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"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 bred thousands of years more recently than any of us would feel comfortable thinking. They can even allow some people, because of the exceptional flexibility of their thumbs and fingers, to become truly singular violinists. Kean's vibrant storytelling once again makes science entertaining, explaining human history and whimsy while showing how DNA will influence our species' future"--… (more)
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The fact that I was thinking of polar bear livers while typing that last sentence is an indication of how well this book has done its job.
Do I now understand all there is to know about DNA and genetics?
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Oh, sorry. I was laughing too hard to type there for a minute. Because – No: I'm still an idiot in the world of science. I am now able to parrot the fact of, say, A-T and C-G pairings, and I have a tenuous grasp on what it means, but for me the general feeling is much like I remember from high school science, when I learned that color wasn't what I thought it was and that water is part of everything, even the most solid and desiccated of objects, on a cellular level. Information like that fights with my worldview. I understand the words on a theoretical level, like phasers and tribbles. It's the practical science that escapes me.
Which in no way is to detract from Mr. Kean's book. It's excellent. It's a joy. The fault, dear reader, lies not in my book but in myself, I'm sorry to say.
But I do know a whole heck of a lot more than I did when I started, and – more importantly – I understand a whole heck of a lot more than I did when I started. As for what I still don't understand … well, Mr. Kean did not leave me feeling like the idiot I am, despite the fact that he explained as clearly and simply – and, often, humorously – as any human being could. And every page was painted with the wonder Mr. Kean obviously still finds in science. If all teachers managed to demonstrate this sense of wonder into their lessons, the world would be a smarter place.
And in between and around the bits that refuse to compute, there was a tremendous amount of information I could happily wallow in. I had no idea of the gravity of the reasons behind keeping pregnant women away from kitty litter – and really, it is serious, don't go anywhere near it. It never occurred to me that there could be people who survived the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki both, and no real concept of what that did to them. I never knew the quirky biographies of Darwin and Mendel, Thomas Hunt Morgan, Watson and Crick, or any of the other madmen that fills these pages. And of course the title condition, that which made Niccolò Paganini what he was, which allowed him speed and flexibility that led his listeners to believe he had traded in his soul for them – a beautiful piece of forensic diagnosis, and such fun to read. The humor never gets in the way of the learning, but – as with all the best teachers – facilitates it. It's wonderful.
Literally.
Perhaps all healthy bodies resemble each other, while each unhealthy body is unhealthy in its own way.
Another terrific collection of stories by Sam Kean about science and scientists, this one on genetics and DNA and inspired by his own genes -- haha! his parents, Gene and
It gives the fundamentals of DNA (its discovery, structure (including sequencing) and function) and touches on so many topics that have become known (or better understood) in the decades since my coursework -- of most interest to me are the incorporation of bacteria and viruses into our cells and DNA, and the environmental activation and suppression of genes that is the field of epigenetics. It’s awe-inspiring ... and as we look at lower animals and attribute so much of their behavior to instinct, I wonder how long until we’ll understand our own species enough to see how much of what we attribute to free will is actually biology?
As an aside, I liked this comparison of scientific fields:
A physicist stationed in Hiroshima might have pointed out that the gamma rays finished working over [the] DNA in a millionth of a billionth of a second. To a chemist, the most interesting part -- how the free radicals gnawed through DNA -- would have ceased after a millisecond. A cell biologist would have needed to wait maybe a few hours to study how cells patch up torn DNA. A doctor could have diagnosed radiation sickness [...] within a week. Geneticists needed the most patience. The genetic damage to the survivors didn’t surface for years, even decades.
Though at times I found his approach a little too basic and I wished greatly for footnotes. At times, Kean seemed to gloss over potentially complicated discussions, making me wonder if he was oversimplifying here and there in the interest of narrative clarity. More than once, he stepped on my religious toes whilst trying to be funny. But for the most part, this is an engaging account about a fascinating subject. Kean does a good job of taking what could potentially be a very difficult, dry, or technical topic and making it accessible. His real-life historical examples of crazy experiments or historic people with genetic disorders add vivacity and relevance to the various topics he covers.
