Tag Archives: biology

The dance of nature

Posted on September 6, 2019 by

So to be crystal clear: everything out there is influencing the evolution of everything else. The bacteria and viruses and parasites that cause disease in us have affected our evolution as we have adapted in ways to cope with their … Continue reading →

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She Has Her Mother’s Laugh

Posted on January 8, 2019 by

She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity© 2018 Carl Zimmer672 pages Overhearing discussion of heredity a few hundred years ago would have meant only one thing:  being in the presence of noblemen, who stood to … Continue reading →

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A Crack in Creation

Posted on July 11, 2018 by

A Crack in Creation:  Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution© 2017 Jennifer Doudna and Sam Sternberg “No longer at the mercy of the reptile brain, we can change ourselves. Think of the possibilities.” – Carl Sagan A … Continue reading →

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This Is Your Brain on Parasites

Posted on March 7, 2018 by

This is Your Brain on Parasites: How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Brains and Shape Society© 2016 Kathleen McAuliffe299 pages Are you under the influence?  There’s a chance that you may be, even if you haven’t darkened the door of a … Continue reading →

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Gut

Posted on February 28, 2018 by

Gut: The Inside Story Of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ© 2015 Giulia Enders271 pages Through the teeth, past the gums, look out stomach, here we come! Gut is a tour of your innards, of the surprisingly clean but bustling twists … Continue reading →

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I Contain Multitudes

Posted on October 27, 2017 by

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes WIthin Us and a Grander View of Life © 2016 Ed Yong 268 pages For much of the 20th century, microbes were equivalent with germs – invisible threats that needed to eradicated.  As we move … Continue reading →

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A Devil’s Chaplain

Posted on September 6, 2017 by

A Devil’s Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love© 2003 Richard Dawkins263 pages Charles Darwin mused that a devil’s chaplain might write quite a book on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering low, and horridly cruel works of nature.  A Devil’s … Continue reading →

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