14 books
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5 voters
Genomics
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When scientists underestimate complexity, they fall prey to the perils of unintended consequences. The parables of such scientific overreach are well-known: foreign animals, introduced to control pests, become pests in their own right; the raising of smokestacks, meant to alleviate urban pollution, releases particulate effluents higher in the air and exacerbates pollution; stimulating blood formation, meant to prevent heart attacks, thickens the blood and results in an increased risk of blood cl
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― The Gene: An Intimate History
― The Gene: An Intimate History
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Ever twisting, turning, and at war with itself and external invaders, DNA provides the fuel for evolution’s changes. Ten percent of our genome is made up of ancient viruses, and at least another 60 percent consists of repeated elements made by jumping genes gone wild. Only 2 percent is made up of our own genes. With cells and genetic material of different species merging and genes continually duplicating and repurposing, life’s history flows more like a braided and meandering river than a straig
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― Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA
― Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA