Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson’s Ingenious applies concepts and metaphors from evolutionary biology to explain the impact of technological innovation on human life.

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In their new book, Ingenious: The Unintended Consequences of Human Innovation, “innovate or die” could well be authors Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson’s warning that humans will thrive only “if our species can indefinitely rely on ingenuity.” Using metaphors from biology, the authors argue that “as persistent niche modifiers [living beings who deliberately and continuously craft their own environment to be hospitable and beneficial to their lives], we have to k…