Herding Hemingway's Cats

Author: Kat Arney
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472910060
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Book Description
The language of genes has become common parlance. We know they make your eyes blue, your hair curly or your nose straight. The media tells us that our genes control the risk of cancer, heart disease, alcoholism or Alzheimer's. The cost of DNA sequencing has plummeted from billions of pounds to a few hundred, and gene-based advances in medicine hold huge promise. So we've all heard of genes, but how do they actually work? There are 2.2 metres of DNA inside every one of your cells, encoding roughly 20,000 genes. These are the 'recipes' that tell our cells how to make the building blocks of life, along with myriad control switches ensuring they're turned on and off at the right time and in the right place. But rather than a static string of genetic code, this is a dynamic, writhing biological library. Figuring out how it all works – how your genes build your body – is a major challenge for researchers around the world. And what they're discovering is that far from genes being a fixed, deterministic blueprint, things are much more random and wobbly than anyone expected. Drawing on stories ranging from six toed cats and stickleback hips to Mickey Mouse mice and zombie genes – told by researchers working at the cutting edge of genetics – Kat Arney explores the mysteries in our genomes with clarity, flair and wit, creating a companion reader to the book of life itself.

Rebel Cell

Author: Kat Arney
Publisher: BenBella Books
ISBN: 1950665518
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
Why do we get cancer? Is it our modern diets and unhealthy habits? Chemicals in the environment? An unwelcome genetic inheritance? Or is it just bad luck? The answer is all of these and none of them. We get cancer because we can't avoid it—it's a bug in the system of life itself. Cancer exists in nearly every animal and has afflicted humans as long as our species has walked the earth. In Rebel Cell: Cancer, Evolution, and the New Science of Life's Oldest Betrayal, Kat Arney reveals the secrets of our most formidable medical enemy, most notably the fact that it isn't so much a foreign invader as a double agent: cancer is hardwired into the fundamental processes of life. New evidence shows that this disease is the result of the same evolutionary changes that allowed us to thrive. Evolution helped us outsmart our environment, and it helps cancer outsmart its environment as well—alas, that environment is us. Explaining why "everything we know about cancer is wrong," Arney, a geneticist and award-winning science writer, guides readers with her trademark wit and clarity through the latest research into the cellular mavericks that rebel against the rigid biological "society" of the body and make a leap towards anarchy. We need to be a lot smarter to defeat such a wily foe—smarter even than Darwin himself. In this new world, where we know that every cancer is unique and can evolve its way out of trouble, the old models of treatment have reached their limits. But we are starting to decipher cancer's secret evolutionary playbook, mapping the landscapes in which these rogue cells survive, thrive, or die, and using this knowledge to predict and confound cancer's next move. Rebel Cell is a story about life and death, hope and hubris, nature and nurture. It's about a new way of thinking about what this disease really is and the role it plays in human life. Above all, it's a story about where cancer came from, where it's going, and how we can stop it.

How to Code a Human

Author: Kat Arney
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780233005171
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
An award-winning author takes us on a mind-bending journey through the world of DNA, exploring how it encodes our genes and make us unique. What is a genetic superhero? Is all DNA important? Can genetics affect your love life, mental health, and even ability to grow a tail? How to Code a Human answers these and many other questions as it investigates all aspects of modern genetics, from the evolution of our species to inherited disease, from "junk" DNA to the molecular processes inside our cells. This fascinating guide examines what gene sequencing reveals about who we are, how we're wired, and how we repair ourselves. Featuring stunning illustrations and infographics, this insightful guide to the code of life takes us on a beautiful visual journey--and is an essential read for anyone captivated by the scope of human discovery.

Introducing Epigenetics

Author: Cath Ennis
Publisher: Icon Books Ltd
ISBN: 1848319037
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 285

Book Description
Epigenetics is the most exciting field in biology today, developing our understanding of how and why we inherit certain traits, develop diseases and age, and evolve as a species. This non-fiction comic book introduces us to genetics, cell biology and the fascinating science of epigenetics, which is rapidly filling in the gaps in our knowledge, allowing us to make huge advances in medicine. We'll look at what identical twins can teach us about the epigenetic effects of our environment and experiences, why certain genes are 'switched on' or off at various stages of embryonic development, and how scientists have reversed the specialization of cells to clone frogs from a single gut cell. In Introducing Epigenetics, Cath Ennis and Oliver Pugh pull apart the double helix, examining how the epigenetic building blocks and messengers that interpret and edit our genes help to make us, well, us.

