’t help feeling that the inclusion of a chapter on apples was because Prof. Roberts is herself from the south-west of England, the heart of apple growing country in the UK. I mean, I like apples well enough, but I don’t think they have had the overall impact of the other plants featured. There’s also a humorous reference to Downtown Abbey and another to a 1970s TV commercial for instant mashed potato, well-remembered by Brits of my vintage but probably mystifying to anyone else.
  
  Overall, I wouldn’t describe this as a quick read, but I found it a worthwhile one.
  
• 
  Iset

  
  The way I see it, Tamed has two great strengths to recommend it: the first is its up-to-date research. If you want to know all the latest debates and study findings in the ancient process of domestication of plants and animals, this book will get you up to speed. Understandably this won’t hold true in ten years, however. The second strength is Alice Roberts’ writing. The author is a well-known figure – at least here in the UK – and indeed her job is to make the historical sciences lucid to the general public. Her work is both professional and accessible, so don’t worry if you’re a complete newcomer to the subject, you’ll get the facts and they are explained in a clear, straightforward manner. At the same time, Roberts doesn’t skimp on the complexities of the subject either. I would be equally happy to recommend this to my colleagues in the field as I would to my non-historian friends.
  
  8 out of 10
• 
  Udit Nair

  This book is enlightening and really well researched. The biggest advantage is that its updated with all the recent research and hence it makes it a one stop solution with respect to the species mentioned. The book might be little overwhelming because of the information present but its worthwhile to go through till the end which talks about humans.
  
  The most incredible insight I gathered from the book is that we humans tend to create boundaries and distinctions. But biology seems to break those barriers again and again. The book starts with the most beautiful alliance man had that is dogs. It's really interesting how the eurasian wolf exerted selective pressure on humans and we did vice versa. So that terrier, that german shepherd, that labrador and all other breeds we know so well are technically a wolf at heart but one which is more friendlier and less dangerous than its wild cousins.
  
  Then the author goes on to explain the evolutionary history of wheat and maize. Wheat played a pioneer role in neolithic revolution and then maize also took over in many regions.
  
  The evolutionary history of potatoes and other tubers was very insightful and interesting. The need to dig up tubers and the relative advantage it offers in terms of energy was immense in earlier times. Along with wheat rice also played a key role in neolithic revolution and all has been mentioned very nicely in the book.
  
  Another interesting species were the horses.
  Humans and horses have a long history of interspecies cooperation. One which is often neglected if compared to species like dogs. The origin and further evolution of horses and the selective pressures on both species is indeed a treat to read and the author keeps it very interesting amidst giving out scientific details about it.
  
  The last chapter of the book is actually the most insightful one. Not only because it deals with humans but it gives us a larger picture. The larger picture is that all biological species are interlinked and to assume that we are at the helm of everything would be demeaning and ofcourse would be arrogance. This could be elaborated with respect to natural and artificial selection. This very distinction is artificial to be precise. Because humans are not the only species which affect the evolution of others. Our very existence depends on interdependency. For eg bees have affected the evolution of so many other species and just because they cant sit and reflect on it doesnt mean they didnt drive the change in ecosystem.
  
  The final blow to our mastery of nature comes when we consider the relatively small number of species that we have been able to recruit as our allies. For a species to become a successful ally it had to possess a certain qualities which would - when the occasion presented itself - act as predispositions to become human domesticates.
  
  Also while domesticating other species we also got domesticated in the long run. This was done in order to live cohesively in a society where communication and cooperation was the key to survival.
  
  The book ends with beautiful lines which kind of summarises the whole point which is " There are divisions here between the wild and the domesticated, the untamed and the tamed. But in the end, it's all one : a tangled bank, beautifully intertwined for eternity.
• 
  Stephen

  interesting science book looking at ten things which have been tamed including humans and a bit science and history but did learn a lot however.
• 
  Sam Worby

  A good general introduction to domestication and (for me) an update on some of the ground covered in Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel. Clearly this is a fast moving area so the science is likely to go out of date fairly quickly.
  
