Book description
Did the human race almost go extinct? Can genetics explain a cat
lady's love for felines? How does DNA lead to people with no
fingerprints or humans born with tails? And how did the right
combination of genes create the exceptionally flexible thumbs and
fingers of a truly singular violinist?
Unravelling the genetic code hasn't always been easy - from its
earliest days, genetics has been rife with infighting, backstabbing
and controversial theories - but scientists can now finally read the
astounding stories inscribed in our DNA. As we make advances into DNA
mapping and modification, genetics will continue to be the hottest
topic in science, shaping the very make-up of our bodies and the world
around us.
With the same masterful combination of science, history and culture
he brought to The Disappearing Spoon, Sam Kean untangles the
secrets of our genetic code, explaining how genetics has shaped our
past and how DNA will determine humankind's future.
Sam Kean spent years collecting mercury from broken thermometers as a
child and now he is a writer in Washington DC. His work has appeared in
the New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, Air &
Space/Smithsonian and New Scientist. In 2009 he was a runner-up for the
National Association of Science Writers' Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award
for best science writer under the age of thirty. He currently writes for
Science. His first book, The Disappearing Spoon, was a New York Times
bestseller and was shortlisted for the Royal Society's Winton Prize for
science writing.
