The Violinist's Thumb

Es gibt Gene, die erklären, warum manche alte Damen Katzen horten, Gene, die erklären, warum manche Menschen Atombomben überleben und warum andere Menschen keine Fingerabdrücke haben. Sie erklären auch, warum manche Menschen, wegen der außergewöhnlichen Flexibilität ihrer Daumen und Finger, einzigartige Geigenspieler werden. Eine äußerst unterhaltsame Geschichte des wundersamen Bausteins des Lebens, der DNA.

From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes incredible stories of science, history, language, and music, as told by our own DNA. 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.

Autorentext

Sam Kean is a writer in Washington, D.C. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, the New York Post, 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, and he was a Middlebury Environmental Journalism fellow. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Disappearing Spoon

Klappentext

There's enough DNA in a single cell to stretch six feet tall, and enough DNA in our bodies to stretch almost to the moon. Within this DNA are fascinating stories that hold the secrets to historical mysteries about humans, and tell of our peculiar rise on earth.There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, and a love of reckless activities, genes that could allow someone to survive nuclear bombs, and cause the untimely end of explorers in the Arctic. Genes explain everything about us-everything from Vlad the Impaler's pale skin to JFK's bronze.