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patchworkbunny's review against another edition
5.0
DNA. It’s in all of us but did you know it tells a story? Both of the human race and its own story of discovery. The Violinist’s Thumb is not only an introduction to the science of DNA but a trip through history from Mendel to the Human Genome Project and Neanderthals to crazy cat people.
My knowledge of DNA comes from high school biology, Jurassic Park and numerous crime shows and books, so I’m by no means in a position to understand high-brow scientific tomes. Instead, Sam Kean manages to entertain and educate. The conversational tone dips into more technical territory now and then but just as you think it’s about to go over your head, it returns to an amusing anecdote. I fell I have a better understanding of how DNA works and how it’s shaped us as humans.
I learned so many fascinating facts. That there could be a biological reason that otherwise sane people turn into crazy cat hoarders; toxoplasma gondii (a parasite caught from cats) will release dopamine into the brain when the infected individual smells cat pee. So cats make them happy. The case study here, were a couple that held the world record for most cats in one home; 689! I could go on all day about the things I picked up but I need to leave some for you to discover yourself.
What is often left out of scientific history, are the people behind the discoveries. We may know all about Mendel’s peas but not that his research was destroyed because of his politics and not his science (I’m pretty sure his fellow monks were appreciative of his pea improvement). It’s also quite common for geneticists to try and explain historical figures through their genes, what does Einstein’s brain say about his genius? And there was a wonderful section about Toulouse-Lautrec, whilst his family’s inbreeding was tragic, his disadvantages probably led to his art. Just as a genetic condition blessed and blighted the title’s inspiration, virtuoso violinist, Niccolò Paganini.
My only grumble was a couple of errors that should have been picked up by an editor. We cannot possibly be 8% not human and only 2% human; that just doesn’t add up. I know that the author meant 8% virus DNA and 2% unique to human DNA, but it wasn’t worded that way and for a scientist, maths should be important. There was another similar thing, where he stated “virtually all animals” and then excluded all mammals in the same sentence. Virtually all would imply mammals to most of us, would it not? There may have been other slip-ups but these were surrounded in paragraphs that included things I wanted to quote and realised they didn’t make sense when I looked more closely. The fact that I still think this a five star read, shows you how much I got out of it.
My knowledge of DNA comes from high school biology, Jurassic Park and numerous crime shows and books, so I’m by no means in a position to understand high-brow scientific tomes. Instead, Sam Kean manages to entertain and educate. The conversational tone dips into more technical territory now and then but just as you think it’s about to go over your head, it returns to an amusing anecdote. I fell I have a better understanding of how DNA works and how it’s shaped us as humans.
I learned so many fascinating facts. That there could be a biological reason that otherwise sane people turn into crazy cat hoarders; toxoplasma gondii (a parasite caught from cats) will release dopamine into the brain when the infected individual smells cat pee. So cats make them happy. The case study here, were a couple that held the world record for most cats in one home; 689! I could go on all day about the things I picked up but I need to leave some for you to discover yourself.
What is often left out of scientific history, are the people behind the discoveries. We may know all about Mendel’s peas but not that his research was destroyed because of his politics and not his science (I’m pretty sure his fellow monks were appreciative of his pea improvement). It’s also quite common for geneticists to try and explain historical figures through their genes, what does Einstein’s brain say about his genius? And there was a wonderful section about Toulouse-Lautrec, whilst his family’s inbreeding was tragic, his disadvantages probably led to his art. Just as a genetic condition blessed and blighted the title’s inspiration, virtuoso violinist, Niccolò Paganini.
My only grumble was a couple of errors that should have been picked up by an editor. We cannot possibly be 8% not human and only 2% human; that just doesn’t add up. I know that the author meant 8% virus DNA and 2% unique to human DNA, but it wasn’t worded that way and for a scientist, maths should be important. There was another similar thing, where he stated “virtually all animals” and then excluded all mammals in the same sentence. Virtually all would imply mammals to most of us, would it not? There may have been other slip-ups but these were surrounded in paragraphs that included things I wanted to quote and realised they didn’t make sense when I looked more closely. The fact that I still think this a five star read, shows you how much I got out of it.
lessard8424's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyable read. Amusing yet serious look at the scientific history of DNA.
bunrab's review against another edition
5.0
No really new stuff here, but a nice run through what DNA and RNA do, and how the system of using DNA to build genes and genes to build chromosomes developed throughout evolution. Good sense of humor lightens up the heavy stuff, and the biographies of some of the odder builogists and medical researchers of the late 1800s and early 1900s are a hoot.
nightchough's review against another edition
4.0
Great book about genetics and DNA, filled with anecdotes and biographical sketches of key scientists. A couple of unforgettable stories from Japan. I liked this even more than The Disappearing Spoon, perhaps because there were more natural links between chapters ... a real sense of the progress of science over the last 150 years.
wonder_kinder's review against another edition
4.0
interesting overview of the history of genetics in simple language, even funny at times. author doesn't take himself too seriously when discussing a complex and often charged subject. I would recommend this book to my scientifically inclined and curious friends.
teachinsci's review against another edition
5.0
- Why don't we have access to Gregor Medel's original data on pea plants (and why does that matter)?
- What gave Henri Toulouse-Lautrec such a unique perspective as an artist?
- What can our genes tell us about ourselves?
These are just a few of the questions which are answered by Sam Kean in this book. Like his previous book "Disappearing Spoon," Kean explores scientific history, this time in genetics, using stories about the principle figures (and some lesser-known) of that history. Included also are stories of those who are not famous for any scientific work, but because of their genetic afflictions and what those say about genetic knowledge.
Unlike his previous book, however, instead of stories which relate a group of ideas, Kean uses groups of stories to weave together answers to questions that slowly build your knowledge of modern genetics. He even weaves in his own journey learning about his genetic heritage and its effect on his life.
All-in-all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys science history, especially if they appreciate it's stories being broken-up into bite-sized chunks.
- What gave Henri Toulouse-Lautrec such a unique perspective as an artist?
- What can our genes tell us about ourselves?
These are just a few of the questions which are answered by Sam Kean in this book. Like his previous book "Disappearing Spoon," Kean explores scientific history, this time in genetics, using stories about the principle figures (and some lesser-known) of that history. Included also are stories of those who are not famous for any scientific work, but because of their genetic afflictions and what those say about genetic knowledge.
Unlike his previous book, however, instead of stories which relate a group of ideas, Kean uses groups of stories to weave together answers to questions that slowly build your knowledge of modern genetics. He even weaves in his own journey learning about his genetic heritage and its effect on his life.
All-in-all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys science history, especially if they appreciate it's stories being broken-up into bite-sized chunks.
kpauls2011's review against another edition
5.0
This book was stellar and only fueled my new-found passion for Genetics!
girl_in_glasses's review against another edition
4.0
If you're in the mood for expanding your mind and interested in genetics, or even just evolutionary science, definitely take a look at this book. Fascinating stories about the men and women behind the research and what we now think of as "common knowledge" about DNA and chromosomes.
Fun fact: we all carry genes that allow us to digest human tissue due to cannibalism in our ancient, or even rather recent, evolutionary past.
Fun fact: we all carry genes that allow us to digest human tissue due to cannibalism in our ancient, or even rather recent, evolutionary past.
kerrymc's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this but found it difficult to get through. Especially the very science heavy parts. The anecdotal/history part of it was great.