I've never been the type of girl to understand science. The closest I
In spite of all these misgivings, the name of Paganini, the famous violinists who - folk lore states - sold his soul to the devil for his ability to play drew me in to this book. Random fact: Franz Liszt (also rumored to be demonic in places) studied Paganini's skill on the violin and translated it to the piano. He also was the first to play music memorized on the stage for a concert. I blame him for my many breakdowns.
Anyway!
So Paganini was the bait, but what hooked me about this book was just how accessible the science was. Seriously, it blew me away. In between serious chunks of letters and strands and things I know nothing about were anecdotal stories and historic lessons about names and things I had never known about. It opened up a whole new world to me and in the process, I like to think, I learned a little something more then I expected to.
Fully enjoyable, well-researched and surprisingly fun - this book gave me really strange DNA dreams and made me feel a little bit like a smart person ... for a short while.
Kean explains in simple and rather poetic terms, for example, the difference between DNA and genes. "DNA", he tells us, "is a thing - a chemical which sticks to your fingers" while genes are "like a story, with DNA as the language the story is written in". And DNA does much more than colour our eyes blue or our hair black. As Kean points out, if it weren't for DNA, we would lack the imagination to even wonder about these things never mind try to discover why they are what they are. DNA is really the story of us, the story of our place in the universe, and, if it seems a little sad to think we are really just the sum of our genetic makeup, there is a whole lot more to the story than just our biology. It is, in fact, our DNA which makes us not only human but humane.
In some wonderful anecdotes, Kean (whose own DNA has made him a born story teller) tells us about the unluckiest lucky man in the world, a Japanese man who survived the bombing of Hiroshima, only to head home to his family who lived in, you guessed it, Nagasaki. Yet, despite surviving two nuclear bombs, he went on to live a long and fruitful life. He also introduces us, thanks to DNA, to the mother of us all, the real Eve, who was a tiny woman who lived a hundred thousand years ago. And Kean also explains why, thanks to DNA, you should never eat the liver of a polar bear unless you are a seal.
The Violinist's Thumb has to be the most fun I have ever had reading a book about science. Oh, and in case you are wondering, the thumb in the title belonged to Paganini, an 18th century violinist so talented many thought he had sold his soul to the devil. Turns out it was something which seems on the surface, somewhat less poetic but certainly more surprising and decidedly human - Paganini's incredible skill was due not to Satan but to a genetic disorder which would eventually shorten his life but which allowed him to bend his fingers and thumbs in amazing ways. When Shakespeare said "our fortune lies not in our stars...but in ourselves", he was more right than he could have possibly imagined even given his wonderful DNA.
Being a lover of science I was drawn to this book and not only by my interest in the genetic code. Reason is The Violinist’s Thumb reminds me of a scientific version of Ripley’s Believe it or Not, so shockingly true. Sam Kean takes the reader on a trip
Some interesting knowledge I came away with included how human genes make up less than 2% of the current total human DNA. Even more intereting yet in a creepy way is how humans have descended from viruses. This enlightenment came to be during the “Human Gnome Project.” Where at that time about 200 hundred biologists learned that a mighty big chunk of our gnome consists of virus genes. If that is not enough to creep you out how about the parasite Toxoplasma Gondii. You know that parasite that can be found in any cat lovers litter box. Toxo has been popular in the news scene lately. However what CNN fails to tell you is how scientists have discovered that two of its eight thousand genes have adapted to building dopamine. Humans infected by Toxoplasma grow cysts in their brains. Those infected with it find it difficult to part with their cats as the scent of cat urine provides a turn on and addiction. Which makes complete sense when you take into account the behavior of a cat hoarders.
It’s no secret that humans have been genetically engineering animals and more so plants since the beginning of agriculture which spans thousands of years through our past. But who could forget the birth of Dolly the first sheep clone in 1997. Who knew that Dolly actually went on to birth six little lambs of her own naturally, I sure didn’t. In all I found the book mighty fascinating and if it wasn’t for the few times Sam seemed to forget people like me with no genetic background would be reading this book, I would have given him another sparkly star.
Information on DNA coding brought back memories for me. I remembered when I had first heard about the HGP (Human Gnome Project), and how DNA sequencing might be used in the future to help those with medical conditions and illnesses. Later not long after news that the Human Gnome had been decoded the scientific community seemed to have gone silent. Part of the reason could be that we humans do not have as many genes as once thought, just slighting less than 26, 000. While sequencing has help scientist in many ways the irony is that because of the small amount of genes humans contain it has made it even more difficult for science work with.