  I enjoyed the range of types of domestication Roberts covered. Some chapters, especially those on dogs, apples and horses were particularly fascinating. Others were weaker, for example the chapter on cattle didn’t really cover how people might have gone about domesticating massive aurochs. I also felt there wasn’t enough coverage of early domestication in China in comparison to the Eurasian chapters. Finally the chapter on rice has along long section on GM rice which was not what I wanted to be reading about so for me that section dragged.
• 
  Bookish Dervish

  Alice Roberts is a renouned scientist most famous for her work tracing back human history to the ancient times depending on archeological findings and on DNA researches, in this epic book, she sticks to her field of expertise but with a tiny drift towards other species that accompanied our marvellous journey of evolution. These ten species had and have a huge impact on our lives. Dogs, wheat, cows, corn, potatoes, chickens, rice, horses and apples, dedicating the last chapter for the top predator, Homo Sapiens; us.
  I still find the choices of the species in need of reconsideration for E.coli has changed our world more than apples did for example. True, a negative change, but still it is change anyway. Camels, llamas, donkeys, pigeons, garlic.... Deserve a chapter.
  The chapters extensively discussed one species at a time showing how long have we been together in this ,rather, receprocal relationship of interest,the approximate time and place where we first domesticated it and a comparison with its wild counterpart.
  Every single chapter starts with a poem about the species to deal with which eventually gave this scientific book a gentle artistic touch.
  Overall, I enjoyed every part of the book, it was worthwhile. I certainly do recommend it.
  Beatifully written, quite informative, up-to-date, enjoyable.
• 
  Leftbanker

  I loved this book right out of the starting gate. I stalked Alice Roberts on YouTube and found a great lecture she gave on human evolution.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_co...
  Not only is she brilliant and funny, she’s also smoking hot. Now I'm a huge fan (big difference between fan and stalker as now I don't have to live in my van parked across the street from her house). I even bought an Alice Roberts lunch box with a matching thermos, just like back when I stalked people back in grade school (In truth, the only lunch box of mine that I can remember was Bonanza, which tells you how old I am. I'm not positive, but I don't think that I asked my folks for it. Must have been marked down, and why wouldn't it be marked down, way down?).
  
  I was reading this right at the end of 2019 and was thinking that it was the best book I read that year. I couldn’t quite finish it, so it remains to be seen if it will stand out as my favorite book of 2020.
  
  What could possibly be more interesting than the story of how we came to be? I want to throw this book at religious fanatics while telling them to grow the fuck up. What they are being taught about human origins can’t hold a candle to the things we are learning from modern scientific techniques.
  
  Here is my question for religious people: If humans have souls destined for life after death (seems pretty farfetched to me), at what point in the evolution of mankind were we assigned a soul? Did Neanderthals have souls? It’s all too silly to consider, at least for an adult with the ability to read something beyond a holy book.
• 
  Diego Lovegood

  Un libro de divulgación científica muy técnico a veces, lo que lo hace pesado de leer, pero si te concentras y agarras el ritmo y el tono, te otorga una satisfacción muy grande en ese adentrarse en un viaje por la ruta de la domesticación de 10 especies y cómo eso ha influido en la naturaleza completa. El último capítulo es un LUJO.
• 
  Horace Derwent

  kinda disappointed. why no cats why no cod why no pigs? i wanna see'em
  
  plus, human is not a kinda species, people=$#!t
• 
  Stephanie (Bookfever)

  This book was both a surprising but also not so surprising read. Let me explain... It was surprising because it was such a good and really fascinating book to read and not surprising because the previous book I read from Alice Roberts (The Celts) was also a 5 star read so I'm not sure why it should be even a little bit surprising to me that I loved this one too. It definitely puts up the pressure for any future Alice Roberts books I will read.
  
  Tamed is about ten species that changed our world (as the full title says) and is written in ten chapters. Which makes sense. The chapters are about dogs, wheat, cattle, maize, potatoes, chickens, rice, horses, apples and humans. I will do it a little differently in this review and write down my short thoughts on each chapter.
  
