Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes

by Nathan H. Lents

Everyone knows that it is impossible to understand current events in a specific country without understanding the history of that country and how the modern state came to be.

Our flaws are what make us who we are. Our individuality comes from tiny variations in our genetic and epigenetic codes, and much of this diversity arises from the haphazard insults of mutation. Mutations, like lightning strikes, are random and often destructive, but they are also, somehow, the source of all human greatness.

Plant-based diets, however, need to be planned more carefully because different kinds of plants provide different ratios of the twenty amino acids. As a result, variety is the easiest way for vegetarians and vegans to ensure that they get enough of all the amino acids they need.

and other animals have lost the ability to synthesize. Two other examples come from a group of molecules called fatty acids. These long hydrocarbons are the building blocks for fats and other lipids that the body needs, such as phospholipids, which help form the membranes that surround every single cell. It is hard to think of a more essential structure than the cell membrane. Yet one of the two fatty acids that we cannot produce (both of which have tongue-twister names) is linoleic acid, which forms part of the cell membrane. The other one, alpha-linolenic acid, is used to help regulate inflammation, another hugely important internal process.

Mitochondrial disorders

highly repetitive DNA called transposable elements (TEs). TEs are not genes; they are pieces of chromosomes that can actually get up and move around, changing position during cell division,

There are literally hundreds of cognitive biases with overlapping definitions and common root causes, and they’re grouped into three broad categories: those affecting beliefs, decisions, and behaviors; those affecting social interactions