Elena Grigorieva was born in 1954 in Kuibyshev, Russia. She graduated from Moscow State University with a Ph.D. in histology, anatomy and embryology. She was employed as a scientific officer at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in London. She was involved in the histological analysis of various genetically modified animal models.After her retirement in 2011, she continued to participate in scientific research. She has incorporated this knowledge into her writing.Her favourite activities are reading, watching documentary films, travelling, experiencing and learning about different cultures, as well as visiting museums and theatres. Her special skills are sewing, knitting and drawing. Since her school days, she has been interested in the structure of human and animal bodies and the evolutionary aspects of life.She is married and has two daughters. Elena wrote The Indispensable Eight, and this is her second book.