  1. Dogs:
  
  As a dog owner and someone who is obsessed with dogs it wasn't a surprise that I adored this first chapter. It went into how our dogs are descendant from wolves but of course Alice Roberts puts it in a more eloquent way. I was really surprised to learn that the domestication of wolves went as far back as 32.000 years. I was really wowed by that. It was a really great first chapter and opening to the book + dogs! I just love dogs!
  
  2. Wheat:
  
  I've gotta admit when I reached this second chapter I was a bit skeptical because I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy reading about what is basically a grass. But once again I was really surprised because the author's passion was really shining through and it was a really interesting chapter actually. I really enjoyed learning more about wheat and how we as humans cultivated it in the first place.
  
  3. Cattle:
  
  In this chapter we're back to animals and just like the other two chapters this was a really interesting one as well. A big part was focused on the Aurochs (a large species of cattle that are extinct now) and I thought these animals were very intriguing to read about. Actually they might make a comeback at some point in our future as scientists are working on that, apparantly. Not sure how I feel about that but nevertheless is was interesting to learn.
  
  4. Maize:
  
  Color me surprised when a chapter about maize of all things ended up as my favorite from the entire book. I did not see this coming at all. I've never thought much about maize in general but I just loved reading about the early days of when the Americas were rediscovered (I say rediscovered because obviously the vikings had reached it all first). The chapter went also into the Aztecs and how they venerated maize which also really fascinated me. I just couldn't get enough of this chapter and wanted it to go on forever.
  
  5. Potatoes:
  
  This was another really great chapter (all of them were great though). Potaties have played such an important part in our history even though they came to Europe not so early and there were quite some misgivings about them, which surprise me to learn. Needless to say the author also talked about the Irish Potatoe famine and how there's still less people living in Ireland currently than before the famine. I did not know this so that was also pretty surprising to know about.
  
  6. Chickens:
  
  Yet another surprising chapter that kinda wowed me. Chickens and with that I mean the chickens we now know and eat were pretty late introduced to us and all because of a contest in the 1940's. I really had no idea. A big part of the chapter was about DNA and genetic modification. If I had known about this before that a big part was about that I probably would've been a little reluctant to read it but once again I ended up actually being really fascinated by it all. Like damn, I wanna learn more about it actually.
  
  7. Rice:
  
  This was yet again a chapter about something that we eat but also an interesting seed of grass species to learn about. This chapter went deep into the prehistoric past of Asia which I, of course, loved. Alice Roberts also talked a lot about pottery and pottery where rice may have been stored in. This chapter could also be called: things just keeps getting older and older and older (which I love so much). And I will leave it at that.
  
  8. Horses:
  
  I knew beforehand that I would really enjoy this chapter because I love horses. It's funny because lately I've been watching some documentary style youtube videos that go into horse domestication in our past. That stuff is just so fascinating to learn about. So of course this was a very interesting chapter for me. Like how did we go from hunting horses for meat to riding them. I would absolutely love to read a whole book about that, seriously!
  
  9. Apples:
  
  One topic I had not seen coming in this was this one. I had never thought about apples to be life changing for us humans. I like to eat apples but that was it. But obviously this was a chapter that was really interesting. Especially learning about the wild species of apples versus the apple orchards. Very fascinating stuff!
  
  10. Humans:
  
  Alice Roberts is an anthropologist so of course she had to dedicate a chapter to humans. It was a great final chapter. I was even a little sad that it was the final chapter because I didn't have anymore to look forward to. But even so I really enjoyed reading more about early humans like neanderthals for example. I've always been fascinated in our very early past so it was another excellent chapter that I loved reading.
  
