Overview

Life innovates constantly – it just needs the right environment to succeed. Pioneering mammals appeared when dinosaurs still ruled the roost, but over a hundred million years passed before they flourished. Grasses came on the scene sixty-five million years ago, but they took off only forty million years ago. Examples of ‘sleeping beauties’ – animals, plants and even human inventions – seem to be the exception rather than the rule. But why? Through cutting-edge experiments, Andreas Wagner demonstrates that innovations come frequently and cheaply to nature, well before they are needed. For proof, look no further than prehistoric bacteria that can resist synthetic antibiotics they’ve never encountered, or consider that there are more ways to digest glucose than there are stars in the universe. In human history, the thermometer was invented seven times, the telegraph four times and radar six times.

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Reviews

'Hopeful and fascinating.' -- The Times 'Sleeping Beauties is a delightful, accessible and information-packed primer on evolutionary biology, taking the reader from the complex details of DNA and proteins to some of humanity’s most intriguing successes and failures. Andreas Wagner explains the emergence of many otherwise puzzling traits and species—and also sheds important new light on the mechanics of evolution itself.' -- Wall Street Journal 'A fascinating argument, told in an engaging and clear style, that reminds us just how creative evolution can be.' -- New Scientist ‘Wagner offers a provocative new picture of how context underlies the success of nature’s best inventions, across the tree of life and in society… poetic… Sleeping Beauties is a book of many triumphs. But the most useful of its many messages may be how Wagner equips the reader with a grammar for describing the sleeping beauties in our own lives.’ -- Nature ‘What Darwin didn’t say, and Andreas Wagner, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Zurich, tells us, is that it can take a long time – millions of years – before a mutation actually becomes relevant to the survival of the organism… Perhaps the book’s most important message is that the idea of a singular genius creating world-changing inventions out of nothing is a false one.’ -- Irish Times ‘[An] excellent study… The accessible prose ensures even excursions into molecular biology are comprehensible, and Wagner finds surprising depth in evolutionary history... This is the rare volume that general readers will enjoy as much as specialists.’ -- Publishers Weekly, starred review ‘Accessible and compelling... [Sleeping Beauties is] a fascinating perspective on dormancy’s abundant and critical role in evolutionary innovation.’ -- Booklist ‘Wagner’s emphasis on the fundamental serendipity of success resonates for scientists, humanists, and artists alike. If the fifty-part human hand can prove so versatile, “what about a brain with nearly a hundred billion neurons? What other skills lie dormant within, skills we have not even dreamed of?”’ -- Santa Fe Institute ‘Thought provoking… Wagner explains these issues well and taps into the wider stream of thought that nature has repeatedly come up with the same innovations across many different types of flora and fauna. Two thirds of the book is devoted to how this has played out in nature, and this aspect is argued well and clearly presented.’ -- Irish Tech News

'[An] excellent study... The accessible prose ensures even excursions into molecular biology are comprehensible, and Wagner finds surprising depth in evolutionary history... This is the rare volume that general readers will enjoy as much as specialists.' -- Publishers Weekly, starred review 'Accessible and compelling... [Sleeping Beauties is] a fascinating perspective on dormancy's abundant and critical role in evolutionary innovation.' -- Booklist 'Andreas Wagner has again cut through to the heart of a vital question.' -- Matt Ridley on <i>Life Finds a Way</i> 'A wonderful, mind-expanding book.' -- Alice Roberts on <i>Life Finds a Way</i>

'Hopeful and fascinating.' -- The Times 'Sleeping Beauties is a delightful, accessible and information-packed primer on evolutionary biology, taking the reader from the complex details of DNA and proteins to some of humanity’s most intriguing successes and failures. Andreas Wagner explains the emergence of many otherwise puzzling traits and species—and also sheds important new light on the mechanics of evolution itself.' -- Wall Street Journal 'A fascinating argument, told in an engaging and clear style, that reminds us just how creative evolution can be.' -- New Scientist ‘What Darwin didn’t say, and Andreas Wagner, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Zurich, tells us, is that it can take a long time – millions of years – before a mutation actually becomes relevant to the survival of the organism… Perhaps the book’s most important message is that the idea of a singular genius creating world-changing inventions out of nothing is a false one.’ -- Irish Times ‘[An] excellent study… The accessible prose ensures even excursions into molecular biology are comprehensible, and Wagner finds surprising depth in evolutionary history... This is the rare volume that general readers will enjoy as much as specialists.’ -- Publishers Weekly, starred review ‘Accessible and compelling... [Sleeping Beauties is] a fascinating perspective on dormancy’s abundant and critical role in evolutionary innovation.’ -- Booklist ‘Wagner’s emphasis on the fundamental serendipity of success resonates for scientists, humanists, and artists alike. If the fifty-part human hand can prove so versatile, “what about a brain with nearly a hundred billion neurons? What other skills lie dormant within, skills we have not even dreamed of?”’ -- Santa Fe Institute ‘Thought provoking… Wagner explains these issues well and taps into the wider stream of thought that nature has repeatedly come up with the same innovations across many different types of flora and fauna. Two thirds of the book is devoted to how this has played out in nature, and this aspect is argued well and clearly presented.’ -- Irish Tech News

'[An] excellent study... The accessible prose ensures even excursions into molecular biology are comprehensible, and Wagner finds surprising depth in evolutionary history, as when he suggests that the independent discovery of agriculture by human communities across the globe - as well as by ants, which cultivate fungi - casts doubt on individual-centric notions of genius and innovation. This is the rare volume that general readers will enjoy as much as specialists.' -- Publishers Weekly, starred review 'Andreas Wagner has again cut through to the heart of a vital question.' -- Matt Ridley on <i>Life Finds a Way</i> 'A wonderful, mind-expanding book.' -- Alice Roberts on <i>Life Finds a Way</i>

'Andreas Wagner has again cut through to the heart of a vital question.' -- Matt Ridley on <i>Life Finds a Way</i> 'A wonderful, mind-expanding book.' -- Alice Roberts on <i>Life Finds a Way</i>

Author Information

Andreas Wagner is a professor and chairman at the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich. He is the author of four books on evolutionary innovation, including Life Finds a Way, which is also published by Oneworld. He lives in Zurich.

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