A great deal is covered on occasion the outline gets lost. Depth varies, but I learn much!
the science of DNA as we currently know it.
Highly recommended.
There are loads of
Of all the survivors of the World War II atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, some 150 were caught near both cities on both days! (Talk about a run of bad luck!)
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, many female scientists were nuns, because, as Kean explains, "Women at the time usually had to relinquish their careers upon marrying, while unmarried women...provoked suspicion or derision and sometimes earned such low pay they couldn’t make ends meet.”
Humans share about 99% of our DNA with chimpanzees, making them our closest living relatives.
But male chimps have something humans don’t: little bumps called spines on their penises. According to Kean, “this loss decreases male sensation during sex and thereby prolongs copulation, which scientists suspect helps humans pair-bond and stay monogamous.”
Who knew?
Kean explains why Arctic explorers can risk death by eating the liver of polar bears, or why some people who have one cat start getting more cats. He also talks about the phenomenon of epigenetics: how genes can, in fact, be influenced by the environment, with the effects actually passed on to progeny, much as theorized by the discredited Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. He even explains how why the beliefs of some religions couldn’t possibly be true: the genetic evidence tells a different story.
Evaluation: This book is full of fascinating anecdotes, as well as a lot of science, which you can actually just scan if you prefer, without it detracting from the general thrust of the book.
One big criticism: When I read a nonfiction book, I depend heavily on the index to help me refer back to ideas I just read 20 minutes ago but forgot already. The index in this book is extremely inadequate. Want to look up that bit about cats, for example? Well, you won’t find anything under “cat” or “feline”: unless you remember that the organism which is the culprit is called Toxoplasma gondii, you’re out of luck!
Otherwise, it was a very entertaining read; once again Kean has succeeded in making science fun, which is absolutely a good thing!
The anecdotal stories are delightful! Definitely worth a read.
I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science.
The writing style if fluent and informal, and he conveys complex information well. But, I was left at the end needed more
So, a good popularisation of science, but there is an opportunity for a professional in the field to fill a gap and provide more of the basic biological science in the area. We need a Dawkins of dna.
Read Feb 2015
★★★★
Last year I read Sam Kean’s other book, The Disappearing Spoon, and was immensely impressed that he could take a confusing subject for me (chemistry and the periodic
The author takes us through the history of the DNA – how we became human, how DNA was discovered, what the future holds, etc. It was all quite interesting. There was a lot of info to soak in and I will admit to understanding the basics to begin with, which may have made my reading of the subject a little easier (after all, I was a biology major for several years). But I think even if one lacks knowledge in the subject of genetics, this is a good book to pick up. Kean is excellent and explaining things that may otherwise be difficult to grasp (although I won’t lie, it took me a couple reads of some paragraphs to get the full grasp but it WAS grasped). This really was an amazingly well written book on genetics. I am already looking forward to whatever the author chooses to tackle for his next book.
That's merely the appetizer, though; the main course consists of the major breakthroughs in genetics, starting with Gregor Mendel, a wildly strong personality whose major work ground to a halt when he was elected abbot of his monastery, and whose notes (but not his published work, blessedly) were burned after his death, to avoid further scandal related, not to his scientific work, but to the tax dispute between the monastery and the Austrian government.
His work on inheritance and discovery of the basic principles of genetics was forgotten after his death, and not rediscovered until 1900, when Hugo de Vries and Carl Correns independently duplicated his work and then found his published papers. Darwin was unaware of Mendel's work, and when it was rediscovered, it was initially perceived as a major challenge to Darwinism. Darwin, like most after him until the rediscovery of Mendel's work, believed in "blended inheritance," rather than the discrete units of heritable characteristics and the essentially on/of nature of many characteristics due to dominant and recessive genes.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, we had the high-profile competition between Craig Venter and his for-profit Celera, and the non-profit Human Genome Project in the race to sequence the human genome. In between we had the adoption of Drosophila melanogaster (the common fruit fly) as the ideal vehicle for genetics research, Lynn Margulis' discovery of "jumping genes," and James D. Watson, Francis Crick Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins' discovery of the DNA "double helix" structure.
It's a fascinating story, and very well told.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.