  
  Overall, Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World was a really fascinating read. Even though I didn't think I would enjoy reading some chapters Alice Roberts changed my mind and kept me hooked until the very end. I can't ask for more from a book. Compelling doesn't even begin to cover it!
• 
  Loz

  A beautifully written book that documents the stories of how 10 species have been tamed by either themselves, other sub-species or humans. Laid out in classic, intellectual and scientific prose Alice Roberts educates with ease, filling the reader with information in a succinct fashion, yet with enough description from the latest areas of research. I throughly enjoyed the final chapter, the summary of the entire book that touched upon some of the major issues that we as a species have introduced to our planet and how important it is that we work together with the wilderness, not against it for our own advancement.
• 
  Emmanuel Gustin

  The author is "Professor of Public Engagement in Science" at the University of Birmingham. At first hearing that sounds like an elaborately made-up title, but if you think of for a little longer, it is a vital role. The future of mankind may very well depend on the level of public engagement with science. And this is an engaging book.
  
  If I may quibble a bit: Alice Roberts is a well known television figure, featuring in science and history programs for the BBC, and as she is a talented television maker and a very beautiful woman, I am usually very happy to watch. But sometimes these programmes irritate by playing it too cute. And the same could be said about this book. She too noticeably tries to be personable, but in a book that deals in millennia, I find references to her garden and to Downton Abbey to be gratingly incongruous. With all respect for the fans, I doubt Downton Abbey is that significant a historical landmark.
  
  But that is a minor objection and it is the only real criticism I could make. The ten chapters of this book (each seems to be written to be readable in isolation) are admirable in their effort to convey a maximum of scientific research on the origin of domesticated species with a minimum of technical jargon. The author makes no attempt to protect the reader from complexity and controversy. When the story of the domestication and evolution of dogs, rice or apples becomes complicated and entangled, it is served up as complicated and entangled. But that difficult story is told in a very accessible style and vocabulary. As an effort to popularise science, this is a real success.
  
  As the subject matter goes, I found some of these stories, on the origins of apples and the breeding of chickens, on the farming of wheat and the phenotypic flexibility of Maize, to be fascinating. Professor Roberts describes how genetics research has found species to have a remarkable fluidity, with constant gene flow between "domesticated" and "wild" species. It is a tour of the world that drags us along and makes us wish to explore in person. I now very much wish that I could see Belyaev's foxes and the apple trees of Kazakhstan. I think it is regrettable that there are no photographs in the book, though Roberts's descriptive style is excellent.
  
  The last chapters and the final pages become increasingly philosophical, as the author starts to explore how much meddling with nature and genetics we will find socially and ethically acceptable in the future. These important questions are approached here with calm consideration of the ups and downs, without presenting easy answers, but with a strong advocacy of making intelligent choices. It is, frankly, so sober and balanced as to be a bit boring. One can only hope that this book will indeed convince a few people to set aside simplistic slogans and start thinking for themselves.
• 
  Elentarri

  Alice Roberts has provided a beautifully written book about the domestication of 10 animals and plants that influenced human communities. The latest (at time of writing, 2017) debates and academic findings (in the fields of archaeology, genetics, anthropology, and history) relating to the the evolution (when, where and how) and interaction with humans (past and present) are elucidated for dogs, wheat, cattle, maize, potatoes, chickens, rice, horses, apples and humans.  I learned many new things from this book, which made my day.  Roberts has a gift for disseminating scientific information in a manner that is interesting and accessible to the non-expert, without simplifying everything too much.  Tamed is a fascinating, informative and delightful general introduction to the subject of domestication.  I would, quite happily read, another book stuffed with other domesticated animals and plants if Roberts wrote it. Note:  there really should have been a map for each chapter.
• 
  Rafa Lobomar

  Lovely book; there's one paragraph by Alice Roberts that summarizes everything: "we’re so used to thinking of domestication of animals and plants as an idea that occurred to our ancestors some 11,000 years ago as part of the so-called ‘Neolithic Revolution’, when our forebears gave up their primitive hunter-gatherer lifestyles and settled down to farm, taking control of themselves and their environment and laying the foundation of civilisation itself. There are lots of things wrong with this simplistic view – not least that domestication is a gradual process that is probably much less deliberate, from the human perspective, than we have tended to presume".
  