Immune

Author: Catherine Carver
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472915143
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 305

Book Description
A thrilling, fact-packed journey of discovery through the body's immune system The human body is like an exceedingly well-fortified castle, defended by billions of soldiers – some live for less than a day, others remember battles for decades, but all are essential in protecting us from disease. This hidden army is our immune system, and without it we could not survive the eternal war between our microscopic enemies and ourselves. Immune explores the incredible arsenal that lives within us – how it knows what to attack and what to defend, and how it kills everything from the common cold virus to plague bacteria. We see what happens when the immune system turns on us, and how life is impossible without its protection. We learn how diseases try to evade the immune system and exploit its vulnerabilities, and we discover how scientists are designing new drugs to harness the power of the system to fight disease. Do transplants ever reject their new bodies? What is pus? How can your body make more antibodies than there are stars in our galaxy? Why is cancer so hard for our immune system to fight? Why do flu outbreaks cause a spike in sleep disorders? Can we smell someone else's immune system, and does that help us subconsciously decide who we fall in love with? In this book, Catherine Carver answers all of these compelling questions, and many more besides. Drawing on everything from ancient Egyptian medical texts to cutting-edge medical science, Immune will take you on an adventure packed with weird and wonderful revelations about your own internal defensive system.

Animal Anomalies

Author: Lewis I. Held, Jr
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108834701
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 295

Book Description
Highlights what we know about the pathways pursued by embryos and evolution, and stresses what we do not yet know.

Sorting the Beef from the Bull

Author: Richard Evershed
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472911342
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
Horsemeat in burgers was hard to swallow, but there are far more sinister culinary crimes afoot... Chicken eggs that haven't come from chickens, melamine in infants' milk in China, nut shells in spices – these are just some examples of the food fraud that has occurred in recent years. As our urban lifestyle takes us further and further away from our food sources, there are increasing opportunities for dishonesty, duplicity and profit-making short-cuts. Food adulteration, motivated by money, is an issue that has spanned the globe throughout human history. Whether it's a matter of making a good quality oil stretch a bit further by adding a little extra 'something' or labelling a food falsely to appeal to current consumer trends – it's all food fraud, and it costs the food industry billions of dollars each year. The price to consumers may be even higher, with some paying for these crimes with their health and, in some cases, their lives. Sorting the Beef from the Bull is a collection of food fraud tales from around the world. It explains the role of science in uncovering some of the century's biggest food scams, and explores the arms race between food forensics and fraudsters as new methods of detection spur more creative and sophisticated means of committing the crimes. This book equips us with the knowledge of what is possible in the world of food fraud and shines a light on the shady areas of our food supply system where these criminals lurk.

Molecules of Emotion

Author: Candace B. Pert
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439124884
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 484

Book Description
The bestselling and revolutionary book that serves as a “landmark in our understanding of the mind-body connection” (Deepak Chopra, MD). Why do we feel the way we feel? How do our thoughts and emotions affect our health? In her groundbreaking book Molecules of Emotion, Candace Pert—an extraordinary neuroscientist who played a pivotal role in the discovery of the opiate receptor—provides startling and decisive answers to these and other challenging questions that scientists and philosophers have pondered for centuries. Pert’s pioneering research on how the chemicals inside our bodies form a dynamic information network, linking mind and body, is not only provocative, it is revolutionary. By establishing the biomolecular basis for our emotions and explaining these scientific developments in a clear and accessible way, Pert empowers us to understand ourselves, our feelings, and the connection between our minds and our bodies—or bodyminds—in ways we could never possibly have imagined before. From explaining the scientific basis of popular wisdom about phenomena such as "gut feelings" to making comprehensible recent breakthroughs in cancer and AIDS research, Pert provides us with an intellectual adventure of the highest order. Molecules of Emotion is a landmark work, full of insight and wisdom and possessing that rare power to change the way we see the world and ourselves.

Death in the Afternoon

Author: Ernest Hemingway, Ernest
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781983811326
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 482

Book Description
Death in the Afternoon is a non-fiction book written by Ernest Hemingway about the ceremony and traditions of Spanish bullfighting, published in 1932. The book provides a look at the history and what Hemingway considers the magnificence of bullfighting. It also contains a deeper contemplation on the nature of fear and courage. While essentially a guide book, there are three main sections: Hemingway's work, pictures, and a glossary of terms.

84 Stories 84 Words

Author: Adrian Flaherty
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781073567676
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 112

Book Description
An entertaining and delightful collection of short stories from the No. 84 Writing Group. Each one of the 84 stories is exactly 84 words long. Enjoy!Authors in the book: Kat Arney, Keith Avenue, Wendy Bretherton, George Brooker, Cathy Clement, Sue Couves, Anthony Cowin, Jayne Curtis, Em Dehaney, Debra Frayne, Jonathan Fryer, Ros Fryer, Peter Germany, David John Griffin, Matt Hill, Paul Hiscock, Sam Jewiss, Lex H Jones, Kayleigh Manley, Ben Morton, Brenda Marlene Moss, Catriona Murfitt, Judith Northwood-Boorman, Chrissie Pountain, Sally Skeptic, Dom Sullivan, Mike Swift, Paolo Viscardi, Richard Wall, Mark Whitehouse, P Zakia