Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction—is it worse than the disease?

We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps; a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online

...

The extraordinary Siddhartha Mukherjee has a written a biography of the gene as deft, brilliant, and illuminating as his extraordinarily successful biography of cancer. Weaving science, social history, and personal narrative to tell us the story of one of the most important conceptual breakthroughs of modern times, Mukherjee animates the quest to understand human heredity and its surprising influence on our lives, personalities, identities, fates,...

"In The Disappearing Spoon, bestselling author Sam Kean unlocked the mysteries of the periodic table. In the Violinist's Thumb, he explores the wonders of the magical building block of life : DNA. There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, why other people have no fingerprints, and why some people survive nuclear bombs. Genes illuminate everything from JFK's bronze skin (it wasn't a tan) to Einstein's genius. They prove that Neanderthals and humans...

Examines unusual genetic traits, including tasting the PTC in broccoli, tongue rolling, and smelling asparagus.

Discusses the end sections of each chromosome called telomeres, the enzyme that replenishes them, their role in the aging process, and specific lifestyle habits to that protect telomeres, slow down disease, and lengthen life.

The revolution in genetics represents one of the most amazing expansions of knowledge in the history of science. Incredible advances such as the mapping of the human genome are continuing to unlock the mysteries of heredity. This title gives students the power to understand this fascinating area of biology by starting with the basics. The science behind each concept is explained with clear text and a wealth of informative illustrations, color images,...

One of the world's leading cultural psychologists debunks the hype surrounding DNA testing and puts to rest our mistaken anxieties about our genes.--So why do we continue to buy into the belief that our genes control our destiny? Heine argues that we are psychologically ill equipped to deal with DNA results, repeatedly falling into predictable biases switch-thinking, essentialism, fatalism, negativity dominance, and more that mold our thinking about...