  You will learn the history of the domestication of 10 species, including us humans, and how different disciplines beautifully converge to put together the pieces of the puzzle that make up our history.
• 
  TG Lin

  雖然現在流行「基因多樣性」的思維，但放在人類馴化動植物的歷史，可以說是反其道而行：一但出現更有利於人類農業畜牧業的品種，則該品種便以不可思議的速度普及開來，並使其它品種遭到遺棄與消失。愛爾蘭著名的馬鈴薯疫病所造成的饑荒，正是因為全島種植馬鈴薯基因完全相同之故：一有病菌恰好可以侵入感染，則所有無性繁殖出來的塊莖生物無一能夠倖免。
  
  但是，如果有人能培育出更容易養殖且更受消費者喜愛的家禽家畜或玉米蘋果時，我們又有什麼理由阻止民眾靠此賺錢呢？若排除環保激進主義份子的胡鬧瞎搞，人類文明一直都伴隨著「同盟物種」的馴化過程。要如何取得新科技進展與未來可能發生的副作用，永遠是沒有固定解答的大哉問。
• 
  Rachel England-Brassy

  Well researched and full of intriguing facts and anecdotes.
  Each section links backs to offer in its final analysis a complete and clear picture.
  Highly recommended.
• 
  Jim Van der Meulen

  A book with an identity crisis. Don’t get me wrong: it contains a lot of interesting and, by the looks of it, up-to-date information about the earliest instances of domestication. The author also appears to be well-versed in genetics research.
  
  What I was missing whilst reading it, however, was the focus on CHANGE, as implied by the title. As things stand, the author merely offers the layman some expansive insights into (the discussions about) when and where certain species were first domesticated. But the subsequent impact of that domestication on our own species, and vice versa, is mostly missing from the narrative, while this seems (to me at least) to be a way more interesting question.
  
  Actually, the book turns out to be more about the potential benefits of Genetic Modification than anything else. I happen to agree with the author’s position(s), but the way in which they try to sell these ideas through the backdoor felt like an insult to the intelligence of the reader. (Which makes me curious about who the intended audience are supposed to be.)
  
  I also feel that the writing style is somewhat imbalanced, skipping between genuinely well-constructed explanations about the complexities of DNA (well done there), superfluous human interest from the author’s personal life (at one point even quoting extensively from their own previous work), and ‘wink-wink, nudge-nudge’ wordplay.
• 
  Cav

  I almost put this one down midway through.
  Some science books are written in an engaging, interesting manner. Others are dry, arduous, and somewhat lacking cohesion. "Tamed" is an example of the latter. The information presented in the book is interesting, and I was excited to hear where the author would take this book. I was disappointed with it ultimately, however, and found my attention wandering more often than not while reading this.
  This book exemplifies the problem that plagues many science books; they are written by scientists and not story-tellers. The narrative and thesis become lost in a sea of data. So while the book contains a ton of information, the style that it is presented in leaves the reader not seeing the forest for the trees...
  Maybe this is a subjective thing, and others will enjoy the way this book is presented. I did not, however.
  She also talks about GMOs, but seems to give credence to the scientifically-illiterate fear-mongering that surrounds them. Her stance seemed pretty wishy-washy. Pretty disappointing to read from someone with her education and qualifications.
  2 stars.
• 
  Richard

  Archaeology, biology, genetics, and climate clues brought together to tell the story of domestication.
  
  Caution: To love this book you have to get into the back-and-forth debate about the dates of domestication, and single vs multiple origins. It turns out I'm not that interested in that. The first two chapters (dogs, wheat) in particular put me right off this book.
  
  But the storytelling grew on me. Yes, there's lots of informed speculation, and the specifics of any story are going to be just reckoning ("surely...", "I'd imagine..."), but you get a feel for how domestication might have come about. It's fascinating stuff. In contrast to the first two chapters, the chapters on horses and apples were engrossing for me.
  
  Common themes emerge over the chapters, and it all comes together in the last chapter (trying to avoid spoilers: the discussion of self-domestication of humans was eye-opening for me).
  
