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After millions of centuries during which the evolution of organisms happened naturally see, we humans now have the ability to hack the code of life and engineer our own genetic future. Or to flummox those who would label gene-editing as a natural and playing god, let's put it another way. Nature and Nature's God in their infinitive wisdom have evolved the species that is able to modify its own genome, and that species happens to be ours. [The Code Breaker, p. 479]

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The fennec fox is the smallest fox on earth and cute as a button. It has mischievous dark eyes, a small black nose, and impish six-inch ears—each several times larger than its head. The fennec is native to the Sahara, where its comically oversized auricles play two key roles: they keep the fox cool in the baking sun (blood runs through the ears, releases heat, and circulates back through the body, now cooler), and they give the fox astoundingly good hearing, allowing it to pick up the comings and goings of the insects and reptiles it hunts for food.