Other species adapt to their environments; we alone create ours. Over generations, we have remade the world to suit ourselves. What's more, in changing our world, we have also reshaped the human phenotype—the interaction between genes and environment that moulds our bodies and minds. We grow taller and heavier than before, and live longer. We think and behave differently, and die from once rare diseases. Our experiences of life have been transformed, and in turn so have our societies. Weaving together biology, social anthropology, epidemiology and history, Edwin Gale examines the shifting physical and mental dimensions of our lives, from ageing to illness, food production to reproduction, designer bodies to IQ tests, and asks: are we a self-domesticated species?