Showing titles in Evolution & Genetics

While traditional drugs mostly help us manage the effects of disease, cell therapies promise genuine cures for a broad range of intractable ailments, from Alzheimer’s to heart damage to cancer. They could even reverse the effects of aging. For the first time in history, on an unprecedented scale, we possess the power to modify the biology that gives rise to disease, ultimately restoring individuals to a state of normalcy and reversing debilitating ailments. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb traces the scientific achievements that propelled progress in cell therapies.

Before Charles Darwin, other luminaries planted the seeds that would one day evolve into the theory that would make him famous. Author Rick Coste begins by shining a spotlight on the writers, philosophers, and scientists who planted the seeds that would blossom into the theory of evolution by natural selection, from Aristotle’s big ideas to young Mary Anning’s discovery of the first ichthyosaur skeleton. After exploring the contributions of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, Evolution Talk investigates the very beginnings of life itself.

Life innovates constantly, producing perfectly adapted species—but there's a catch. Many animals and plants eke out seemingly unremarkable lives. Passive, constrained, modest, threatened. Then, in a blink of evolutionary time, they flourish spectacularly. Once we start to look, these 'sleeping beauties' crop up everywhere. But why? Looking at the book of life, from apex predators to keystone crops, and informed by his own cutting-edge experiments, renowned scientist Andreas Wagner demonstrates that innovations can come frequently and cheaply to nature, well before they are needed.

The historical Jesus of Nazareth is arguably the most influential person ever to walk on the face of the planet Earth. For the past 2,000 years, thousands of books have been written about him, and yet no book has been written about the mechanism by which the eternally existing God—the Christ—became Jesus, the man in the flesh. This book precisely explains this mystery by looking through the prism of the scientific discipline of genetics.

When attorney Chris Hansen learned that the U.S. government was issuing patents for human genes to biotech companies, his first thought was, How can a corporation own what makes us who we are? Then he discovered that women were being charged exorbitant fees to test for hereditary breast and ovarian cancers, tests they desperately needed—all because Myriad Genetics had patented the famous BRCA genes. So he sued them.

Impara a costruire il tuo albero genealogico, conosci la storia della tua famiglia e sfoglia tra i ricordi dei tuoi cari. Chi erano i tuoi avi? Hai forse qualche passato nobiliare e non lo sai? E come riuscire da soli a raccogliere informazioni? Forse è meglio che ti fai aiutare da un esperto? Questo e molto altro in un ebook semplice, di facile lettura e senza pretese.

We are all familiar with the "march of progress," the representation of evolution that depicts a series of apelike creatures becoming progressively taller and more erect before finally reaching the upright human form. Its emphasis on linear progress has had a decisive impact on public understanding of evolution, yet the image contradicts modern scientific conceptions of evolution as complex and branching.

In der Geschichte der Menschheit hat es schon immer den Wunsch nach Unsterblichkeit und dem ewigen Leben gegeben. Im Laufe der Jahrhunderte haben die Menschen viele Versuche unternommen, um dieses Ziel zu erreichen. In der modernen Zeit haben Fortschritte in der Wissenschaft und Technologie das Potenzial geschaffen, dass das ewige Leben tatsächlich möglich werden könnte. Dieses Hörbuch untersucht die verschiedenen Möglichkeiten, wie das ewige Leben erreicht werden könnte, einschließlich der genetischen Manipulation, der Epigenetik, der Kryonik und der menschlichen KIs.

Ever since the Scopes Monkey Trial in the early twentieth century, American evangelicals have considered scientists public enemy #1. But this antipathy to modern science turned deadly during the COVID-19 crisis, when white evangelicals snubbed precautions and vaccines. Herself an evangelical Christian and a science educator, Janet Kellogg Ray explains how we got here and how to fix it.

The field of biotechnology has evolved over the past four decades, developing medicines which are curing diseases. But this journey of success has been tough and arduous, built upon the shoulders of major failures. 

Viruses are the world's most abundant life form, and now, when humanity is in the midst of a close encounter with their immense power, perhaps the most feared. But do we understand viruses? Possibly the most enigmatic of living things, they are sometimes not considered a life form at all. Everything about them is extreme, including the reactions they evoke. However, for every truism about viruses, the opposite is also often true.

In 2018, the first genetically modified babies were reportedly born in China, made possible by the invention of CRISPR technology in 2012. This controversial advancement overturned the preexisting moral consensus, which had held for over 50 years before: While gene editing an adult person was morally acceptable, modifying babies, and thus subsequent generations, crossed a significant moral line. John H. Evans here provides a meta-level guide to how these debates move forward and their significance to society.

Dieses Hörbuch macht die komplexe Entstehung des Lebens auf unserem Planeten erstmals für alle verständlich. Dabei stand das Leben auf der Erde schon mehrfach kurz vor der Auslöschung. Es gab zwei Millionen Jahre dauernde Vulkanausbrüche und mehrfach schwere Asteroideneinschläge. Katastrophen, ohne die allerdings etwa die Ausbreitung der Säugetiere nicht möglich gewesen wäre. Henry Gee schildert unterhaltsam und anschaulich, wie sich das Leben immer wieder durchsetzte.

Что отличает человека от обезьяны? Меньше, чем многим бы хотелось. И уж точно не только люди умеют бороться за власть. В 1970-х годах тогда еще молодой ученый Франс де Валь исследовал одну из крупнейших в мире колоний шимпанзе, живущих под открытым небом в зоопарке Арнема в Нидерландах.

Una piccola sigla, un mondo di significati: il DNA è una risorsa contro le malattie, uno strumento per identificare gli assassini e una chiave per comprendere il comportamento umano. La sua storia è talmente antica da intrecciarsi con quella della comparsa della vita sulla Terra. E in futuro? Proviamo a parlarne direttamente con lui. Dalla genetica di Neandertal alla clonazione di esseri umani, metteremo a fuoco speranze (e timori) che grazie al DNA si aprono per la scienza e per le nostre esistenze.

In the book Diet and Health, I explained what brought us to our current state of 40 percent obesity in the Western world. My goal is to prevent type 2 diabetes, and to do that, I have to prevent obesity. I compared our historical diet to the modern Western diet, and showed how the modern diet has induced insulin resistance. I offered treatment for those who are obese or have pre-diabetes. I then described the various maintenance diets. If you already have type 2 diabetes, I can help you control it.

"Egoístas, inmortales y viajeras" explora el pasado, la realidad actual y el futuro de una enfermedad que, en términos estrictos, no es una única entidad sino más de doscientas distintas, tantas como tipos celulares construyen los diferentes órganos y tejidos de nuestro cuerpo. Discutiremos en primer lugar el origen del cáncer, una cuestión que hasta una fecha reciente no tuvo una respuesta concreta y de la que hoy podemos decir que es una enfermedad de los genes en el planeta de los genes.

The emergence of genomic science in the last quarter century has revolutionized medicine, the justice system, and our understanding of who we are. We use genomics to determine guilt and exonerate the falsely convicted; devise new medicines; test embryos; and discover our ethnic and national roots. One might think that, given these advances, most would favor the availability of genomic tools. Yet as Jennifer Hochschild explains in Genomic Politics, the uses of genomic science are both politically charged and hotly contested.

While in the world of literature and film, mad scientists create monsters like "Frankenstein” and almost all religions are promoting skepticism towards science and the fear of manipulating human beings, reality has bypassed such concerns long ago. Osho has a unique view – supporting science, specifically genetic science – but as a conscious science.

A significant number of Americans, especially evangelical Christians, believe Earth and humankind were created in their present form sometime in the last 10,000 years or so - the rationale being that this is (presumably) the story told in the book of Genesis. Within that group, any threatening scientific evidence that suggests otherwise is rejected or, when possible, retrofitted into a creationist worldview.