• 
  Yi-Di

  Well-researched and presented, but I wish the book spent less time on the phylogenetics and ancestry of the species in question, and more on how they actually changed the world or what made them so suited to do so. Or for that matter, how we changed them.
• 
  Katy Kelly

  Ten chapters of social history and science - interesting tidbits in there
  
  3.5 stars
  
  This came out last year, but I hadn't heard of it until I saw the Audible version advertised. It sounded like the sort of easy listen that I would enjoy and hopefully learn from, having enjoyed Roberts' television programmes.
  
  It turned out to be a mixed bag. Absolutely fascinating on one hand, but rather long-winded on the other as a listen. The dates and delving do feel quite cumbersome when you are listening, it's hard to hold all the facts in your head as new ones constantly bombard you. But that would be easier on paper, I feel.
  
  I did learn various interesting facts, and just considering how our species has tamed and cleverly used these animals and plants was mind-expanding. From potatoes and rice to dogs and chickens, I found it one of those non-fiction titles that I would quite have liked to see televised.
  
  Alice Roberts herself narrates, which is no bad thing. I knew from her voice and style on TV that she'd be a narrator I would have no trouble listening to, and she was both personable and kept her clear voice light and full of enthusiasm for her subject.
  
  Personally, I think this would be easier to follow and refer back to on paper/as an e-book, but I still picked up a lot of information from the audio version.
  
  With thanks to Nudge Books for the sample Audible copy, provided for an honest review.
• 
  Bel

  The interest levels in this varied a little for me (can't say I found the botanical aspects fascinating) but overall it was a well-written summary with some really cool themes coming out. This goes on the pile with Adam Rutherford's
  A Brief History of Everyone Who Has Ever Lived as being even cooler because it details fields that have developed hugely since I was at university myself, so I have some catching up to do. It probably means that both will be dated really quickly, but there you go.
• 
  Crispina Kemp

  As expected of Dr Alice Roberts, her book, Tamed, presents complex biological, anthropological, archaeological and genetic matters in terms everyone can understand.
  
  For the book, Dr Alice Robert chooses ten species: Wheat, Rice, and Maize, Apples and Potatoes, Dogs and Chickens, Cattle and Horses, and Humans.
  
  She follows the development of these ten species from their wild days through to C21st; looks at the various controversial and conflicting theories prevalent throughout the last two centuries and brings the reader up to date on the latest research (more so than any recent documentary I've seen).
  
  An enjoyable read and no previous science education required. It also makes for good background material and data for aspiring fantasy authors looking for inspiration and information as part of their worldbuilding.
  
  I highly recommend for enjoyment, information/education and inspiration.
  
  
  
• 
  Aldi

  For some reason, the wheat chapter stalled my reading progress suddenly and decisively to the point where I abandoned this poor book for six months. I can't even say that it's an overall preference for the animal over the plant chapters, since I enjoyed all the others when I did finally pick it back up. I guess I'm just not that into wheat?? IDK.
  
  Anyway, a lot of fascinating tidbits in here, although I did find the anthropological/sociological aspects a lot more interesting than the DNA-level stuff. I also have a weird urge to actually read On the Origin of Species now.
• 
  Aria Rezaei

  As the title suggests, the book contains stories of 10 domesticated species, including us human beings, and how their domestication changed the lives of our ancestors. After listening to this book, I have a better picture in my mind of the transformation of wolves into dogs, which could help me tolerate my dog-owning friends easier :). It also had some good arguments from both sides of the Genetically Modified food debate as a bonus. Although I really enjoyed most of the chapters, some of them (like the one on rice) were quite dull, both in terms of the content and the narrative. Also, it didn't include CATS! It had potatoes, rice and apple, but it did not have CATS! That is outrageous.
• 
  Shhhhh Ahhhhh

  Pretty excellent book. I know that I've read plenty of books that touched on the domestication of animals and vegetables being a massive part of the story of human development. Diamond's work definitely touched on it briefly. However, no book that I've read has ever developed the story of our interactions with these species in such rich detail and really woven it into the tapestry of human history in the way this book has.
  
