Do you ever wonder when our domesticated animals and plants joined us in our fight for survival as a species? “Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World,” by Alice Roberts, can answer that question.
Roberts examines dogs, wheat, cows, corn, potatoes, chickens, rice, horses, apples and humans, tracing their introduction as our helpers. Each plant and animal has its own chapter.
Cats are not included. Roberts doesn’t believe we have tamed cats.
You will come away from reading this book with new knowledge about our species and the species we have adapted to our needs. Chickens started from skinny, long-legged, jungle birds from the rain forests of Asia, and now there are about three chickens for every human on the planet.
All of our food plants started from wild ancestors.
Most plants and animals, it now appears, originated from a single source and spread either as our populations expanded or along trade routes.
If I have a complaint about this interesting book, it is that Roberts spends too much time debating how far back each species joined us.
I would have rather received more information about the introduction and its effects on us.
She does cover this, but I would have liked a more in-depth look. To me, the relationship between dogs and humans is more interesting than whether they joined us 20,000 years ago or 36,000 years ago.
Some interesting things I learned while reading this book were that horses actually originated in North America, then died out there after spreading to Asia and were later reintroduced by the Spanish invaders.
Australia was inhabited by humans before Europe was. Current evidence suggests China is the original source of our apples, but they acquired genes from other wild apples during their global distribution.
Roberts is clearly a proponent of genetic engineering and makes her case that consumers are being overly cautious.
She does, however, acknowledge people’s concern about genetically modified organisms. While she, of course, argues that we have been modifying organisms since we transitioned away from our nomadic hunter-gatherer societies, she does admit that inserting genes from disparate species could cause problems.
She believes the risk is worth the benefits.
The book is well-researched with good citations.
It feels very up-to-date in the studies she cites, as well as how our views have evolved.
I have found myself discussing many facts of this book with friends and recommending it, which is a sign of a good book!
It isn’t a quick read, but it is interesting and approachable for non-scientists. You will certainly learn more about DNA and carbon dating.
I recommend giving it a try if you are a reader of nonfiction and would like to learn more about the history of our species, your dog and your Costco rotisserie chicken.
They’ve been with us far longer than we originally thought.
Rachel Vellenga is a youth-services librarian at the Urbana Free Library. She loves reading (surprise!), working with families and international travel, and is pretty handy with scissors and construction paper.
