📖 Overview
Lee Alan Dugatkin is an evolutionary biologist and professor at the University of Louisville who specializes in animal behavior and cooperation. He has written numerous books on evolution, animal behavior, and the history of science.
Lyudmila Trut is a Russian geneticist who spent decades working at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk, Siberia. She conducted the famous fox domestication experiment that began in the 1950s under Dmitri Belyaev.
Together, Dugatkin and Trut co-authored "How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog)," which documents the Soviet-era experiment that domesticated silver foxes over multiple generations. The book combines Trut's firsthand experience as a researcher on the project with Dugatkin's expertise in evolutionary biology and science writing.
Their collaboration brings together Trut's insider knowledge of the experiment and Dugatkin's ability to translate scientific concepts for general readers. The book chronicles one of the longest-running evolution experiments in history.
👀 Reviews
Readers praise the book for making complex genetic and evolutionary concepts accessible to non-scientists. Many appreciate learning about the previously unknown Soviet research and find the fox experiment fascinating. Readers often describe the writing as clear and engaging, with Trut's personal anecdotes adding depth to the scientific narrative.
The combination of hard science with behind-the-scenes stories from the Soviet research institute appeals to many readers. Several reviews mention enjoying the historical context and the challenges researchers faced during different political periods in Russia.
Some readers find certain sections too technical or wish for more detailed explanations of genetic mechanisms. A few criticize the pacing, noting that some chapters feel slow compared to others. Several readers express disappointment that the book doesn't include more photographs of the foxes or the research facility.
Critics occasionally mention that the book feels more like a memoir than a pure science book, though others view this as a strength rather than a weakness.