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20%OFFSam Kean - The Violinist's Thumb - 9780552777513 - V9780552777513
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The Violinist's Thumb

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Description for The Violinist's Thumb Paperback. Did the human race almost go extinct? Can genetics explain a cat lady's love for felines? And how did the right combination of genes create the exceptionally flexible thumbs and fingers of a truly singular violinist? This title explains how genetics has shaped our past and how DNA will determine humankind's future. Num Pages: 496 pages, illustrations. BIC Classification: MFN; PSAK1. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 198 x 128 x 32. Weight in Grams: 354.

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.

Product Details

Publisher
Transworld Publishers Ltd United Kingdom
Number of pages
496
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2013
Condition
New
Number of Pages
496
Place of Publication
London, United Kingdom
ISBN
9780552777513
SKU
V9780552777513
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 4 to 8 working days
Ref
99-1

About Sam Kean
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.

Reviews for The Violinist's Thumb
Summer’s must-read non-fiction book
Huffington Post
The Violinist's Thumb is one of the Ten Books to Look Out for in 2012
New Scientist
A fast-paced, breezy romp through history using DNA as a unifying theme... it’s nerd-vana
New Scientist
Explored in his Bryson-esque style, [The Violinist's Thumb] provokes fascinating stuff, full of oddball stories and amazing facts. Kean's book is full of wonderfully weird anecdotes, but it's also an accessible history of the discovery and mapping of DNA... compellingly entertaining
Daily Mail
Sam Kean is the best science teacher you never had
Entertainment Weekly

Goodreads reviews for The Violinist's Thumb


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