Violinist's Thumbs and Polar Bear's livers
I've just finished reading The Violinist's Thumb by Sam Kean. One of those books that was on the recently-returned shelf at the library and the title I caught my eye. It was very much an 'I don't care what this book is about, with a title like that I have to read it', so I checked it out and to my delight discovered it was a genetics book
Did the human race almost go extinct? Can genetics explain a cat lady's love for felines? How does DNA lead to people with no fingerprints or humans born with tails? And how did the right combination of genes create the exceptionally flexible thumbs and fingers of a truly singular violinist?
Unravelling the genetic code hasn't always been easy - from its earliest days, genetics has been rife with infighting, backstabbing and controversial theories - but scientists can now finally read the astounding stories inscribed in our DNA. As we make advances into DNA mapping and modification, genetics will continue to be the hottest topic in science, shaping the very make-up of our bodies and the world around us.
With the same masterful combination of science, history and culture he brought to The Disappearing Spoon, Sam Kean untangles the secrets of our genetic code, explaining how genetics has shaped our past and how DNA will determine humankind's future.
One of the things I've learned from reading about it - and a factoid that absolutely fascinates me and I will currently share with anyone who'll listen* (regardless of if they're interested) is the toxicity of a Polar Bear's liver. Just one ounce of it is enough to kill a mature human. It's to do with the levels of vitamin A, and how the vitamin gets an easy pass into our cells but then basically just overloads them and it can cause your skin to peel off. Which is equal parts really cool and utterly gross. And humans, of course, discovered this the hard way by killing and eating polar bears. But the liver is also so toxic that were a polar bear to cannibalise it, it would kill itself!
Also, scientists believe that by evolutionary standards, Polar Bears as a species evolved from Brown Bears pretty quickly. In about twenty thousand years. Basically polar animals such as seals have increased levels of Vit A in their bodies which they utilise as a kind of growth hormone, stimulating the growth of blubber which keeps them warm. Seals became the prey of Bears who had to evolve to be able take in the incresed levels of Vit A, except they don't break it down and it just gets stored in their liver, making it so toxic!
Next up, to balance it out (LOL), is The Complete Winnie The Pooh by AA Milne. Because it jumped off my bookshelf at me waving it's hands going 'pick me pick me'!
*Except for how I can't really at work because a lot of the points in the book relate to evolution and they're all creationists
Did the human race almost go extinct? Can genetics explain a cat lady's love for felines? How does DNA lead to people with no fingerprints or humans born with tails? And how did the right combination of genes create the exceptionally flexible thumbs and fingers of a truly singular violinist?
Unravelling the genetic code hasn't always been easy - from its earliest days, genetics has been rife with infighting, backstabbing and controversial theories - but scientists can now finally read the astounding stories inscribed in our DNA. As we make advances into DNA mapping and modification, genetics will continue to be the hottest topic in science, shaping the very make-up of our bodies and the world around us.
With the same masterful combination of science, history and culture he brought to The Disappearing Spoon, Sam Kean untangles the secrets of our genetic code, explaining how genetics has shaped our past and how DNA will determine humankind's future.
One of the things I've learned from reading about it - and a factoid that absolutely fascinates me and I will currently share with anyone who'll listen* (regardless of if they're interested) is the toxicity of a Polar Bear's liver. Just one ounce of it is enough to kill a mature human. It's to do with the levels of vitamin A, and how the vitamin gets an easy pass into our cells but then basically just overloads them and it can cause your skin to peel off. Which is equal parts really cool and utterly gross. And humans, of course, discovered this the hard way by killing and eating polar bears. But the liver is also so toxic that were a polar bear to cannibalise it, it would kill itself!
Also, scientists believe that by evolutionary standards, Polar Bears as a species evolved from Brown Bears pretty quickly. In about twenty thousand years. Basically polar animals such as seals have increased levels of Vit A in their bodies which they utilise as a kind of growth hormone, stimulating the growth of blubber which keeps them warm. Seals became the prey of Bears who had to evolve to be able take in the incresed levels of Vit A, except they don't break it down and it just gets stored in their liver, making it so toxic!
Next up, to balance it out (LOL), is The Complete Winnie The Pooh by AA Milne. Because it jumped off my bookshelf at me waving it's hands going 'pick me pick me'!
*Except for how I can't really at work because a lot of the points in the book relate to evolution and they're all creationists