Michael Branch -- "On the Trail of the Jackalope"

Date and Time for this Past Event

Thursday, May 26, 2022 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Location

Details

Michael Branch will speak about and sign his new book, "On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World's Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer," on Thursday, May 26th at 6:30 pm at Boulder Bookstore. He will be in conversation with Karen Auvinen for this special event. Tickets for this event are $5 (plus a small processing fee) and are available on Eventbrite.

About the Book:
Just 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. 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. Today, jackalopes are literally helping us cure cancer.

"On the Trail of the Jackalope" tells the 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.

IMPORTANT TICKETING AND EVENT INFORMATION

*Tickets are $5 (plus a small processing fee).

*A coupon good for $5 off a copy of "On the Trail of the Jackalope," or a purchase on the day of the event is included with your ticket. You will receive this coupon at the event.

*COVID-19 measures: Admission to this event will be limited, and masks are encouraged for all attendees.