Bring Back the King

Pilcher’s wit shines through … You will be left with a newfound respect for conservationists’ hands-on methods of preserving genetic material. * Sunday Times *A friendly tour of genetics and cloning, with a bit of history thrown in. – Brian Switek * Wall Street Journal *Is likely to make you think and chuckle in equal measure. * How it Works *Science at its funniest! – Sara Pascoe, writer and comedianLeaping off the page are insights into many charismatic and neglected species, and the amazing humans who fight to preserve our future. This revolution will inspire our generation the way that voyages of the Beagle and Apollo have before it. – George Church, Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Director of PersonalGenomes.orgA fluid and witty writer; up there with Bill Bryson. – Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, science commentator, author and presenterWith humour and accuracy, Helen Pilcher surveys the wondrous array of wildlife de-extinction and preservation projects that employ current breakthroughs in genomic technology. (Plus Elvis, who was a different kind of wild.) – Stewart Brand, author of Whole Earth Discipline and co-founder of Revive & RestorePilcher … asks provocative questions about both the nature of science and what it means to be human. * Publisher’s Weekly *

Helen Pilcher is a tea-drinking, biscuit-nibbling science and comedy writer. She has a PhD in Cell Biology from London’s Institute of Psychiatry. A former reporter for Nature, she now specializes in biology, medicine and quirky off-the-wall science, and writes for outlets including New Scientist and BBC Focus. Unusually for a self-proclaimed geek, Helen also used to be a stand-up comedian before the arrival of children meant she couldn’t physically stay awake past 9pm. She now gigs from time to time, and lives in rural Warwickshire with her husband, three kids and besotted dog.