The
violinist's thumb
and other lost tales of love, war, and genius, as written by our genetic code
Kean, Sam.
creator
author
text
bibliography
nyu
2012
monographic
eng
ix, 401 pages; 25 cm.
"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"--
Sam Kean.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 385-389) and index.
Human genetics
Miscellanea
SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Genetics & Genomics
QH431 .K24 2012
572.8
SCI029000 SCI008000
9780316182317 (hardback)
2012007029
DLC
120410
20250507112309.0
17248735