Dangerous Miracle: A natural history of antibiotics – and how we burned through them

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Liam Shaw

Dangerous Miracle

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

Liam Shaw

$36.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

JONATHAN CAPE
26 August 2025

Social & cultural history; Mathematics & Sciences; Popular science; Microbiology (non-medical); Human biology; Popular medicine & health

Antibiotics - one of humanity's greatest achievements, but invented by bacteria. Dangerous Miracle is an epic narrative of scientific discovery and innovation but also of the exploitation of the natural world in pursuit of the 'fossil fuels' of medicine.

Antibiotics- one of humanity's greatest achievements - but invented by microbes.

An epic narrative of discovery and innovation - 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 we've 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 from a gifted writer.

By: Liam Shaw
Imprint: JONATHAN CAPE
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 40mm
Weight: 700g
ISBN: 9781847927552
ISBN 10: 1847927556
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 26 August 2025
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Liam Shaw is a biologist researching the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance. For the past four years he has been a Wellcome funded research fellow at the University of Oxford. His writing has appeared in the London Review of Books, Morning Star, and Private Eye. Dangerous Miracle is his first book.

Reviews for Dangerous Miracle: A natural history of antibiotics – and how we burned through them

Excellent - a highly readable account of scientific success in the past and Big Pharma's egregious inability to deal with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance -- Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm Everyone needs to know about antibiotics- the good the bad and the ugly! This is a brilliant history lesson -- Tim Spector, author of Food for Life