{"product_id":"on-the-trail-of-the-jackalope-how-a-legend-captured-the-worlds-imagination-and-helped-us-cure-cancer-hardcover","title":"On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World's Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichael P. Branch\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe never-before-told story of the horned rabbit--the myths, the hoaxes, the very real scientific breakthrough it inspired--and how it became a cultural touchstone of the American West.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJust what is a jackalope? Purported to be part jackrabbit and part antelope, the jackalope began as a local joke concocted by two young brothers in a small Wyoming town during the Great Depression. Their creation quickly spread around the U.S., where it now regularly appears as innumerable forms of kitsch--wall mounts, postcards, keychains, coffee mugs, shot glasses, and so on. A vast body of folk narratives has carried the jackalope's fame around the world to inspire art, music, film, even erotica! \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Although the jackalope is an invention of the imagination, it is nevertheless connected to actual horned rabbits, which exist in nature and have for centuries been collected and studied by naturalists. Around the time the two young boys were creating the first jackalope in Wyoming, Dr. Richard Shope was making his first breakthrough about the cause of the horns: a virus. When the virus that causes rabbits to grow \"horns\" (a keratinous carcinoma) was first genetically sequenced in 1984, oncologists were able to use that genetic information to make remarkable, field-changing advances in the development of anti-viral cancer therapies. The most important of these is the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which protects against cervical and other cancers. Today, jackalopes are literally helping us cure cancer. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e For fans of David Quammen's \u003ci\u003eThe Song of the Dodo\u003c\/i\u003e, Jon Mooallem's \u003ci\u003eWild Ones\u003c\/i\u003e, or Jeff Meldrum's Sasquatch, Michael P. Branch's remarkable \u003ci\u003eOn the Trail of the Jackalope\u003c\/i\u003e is an entertaining and enlightening road trip through the heart of America.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael P. Branch\u003c\/b\u003e is a professor of literature and environment at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he teaches creative nonfiction, American literature, environmental studies, and film studies. An award-winning writer and humorist, Michael is the author of \u003ci\u003eHow to Cuss in Western \u003c\/i\u003eand lives with his wife and two daughters in the western Great Basin Desert, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Range.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 x 9.1 x 6.3 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 01, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51765286043936,"sku":"9781643139333","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/bcf33e20cbee607fe5411f7eca4a883c.webp?v=1780266073","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/on-the-trail-of-the-jackalope-how-a-legend-captured-the-worlds-imagination-and-helped-us-cure-cancer-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}