Torill Kornfeldt is a Swedish science journalist with a background in biology. She has worked for Sweden’s leading newspaper Dagens Nyheter and for Swedish public radio. Fiona Graham is a British literary translator, editor, and reviewer who has lived in Kenya, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Nicaragua, and Belgium. Her recent translations include Elisabeth Åsbrink’s 1947: when now begins, an English PEN award-winner longlisted for the Warwick Women in Translation Prize and the JQ Wingate Prize, and Torill Kornfeldt’s The Unnatural Selection of Our Species.
‘[T]his excellent book, written with a deceptively light touch (in
Fiona Graham’s translation) … raises a number of deep questions and
paradoxes about our relationship with nature.’
*The Guardian*
‘It’s a beautifully written and perceptive book, that also poses
sharp questions about environmental nostalgia and the true value of
species.’
*The Daily Telegraph*
‘Kornfeldt does an excellent job of exposing the ethical dilemmas
of bringing extinct creatures back to life.’
*The Mail on Sunday*
‘The Re-Origin of Species is an engrossing exploration of a
controversial area, written with a light touch and a journalist’s
eye for detail.’
*Irish Examiner*
‘The author's careful synthesis of accomplishment versus aspiration
is also spot-on—even world-class scientists will be dreamers, and
there is much more research to be conducted before mammoths once
again lumber across the tundra. Wondrous tales of futuristic
science experiments that happen to be true.’
*Kirkus Reviews*
‘Extinction might not be forever! ... Free of most scientific
jargon, Kornfeldt’s book is an eye-opening introduction to an
important new field of study that”s well fit for public
library audiences.’
*Booklist*
‘Pick up this book and you’ll be glued to its pages, and soon
convinced that bioengineering will continue to change the world in
ways difficult to imagine.’ 4.5 STARS
*Good Reading*
‘Kornfeldt interviews researchers intent on recreating mammoths and
passenger pigeons, saving the northern white rhino, and
reintroducing chestnut trees to North America.’
*Publishers Weekly*
‘Reading The Re-Origin of Species was a delightful adventure.
Torill Kornfeldt took me by the hand and led me all around the
world, and back through history, teaching me about how extinction
works and how the restoration of all kinds of species, from the
woolly mammoth to feathered dinosaurs, just may be a part of our
future.’
*Tim Urban, Wait But Why?*
‘Any number of terms apply to Torill Kornfeldt's fascinating
overview of this profoundly important subject: clear-eyed.
Skeptical. Open-minded. But the word that sticks with me is one I
haven't had cause to use in a very long
time: hopeful. The Re-Origin of Species gives me
hope.’
*Peter Watts, author
of Blindsight and Starfish*
‘[E]xpresses the full complexity of this topic in a lighthearted,
masterful way, raising critical questions … which guide the reader
to develop informed opinions about how humankind can limit the
ongoing destruction of nature.’
*Adelaide Advertiser*
‘It’s less like reading a college text book and more like reading
about a famous explorer digging into cultures not seen since the
dawn of time. It’s like Indiana Jones light, for the
scientist.’
*Adventures in Poor Taste*
‘This thought-provoking and deeply engaging book throws into the
question the very meanings of life and death as we understand
them.’ STARRED REVIEW
*Shelf Awareness*
‘[T]he projects Kornfeldt writes about are incredibly compelling,
given that we are living through a mass-extinction event that
threatens the stability of the world’s ecosystems.’
*The New Yorker*
‘In her cleverly titled book, The Re-origin of the Species, Swedish
science journalist Torill Kornfeldt examines the world’s most
famous (or perhaps most infamous) attempts to resurrect extinct
species ... Crisscrossing the globe to interview the world’s
leading experts on de-extinction, she offers her personal
impressions of their laboratories, their research, and even their
motivations ... The Re-Origin of the Species is a welcome addition
to the growing corpus on de-extinction, and a strong debut by a
gifted writer.’
*The Quarterly Review of Biology, Stony Brook University*
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |