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Science writer Matt Ridley has found a way
to tell someone else's story without being
accused of plagiarism. Genome: The
Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters
delves deep within your body (and, to be fair,
Ridley's too) looking for dirt dug up by the
Human Genome Project. Each chapter pries one gene
out of its chromosome and focuses on its role in
our development and adult life, but also goes
further, exploring the implications of genetic
research and our quickly changing social
attitudes toward this information. Genome
shies away from the "tedious biochemical
middle managers" that only a nerd could love
and instead goes for the A-material: genes
associated with cancer, intelligence, sex (of
course), and more.
Readers unfamiliar with the jargon of genetic
research needn't fear; Ridley provides a quick,
clear guide to the few words and concepts he must
use to translate hard science into English. His
writing is informal, relaxed, and playful,
guiding the reader so effortlessly through our 23
chromosomes that by the end we wish we had more.
He believes that the Human Genome Project will be
as world-changing as the splitting of the atom;
if so, he is helping us prepare for exciting
times--the hope of a cure for cancer contrasts
starkly with the horrors of newly empowered
eugenicists. Anyone interested in the future of
the body should get a head start with the clever,
engrossing Genome. --Rob Lightner
The
New York Times Book Review, Lee M. Silver
It is a nearly jargon-free expedition that
hops from one human chromosome to the next (23 in
all) in search of the most delightful stories.
Wall
Street Journal
A fascinating tour of the human genome. .
. . If you want to catch a glimpse of the biotech
century that is now dawning, and how it will make
life better for us all, Genome is an excellent
place to start.
Susan
Okie, Washington Post Book World
A superb writer whose exquisite, often
moving descriptions of life's designs remind me
of the best work of the late Lewis Thomas. . . .
He crafts some of the clearest explanations of
complex biological processes that I have
encountered. What's more, he captures their
slippery beauty.
Book
Description
Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran is
internationally renowned for uncovering answers
to the deep and quirky questions of human nature
that few scientists have dared to address. His
bold insights about the brain are matched only by
the stunning simplicity of his experiments --
using such low-tech tools as cotton swabs,
glasses of water and dime-store mirrors. In Phantoms
in the Brain, Dr. Ramachandran recounts how
his work with patients who have bizarre
neurological disorders has shed new light on the
deep architecture of the brain, and what these
findings tell us about who we are, how we
construct our body image, why we laugh or become
depressed, why we may believe in God, how we make
decisions, deceive ourselves and dream, perhaps
even why we're so clever at philosophy, music and
art. Some of his most notable cases:
* A woman paralyzed on the left side of her
body who believes she is lifting a tray of drinks
with both hands offers a unique opportunity to
test Freud's theory of denial.
* A woman who hallucinates cartoon characters
illustrates how, in a sense, we are all
hallucinating, all the time.
Dr. Ramachandran's inspired medical detective
work pushes the boundaries of medicine's last
great frontier -- the human mind -- yielding new
and provocative insights into the "big
questions" about consciousness and the self.
from Oxford University Press: A truly unique resource, this exciting
anthology presents a wide spectrum of views and
issues in the ever expanding debates about
evolution, including extracts which look at the
roles of mutations, inbreeding, crossbreeding,
and gene selection; the puzzle of sex; the
evolutionary consequences of being a plant; and
the means of measuring time by using molecular
clocks. It represents a multitude of viewpoints,
featuring major contributions by writers such as Charles
Darwin, Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Dawkins,
Jacques Monod, Theodosius Dobazhansku, and
Francis Crick.
Amazon Synopsis:
Evolution is a lively introduction to the full
range of current evolutionary biology.
Stimulating and well-written, this text provides
fascinating examples that illustrate and test the
theory of evolution. Competing theories are
objectively explained throughout. Includes margin
notes, chapter summaries, and an extensive
glossary, plus an appendix on the fossil record.
Book
Description
An airborne death machine, it can take off
backward, hover, accelerate in a fraction of a
second, make an unbanked turn at full speed,
somersault, and even stop on a dime in flight.
It's able to lift double its own weight, and is
capable of making up to 400 kills a day. No, it's
not the Pentagon's newest high-tech helicopter,
but a dragonfly.
This winged warrior is just one of the many
battle-scarred creatures that fly, swim, and walk
through the pages of Evolutionary Wars, an
extensively... read
more
"Many
battle-scarred creatures fly, swim, and walk
through the pages of Evolutionary Wars, an
extensively illustrated guide to nature's most
ingenious means of attack and defense. Here on
the front lines of the war of natural selection,
early warning systems, sonar, stealth technology,
chemical agents, and deadly weapons clash in the
ultimate Darwinian struggle for superiority and
survival."--BOOK JACKET. "From the
earliest bacteria and viruses through parasites,
plants, and fungi to all... read
more
About
the Author
Charles Kingsley Levy is Professor of
Biology at Boston University and Research
Professor at Boston University Medical School.
During World War II he earned both aerial
gunner's wings and navigator's wings and served
in North Africa and Europe. Since then, he has
consulted for the Department of Defense, the Air
Force, NASA, and the CIA, and worked as a park
ranger and a safari leader in Africa. He lectures
on military history as well as on nature. read
more
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