Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite · The Science of Monsters

We all know “there’s no such thing as monsters,” but our imaginations tell us

otherwise. From the mythical beasts of ancient Greece to the hormonal vampires

of the Twilight saga, monsters have captivated us for millennia. Matt Kaplan,

a noted science journalist and monster-myth enthusiast, employs an

entertaining mix of cutting-edge research and a love of lore to explore the

history behind these fantastical fictions and our hardwired obsession with

things that go bump in the night.

Ranging across history, _Medusa’s Gaze and Vampire’s Bite_ tackles the

enduring questions that arise on the frontier between fantasy and reality.

What caused ancient Minoans to create the tale of the Minotaur and its

subterranean maze? Did dragons really exist? What inspired the creation of

vampires and werewolves, and why are we so drawn to them?

With the eye of a journalist and the voice of a storyteller, Kaplan takes

readers to the forefront of science, where our favorite figures of horror may

find real-life validation. Does the legendary Kraken, a squid of epic

proportions, really roam the deep? Are we close to making _Jurassic Park_ a

reality by replicating a dinosaur from fossilized DNA? As our fears evolve, so

do our monsters, and _Medusa’s Gaze and Vampire’s Bite_ charts the rise of the

ultimate beasts, humans themselves.