Unnaturally Delicious: How Science and Technology are Serving Up Super Foods to Save the World

In this lively look at the modern intersection of technology and food, Lusk, a professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University, examines several ways that researchers are seeking to feed the world, combat malnutrition, and conserve resources. Robotic chefs, 3-D printed food, synthetic biology, and meat grown in a petri dish were once the province of science fiction, but these ideas are fast becoming realities as scientists tinker with nature's bounty. Lusk digs into the aforementioned techniques and others, such as encouraging sustainability, improving food safety, and finding more humane ways to raise livestock. "This is the story of the innovators and innovations shaping the future of food," he explains. He admits that genetically modified food is a controversial topic, but points out that humans have "been altering our food and innovating new diets since the beginning." If his enthusiasm for hamburgers from bovine stem cells or "convenient, healthy, and scrumptious" printed food becomes contagious, that's his intent: "If I accomplish nothing else with this book, I hope a few young people might see a new way to effect food change." While Lusk occasionally lapses into overly technical moments of scientific passion, he otherwise succeeds in keeping his book accessible, entertaining, and optimistic. Agent: Mel Berger, William Morris Endeavor. (Apr.)