The Details of DNA
It's been a while since my last post and it's partly due to the fact that I've been busy working every day. The other reason for the delay is due to the fact that the book that I chose next was a little thicker than the other books that I've been reading lately. For some reason, I've really enjoyed all the non-fiction that I've been reading. I'm going to try to make sure that I mix in some fiction as well so those of you who enjoy fiction a little more won't be quite as bored!
The Violinist's Thumb and Other Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code by Sam Kean
Sam Kean, a national best-selling author, is known for his ability to write about scientific discoveries in an interesting narrative style. Besides the Violinist's Thumb, he has also written:
The Disappearing Spoon: and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: the History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery
Kean explains that "this book is about DNA--about digging up stories buried in your DNA for thousands, even millions of years, and using DNA to solve mysteries about human beings whose solutions once seemed lost forever." The thing that I loved about this book was that it was a progression. Kean went through the timeline of all the knowledge we have gained over the years about genes, genetics, DNA, the Human Genome Project.
Two of my favorite chapters of the book were:
11. Size Matters: How Did Humans Get Such Grotesquely Large Brains?
15: Easy Come, Easy Go? How Come Identical Twins Aren't Identical?
I enjoyed the clever way that Kean laid out the history. He included personal stories and unique tales of how things were discovered and the talented men and women that brought them to pass. This was a non-fiction book that I could really get into. It was a fairly easy read, even for someone who isn't an expert on science or genetics. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for an informative read about science to add to their to-read list.
The Violinist's Thumb and Other Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code by Sam Kean
Sam Kean, a national best-selling author, is known for his ability to write about scientific discoveries in an interesting narrative style. Besides the Violinist's Thumb, he has also written:
The Disappearing Spoon: and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: the History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery
Kean explains that "this book is about DNA--about digging up stories buried in your DNA for thousands, even millions of years, and using DNA to solve mysteries about human beings whose solutions once seemed lost forever." The thing that I loved about this book was that it was a progression. Kean went through the timeline of all the knowledge we have gained over the years about genes, genetics, DNA, the Human Genome Project.
Two of my favorite chapters of the book were:
11. Size Matters: How Did Humans Get Such Grotesquely Large Brains?
15: Easy Come, Easy Go? How Come Identical Twins Aren't Identical?
I enjoyed the clever way that Kean laid out the history. He included personal stories and unique tales of how things were discovered and the talented men and women that brought them to pass. This was a non-fiction book that I could really get into. It was a fairly easy read, even for someone who isn't an expert on science or genetics. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for an informative read about science to add to their to-read list.
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