The Science of Orphan Black

An official guide to the crazy science of Orphan Black Delve deeper into the scientific terms and theories at the core of the Peabody-winning, cult favourite show. With exclusive insights from the show s co-creator Graeme Manson and science consultant Cosima Herter, The Science of Orphan Black takes you behind the closed doors of the Dyad Institute and inside Neolution. Authors Casey Griffin and Nina Nesseth decode the mysteries of Orphan Black from the history of cloning, epigenetics, synthetic biology, chimerism, the real diseases on which the clone disease is based, and the transhumanist philosophies of Neolution, to what exactly happens when a projectile pencil is shot through a person s eye and into their brain."

Casey Griffin is a graduate student pursuing her Ph.D. in developmental and stem-cell biology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She’s been a fan of Orphan Black and avid member of the Clone Club since 2011. When she isn’t loudly fan-girling over the show and being an all-around sci-fi and comic book nerd, she can be found working in the lab. Also an avid Clone Club member, Nina Nesseth is a professional science communicator whose background is rooted in biomedical sciences and science communication, with special interest in human biology. She is a staff scientist at Science North in Sudbury, Ontario. Nina and Casey write for entertainment news site The Mary Sue, where they dissect the science of Orphan Black.

FOREWORD by Cosima Herter INTRODUCTION: Welcome to the trip CHAPTER ONE: “How many of us are there?” The history & science of clones CASE STUDY: Sarah Manning CASE STUDY: Alison Hendrix CHAPTER TWO: “There’s only one of me” Nature versus nurture CASE STUDY: Cosima Niehaus CHAPTER THREE: “You’re just a bad copy of me” Kendall Malone: one person, two cell lines CASE STUDY: Elizabeth Childs CASE STUDY: Tony Sawicki CHAPTER FOUR: “This is my biology, my decision” Synthetic biology and human experimentation CASE STUDY: Helena CHAPTER FIVE: “My poor, poor Rachel” Rachel’s brain injury CASE STUDY: Rachel Duncan CHAPTER SIX: “Your little girls are dying” The clone disease CASE STUDY: M.K. (Veera Suominen) CASE STUDY: Krystal Goderitch CHAPTER SEVEN: “And we, here, shall drink from the fountain first” Prolongevity and regeneration THE CONVERSATION: Graeme Manson and Cosima Herter Glossary Orphan Black and History: A Timeline Selected Bibliography Acknowledgments