The Seeds of Life

From Aristotle to da Vinci, from Sharks' Teeth to Frogs' Pants, the Long and Strange Quest to Discover Where Babies Come From

By: Edward Dolnick

Narrated by: Ben Sullivan

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Why cracking the code of human conception took centuries of wild theories, misogynist blunders, and ludicrous mistakes.

Throughout most of human history, babies were surprises. People knew the basics: Men and women had sex, and sometimes babies followed. But beyond that the origins of life were a colossal mystery. The Seeds of Life is the remarkable and rollicking story of how a series of blundering geniuses and brilliant amateurs struggled for two centuries to discover where, exactly, babies come from.

Taking a page from investigative thrillers, acclaimed science writer Edward Dolnick looks to these early scientists as if they were detectives hot on the trail of a bedeviling and urgent mystery. These strange searchers included an Italian surgeon using shark teeth to prove that female reproductive organs were not "failed" male genitalia, and a Catholic priest who designed ingenious miniature pants to prove that frogs required semen to fertilize their eggs. A witty and rousing history of science, The Seeds of Life presents our greatest scientists struggling-against their perceptions, their religious beliefs, and their deep-seated prejudices-to uncover how and where we come from.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 Edward Dolnick (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Like all good history, The Seeds of Life reminds us of so much we take for granted. Any high school student who pays attention in biology class knows some secrets about sex that eluded generations of brilliant investigators. In clear and engaging prose, Edward Dolnick traces the fascinating breakthroughs, and even more interesting blind alleys, explored by these pioneers of procreation. It's a history lesson and a biology lesson, enriched by vivid portraits of the often eccentric but always remarkable men who wielded scalpels and microscopes, trying to explain where babies come from." (Ernest Freeberg, author of The Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America)

"A delightful history...[ Seeds of Life is] the best sort of science history, explaining not only how great men made great discoveries, but why equally great men, trapped by prejudices and what seemed to be plain common sense, missed what was in front of their noses." ( Kirkus)

"A wonderful, astonishing story, beautifully told. Edward Dolnick has surpassed himself (and everyone else)!" (David Wootton, author of The Invention of Science: A New History of the Scientific Revolution)

Another engaging book by Mr. Dolnick.

Mr. Dolnick takes us on yet another adventure, from origin to the present in an entirely thorough way, that is accessible to everyone.

Very enjoyable and informative!

I loved listening to this book. It was really interesting and peppered with fun stories that made it even more entertaining. If you enjoy history and have any interest at all in biology, you should read this book!

Outrageously entertaining and boldly informative

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It was excellent from the first chapter to the last.

What other book might you compare The Seeds of Life to and why?

not sure.

Which character – as performed by Ben Sullivan – was your favorite?

Not sure.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not sure.

Any additional comments?

No.

Indispensable piece of scientific history

At the conclusive years of my life as a medical man I learned what should have learned during my medical school years as to the investigative history of coming into being and the role of sex sperms and ova! I am immensely I debated of author to put such a pearl for people to devour . Amar

Dolnick books are completely amazing.

David Anderson

This book is enlightening to a degree that unparalleled. The author brings to point the incredible mistakes, misfortunes of scientific investigation about the centuries journey to understand reproduction and how baby’s are made. The book is clever, historical. Sometimes the writing of the early scientists biased positions and how this left them only inches away from the understanding leaves you as a reader kind of stamping on your feet and yelling “it’s right in front of you” to the scientists. Dolnick pauses at vilifying some of them and provides well thought out reason as to why the discovery was missed. Not very good microscopes, the biases mentioned. The book is fascinating. The fact that the final understanding wasn’t completed until I think the book said 1858 leads us on a couple Century journey quest by scientists from many European nations. Incredible book.