Masterminding Nature

"Masterminding Nature is an impressive, detailed, and thorough book by an expert who has both academic and hands-on experience in the realm of domesticated animal breeding. It is crisp, clear, and meticulous." -- Sandra Swart, Department of History, University of Stellenbosch "Margaret E. Derry's book provides an overview that will serve as a starting and reference point for animal breeding studies for years to come. A pleasure to read, the book presents the subject matter in an accessible way: no specialist knowledge is required to understand her narrative." -- Bert Theunissen, Director, Descartes Centre for the History and Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities, Utrecht University

Margaret Derry examines the evolution of modern animal breeding from the invention of improved breeding methodologies in eighteenth-century England to the application of molecular genetics in the 1980s and 1990s.

In Masterminding Nature, Margaret Derry examines the evolution of modern animal breeding from the invention of improved breeding methodologies in eighteenth-century England to the application of molecular genetics in the 1980s and 1990s. A clear and concise introduction to the science and practice of artificial selection, Derry’s book puts the history of breeding in its scientific, commercial, and social context.

Masterminding Nature explains why animal breeders continued to use eighteenth-century techniques well into the twentieth century, why the chicken industry was the first to use genetics in its breeding programs, and why it was the dairy cattle industry that embraced quantitative genetics and artificial insemination in the 1970s, as well as answering many other questions. Following the story right up to the present, the book concludes with an insightful analysis of today’s complex relationships between biology, industry, and ethics.