Tag Archives: genetics

DNA is Not Destiny

Posted on September 9, 2024 by smellincoffee

When I first learned about DNA, I formed a very elementary notion of it being a bit like lego blocks: this bit was the blonde hair, that gene was green eyes, that sort of thing. Later on, as I began … Continue reading →

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She Has Her Mother’s Laugh

Posted on January 8, 2019 by smellincoffee

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 smellincoffee

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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Genome

Posted on February 12, 2016 by smellincoffee

 Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters© 1999 Matt Ridley317 pages   The human genome is a recipe book, divided into 23 chapters, but considerably larger than Matt Ridley’s Genome. Were it to scale, he writes, a genuine … Continue reading →

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Paleofantasy

Posted on September 4, 2013 by smellincoffee

Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Says about Sex, Diet, and How We Live© 2013 Marlene Zuk328 pages Despite its name, Paleofantasy is not a deliberate debunking of arguments for a ‘paleo diet’ and a paleo lifestyle.  Although Zuk does take aim at … Continue reading →

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The Making of the Fittest

Posted on August 22, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution304 pages© 2006 Sean B. Carroll Sean B. Carroll’s The Making of the Fittest examines the genetics of evolution, relating to readers not only how changes come about … Continue reading →

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