Sleeping Beauties: The Mystery of Dormant Innovations in Nature and Culture

Wagner (evolutionary biology and environmental studies, Univ. of Zurich; Life Finds a Way) presents a detailed argument for the existence of dormant innovations within every aspect of life, from microbiology to the art world. His examples come from experiments with DNA, duplicate genes, enzymes, and E. coli. The book expounds upon the ideas about point mutations on genes, social learning, and the creation of the pacemaker with stories that break the science into accessible, understandable pieces. The author’s analogies work well, allowing the reader to draw parallels and comparisons across multiple disciplines within the same chapter. This interdisciplinary approach generates an understanding of timing—that innovation only succeeds when it emerges into a world that’s ready to embrace it. It turns out that humans can really have reinvented the wheel (numerous times) and still completely fail to fully grasp the true levels of antibiotic resistance that exist on Earth.