Get Free Shipping on orders over $0
Dangerous Miracle : A natural history of antibiotics - and how we burned through them - Liam Shaw

Dangerous Miracle

A natural history of antibiotics - and how we burned through them

By: Liam Shaw

Paperback | 1 December 2026

At a Glance

Paperback


RRP $29.99

$28.99

or 4 interest-free payments of $7.25 with

Available: 1st December 2026

Preorder. Will ship when available.

'Brilliant' TIM SPECTOR'Excellent' HENRY MARSH'Thrilling' VENKI RAMAKRISHNANAntibiotics: one of humanityâs greatest achievements â" but invented by microbes. An epic narrative of discovery and innovation â" but also of extraction and exploitation. This is the spellbinding story of how we have burned through the fossil fuels of medicine. Since their advent, antibiotics have saved millions of lives, marking one of the greatest medical advances in our history. Dangerous Miracle weaves together the grand arc of the evolution of antibiotics over millions of years with a history of the past century: first as we mined the earth for naturally occurring antibiotic molecules, then as we learned to synthesise our own. But like fossil fuels, antibiotics are a finite resource which weâve regarded as a cheap, everlasting fuel. They are unlike other drugs: every time we use them we increase the possibility of antibiotic resistance emerging, risking their future effectiveness. If we want antibiotics to have a future, we need to prepare to adapt. And fast. Rich with pioneering characters, great breakthroughs and grave risks, Dangerous Miracle is a grand drama of science, history and politics. It is a revelatory account of the miraculous history and uncertain future of antibiotics. âAn enjoyable, compelling and absolutely essential readâ KATE BINGHAMâEye-opening and thrilling ⦠Both an important history and a vital call to arms to change the way new drugs are discoveredâ MATTHEW COBB

More in Popular Science

Liars, cheats and copycats : Trickery and deception in nature - James O'Hanlon
First Astronomers : How Indigenous Elders read the stars - Duane Hamacher
Dopamine Nation : Why our Addiction to Pleasure is Causing us Pain - Anna Lembke
Sapiens : A Graphic History: Volume 1 - Yuval Noah Harari

RRP $39.99

$31.75

21%
OFF
Behave : The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst - Robert M Sapolsky
A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 - Bill Bryson

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF
Ferment : The Life-Changing Power of Microbes - Tim Spector

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF
Breath : The New Science of a Lost Art - James Nestor

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF
Swainston's Fishes of Australia : The complete illustrated guide - Roger Swainston
Nature's Last Dance : Tales of wonder in an age of extinction - Natalie Kyriacou
Sapiens A Graphic History, Volume 2 : The Pillars of Civilization - Yuval Noah Harari
The Future Loves You : How and Why We Should Abolish Death - Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston
Lifespan : Why We Age - and Why We Don't Have To - David Sinclair

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF
Outliers : The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF