List Books Concering Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body
| Original Title: | Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body |
| ISBN: | 0142004820 (ISBN13: 9780142004821) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Guardian First Book Award (2004) |
Armand Marie Leroi
Paperback | Pages: 448 pages Rating: 4.04 | 3378 Users | 238 Reviews
Specify Regarding Books Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body
| Title | : | Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body |
| Author | : | Armand Marie Leroi |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 448 pages |
| Published | : | January 25th 2005 by Penguin Books (first published 2003) |
| Categories | : | Science. Nonfiction. Biology. Health. Medicine. Medical. History |
Ilustration In Pursuance Of Books Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body
Mutants gives a brilliant narrative account of our genetic code and the captivating people whose bodies have revealed it--a French convent girl who found herself changing sex at puberty; children who, echoing Homer's Cyclops, are born with a single eye in the middle of their foreheads; a village of long-lived Croatian dwarves; one family, whose bodies were entirely covered with hair, was kept at the Burmese royal court for four generations and gave Darwin one of his keenest insights into heredity. This elegant, humane, and engaging book "captures what we know of the development of what makes us human" (Nature).Visit Armand Marie Leroi on the web: http: //armandleroi.com/index.htmlStepping effortlessly from myth to cutting-edge science,
Rating Regarding Books Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body
Ratings: 4.04 From 3378 Users | 238 ReviewsAppraise Regarding Books Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body
I pretty much read this for the grotesque factor. Had some decent history and genetic information but I was trying to get to the gross stuff and skimmed over it.Life is beautiful, but the process of creating life involves variation and some of those variations have horrified and fascinated people through history. This book alternates historical with contemporary understanding of mutants, to powerful effect. A book purely of ancient misconceptions (heh) of science gets dull quickly. A book purely of how we understand biology to work also gets dull quickly. The author's explanation of historical understanding, and the elegant science writing makes this
This book was very interesting and thought-provoking and mostly avoids the worst excesses of popular science (though it indulges them somewhat). It sets out a fuzzy but definition of mutation and goes into a lot of detail about many topics related to the variation seen among humans - both one-off aberrations and some things that have become characteristic of lines of descent (ranging from small families to wide-spread characteristics).This book has an interesting style in that it is jam-packed
There is a lot of truly fascinating information here about embryology and genetics, and some of the examples of the "mutants " of the past are exceptionally well done. I was expecting more story and less scientific paper, which is why I'm only rating it three stars, for being a bit dense to read in some parts. (I rate myself no slouch in the science department, so if I say it's dense, I really mean it.) But I have to be clear that it's a great piece of work on this topic and well worth the
This is a beautifully written book that examines western societies' understanding of genetic mutation, balancing historical interpretation through a lens of faith with modern science that was interesting enough to make me angry when I got interrupted while reading. Honestly, this book is so much better than my review would have you believe.
All my life, I have groaned inside (and sometimes outside) whenever someone spoke about the "miracle" of giving birth. How miraculous is it, I would ask cynically (and overly confident of my cleverness), if flies and jellyfish do it? In fact, it's only one of the most basic functions living organisms perform, along with eating and pooping. After reading this book, however, and learning about so many things that can happen during gestation that will render the fetus unviable, I am truly amazed,
A very interesting look at mutations and genetics. Lots of cool anecdotes throughout the book which adds greatly to the understanding of the various mutations that are discussed. The topics are discussed in a manner which is respectful while still being intriguing and insightful.
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