Tamed: From Wild to Domesticated, the Ten Animals and Plants That Changed Human History

An “epic and joyous” (Adam Rutherford) history of our species, using recent scientific discoveries to explore humanity’s domestication of the plants and animals that have allowed human civilization to thrive.

“An excellent point of entry for anyone who wants to understand the new deep human history and what it portends.”—The Guardian

Dogs became our companions.

Wheat fed booming populations.

Cattle gave us meat and milk.

Corn fueled the growth of empires.

Potatoes brought feast and famine.

Chickens inspired new branches of science.

Rice promised a golden future.

Horses gave us strength and speed.

Apples provided harvestable sweetness.

Humans tamed them all.

For hundreds of thousands of years, our ancestors were just one wild species among many, their survival dependent on the whims of nature. Then, gradually, we began to tame the plants and animals all around us—and ourselves.

Combining genetics, archaeology, evolutionary biology, and anthropology, Tamed tells the story of the greatest revolution in human history, revealing the fascinating origins of crucial domesticated species and how they, in turn, transformed us. Dogs, our first natural ally, aided Ice Age–era hunters and gatherers. Domesticated horses led to new ideas about hunting and combat in the Eurasian Steppe. The reliability of wheat and corn allowed humans to settle down and build civilizations of unprecedented complexity.

As she uncovers the astounding global implications of domestication, Alice Roberts urges us to look again at our relationship with the natural world—and our incredible influence upon it.