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.
