Natural Science / Natural History > Genetics

"A beautifully written addition to brain literature...[it] will mesmerise anyone curious about the mass of goo inside our heads" - John O'Connell, Time Out Book of the Week "Genius" Guardian

* We spend about one-tenth of our waking hours completely blind * Only one per cent of what we see is in focus at any one time * You don't need eyes to see - blind volunteers have been taught to see through their chests Through a spellbinding mix of scientific research, mathematics, philosophy, history, myth, anecdote and language theory, Simon Ings brilliantly unravels the never-ending puzzle of how and why we see in the way that we do. With the help of a beguiling mix of illustrated visual conundrums and enigmas, Ings triumphs wi... read more

A ground-breaking work on the implications of human genetic engineering for our future, our children's future and what it means to be human Some time in the next few years, some scientist may reprogram a human egg or sperm cell, make a change in the genetic instructions carried by that cell, a change that will be passed on down into eternity. The scientific expertise exists to do this, as does the motivation: to erase the chance of inheriting a disease, to improve the intelligence or the stamina or the beauty of a child. On the b... read more

The Genius Factory is the story of the Nobel Prize sperm bank, one of the most radical experiments in human breeding ever. In 1980 millionaire inventor Robert Graham began recruiting Nobel prize-winners and other accomplished men as donors to his genius sperm bank, in the hope of breeding a cadre of brilliant scientists, politicians and leaders. The Nobel sperm bank fathered more than 200 children before it closed in 1999. The Genius Factory tells the story of the bank, but it also tells the very remarkable stories of the ban... read more

What could fingers and sex possibly have in common? What does the shape of a child's fingers reveal about future musical talent? And why should professional footballers have longer fingers than other men? This book is about a simple measurement of the human hand: the 'finger ratio', or the length of the ring finger relative to the index finger. John Manning uses a tiny difference between the sexes - that men tend to have a greater finger ratio than women - to examine a dizzying group of questions about human behaviour, from sexuali... read more

In this amazing scientific adventure story, we learn where our ancient genetic ancestors lived, what their lives were like and how every one of us is a testimony to the almost miraculous strength of our DNA. It is a book that not only re-examines the way we have evolved, but also addresses our sense of individuality and identity.

About contemporary developments in the scientific understanding of genetics, and the ways in which these are transforming possible relations between humans and the world around them.

Steven Rose offers a bold new perspective on biology that acknowledges the essentially complex nature of life. Today, genes are called upon to explain almost every aspect of our lives, from social inequalities to health, sexual preference, political orientation and criminality. In this incisive and original account, Steven Rose confronts the fashionable ideology of ultra-Darwinism, which reduces humans to little more than machines for the replication of DNA. Whilst recognising the importance of genes and natural selection, Profe... read more

Are new reproductive and genetic technologies racing ahead of a society that is unable to establish limits to their use? Have the "new genetics" outpaced our ability to control their future applications? This book examines the case of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), the procedure used to prevent serious genetic disease by embryo selection, and the so-called "designer baby" method. Using detailed empirical evidence, the authors show that far from being a runaway technology, the regulation of PGD over the past fifteen years ... read more

Unavailable as at December 2009 - reprint under consideration. Could science fulfil all of our wildest fantasies and desires? Have fun finding out. In an attempt to create the most popular science book ever, Nelson & Hollingham use cutting-edge science and technology to bring a little more happiness into our lives: cloning a faithful pet so that an old friend will forever be there to fetch your slippers, recreating a Grand National winner in a petri dish, avoiding arguments by actually being in two places at once, boosting yo... read more

During the second decade of human life, the body and brain undergo a profound and complex transformation, with emotions and intellect changing as rapidly and unpredictably as weight and height. These changes can be troubling - to teenagers and to those around them - but adolescence plays an important evolutionary role in who we become as adults and there are hard scientific facts behind the spots, the smells, and the sexual experimentation, as well as the existential angst, the anger, and the irresistible attraction to all the thi... read more

In 2004 genetic testing revealed that Masha Gessen had a mutation that predisposed her to ovarian and breast cancer. The discovery initiated Gessen into a club of sorts: the small (but exponentially expanding) group of people in possession of a new and different way of knowing themselves through what is inscribed in the strands of their DNA. As she wrestled with a wrenching personal decision - what to do with such knowledge - Gessen explored the landscape of this brave new world, speaking with others like her, and with experts incl... read more

What makes us who we are? In February 2001 it was announced that the genome contains not the 100,000 genes as originally expected but only 30,000. This startling revision led some scientists to conclude that there are simply not enough human genes to account for all the different ways people behave: we must be made by nurture, not nature. Yet again biology was to be stretched on the Procrustean bed of the nature-nurture debate. Acclaimed science writer Matt Ridley argues that the emerging truth is far more interesting than this... read more

Genetically speaking, the only difference between men and women is that where women have two X chromosomes, men have one X and one Y. It is surprising that one chromosome difference out of our total of forty-six can have such an important consequence, but it does. Is this relatively small genetic variance really sufficient to explain the huge differences between the sexes, not just the physical but the psychological, social, even cultural? Drawing on his own work at the forefront of modern genetics and the exciting theories of evol... read more

No Description

Let's face it: From adenines to zygotes, from cytokinesis to parthenogenesis, even the basics of genetics can sound utterly alien. So who better than an alien to explain it all? Enter Bloort 183, a scientist from an asexual alien race threatened by disease, who's been charged with researching the fundamentals of human DNA and evolution and laying it all out in clear, simple language so that even his slow-to-grasp-the-point leader can get it. In the hands of the award-winning writer Mark Schultz, Bloort's predicament becomes the mea... read more