  Instant classic for me and will recommend as primer on this subject moving forward.
  
  Summary:
  
  1. Wolves - speculated that we co-evolved or co-domesticated rather than some sort of unilateral power move on the part of humans. It only developed into that lopsided relationship over time as dogs became so easy to handle that they could be made into breeds with specific purposes. Apparently a lot of controversy over what constitutes a wolf and their rarity as opposed to dogs that look 'wolfish' because of breeding. (mild disappointment at no mention of how we've let down all of those sickly little dogs bred to have the physiology of a wolf packed into the size of a medium cat)
  2. Wheat - One of the basic staples of the ancient world. Lot of discussion regarding initial origin (fertile crescent) and the ways that it adapts to different climate conditions. The phenotypical variation between wild wheat and domesticates is reduced when evaluating the wild wheat in the climate conditions present when humans would have first encountered them, during a climate change event.
  3. Horses - Apparently there's next to no difference between different species of horse-like things (zebras, donkeys, etc) and they can make fertile offspring. This reminds me a bit of the apples chapter later on. In any event, more discussion during this chapter regarding the role that a species inherent properties lend themselves to domestication. Horses are naturally dominance-hierarchy forming with one stallion having many mares as partners. Funny illustration of what might have been going through the first person's mind to ever hop up on one of these things.
  4. Apples - Very interesting chapter. Was mostly about how difficult it was to keep apple varietals from cross-breeding (crab apples for example) and how they needed to learn new methods of botany to keep them pure/ to clone them.
  5. Cows - Used to be aurochs, much larger and more aggressive. Apparently the parts containing the dairy used to be given to people with power in the tribe as a show of respect with documented instances of conflict breaking out over not showing that respect. That was interesting but what was more interesting was the description of people at that time just drinking the warm blood and eating the warm organs of dead prey. That actually shocked me quite a bit. They're trying to revive the species using genetic fragments remaining in modern descendants. At least they were at the time this book was published. I feel like I saw an article about that a few years back and that they had succeeded.
  6. Rice - "oryza sativa", what a sexy name. A lot of discussion in this chapter about gene modification, golden rice, dietary macronutrient requirements, reasons why we would have begun cultivating this. Also pointed out that this is one of the species with seemingly more than 1 origination point, with parallel development both in south east asia and also in africa. I had no idea jollof was an entirely different species of rice. It makes me more interested in it than I already was.
  7. Chickens - Apparently all the chickens we eat are just really large juveniles. That was disheartening to learn. Anyway, we domesticated them originally for cockfighting, then eggs and didn't find out that they could be enjoyed for their meat until later, where we started fattening them up.
  8. Maize - Interesting discussion on the brief length of cultural memory. Originated in the Americas, which we know by dint of genetic studies of modern varieties and archeological evidence, but many europeans speculated that it had also originated in eurasia due to its spread there. Details about species properties in common with wheat (like non-shattering seed stalks). Talked about the difference in caloric content based upon preparation pre-cultivation (explaining why ground-corn products were developed much earlier than others).
  9. Potatoes - The flaccid tuber predecessor of the potato is news to me. Its immediate history as a sort of everyfood staple was interesting but overall this was effectively the dullest chapter.
  10. Humans - basically the same phenotypical and behavioral changes we identify in other animals undergoing neotinization, making them appear more childlike through adulthood, shorter muzzles, softer faces, change in fur patterns, etc, we've also identified in ourselves. Like dogs, when we found cooperating with humans to be beneficial, we pushed in that direction and self-selected towards a version of ourselves that could exploit that power better.
  
  Now what I really love about this book is that they end by talking about how factory farming is destroying the ecosystem, how we're going to do irreversible damage if we don't change the thins we're doing, and makes suggestions on how that's possible. Also outlines the risks of monoculture agriculture (as with genetic modification and using clones) and the consequences of losing the genetic biodiversity we have in wild populations.
  
  DO RECOMMEND!