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Chance in the House of Fate A Natural History of Heredity Trade cloth - 2001
by Ackerman, Jennifer.
Summary
In the last few years, a startling new message has emerged about our biology. Scientists probing the deep workings of organisms have discovered that all living things, from yeasts to worms to humans, are guided by similar genes and proteins, which have passed down nearly intact for hundreds of millions of years. At the most fundamental level, humans are genetically linked to every part of the natural world.
The award-winning science writer Jennifer Ackerman brings these astonishing discoveries together for the first time, weaving a mesmerizing story of heredity that is only now being understood.
Far more than a report from the field, CHANCE IN THE HOUSE OF FATE offers an encompassing vision of what these unities mean for our everyday lives. Ackerman's remarkable skills of description lend wonder and awe to the striking connections between our microcosmic makeup and the macrocosm of the visible world. Her voice is rich in imagery and poetry, vivid and deeply personal. Pregnant with her first child, she anxiously calculates the odds that her baby will inherit the gene that caused her younger sister's profound retardation. Illuminating the science of cell growth, she describes the heartbreaking cancer that claimed her mother's life. Carrying her daughter on her hip at the crack of dawn to observe the millennial orbit of a comet, she contemplates the universal circadian rhythms that measure the passing of time.
"This is the alchemy of art with solid science -- the real thing," said Edward Hoagland in praising Jennifer Ackerman's NOTES FROM THE SHORE. Her new book is a magnificent addition to both science and literature.
The award-winning science writer Jennifer Ackerman brings these astonishing discoveries together for the first time, weaving a mesmerizing story of heredity that is only now being understood.
Far more than a report from the field, CHANCE IN THE HOUSE OF FATE offers an encompassing vision of what these unities mean for our everyday lives. Ackerman's remarkable skills of description lend wonder and awe to the striking connections between our microcosmic makeup and the macrocosm of the visible world. Her voice is rich in imagery and poetry, vivid and deeply personal. Pregnant with her first child, she anxiously calculates the odds that her baby will inherit the gene that caused her younger sister's profound retardation. Illuminating the science of cell growth, she describes the heartbreaking cancer that claimed her mother's life. Carrying her daughter on her hip at the crack of dawn to observe the millennial orbit of a comet, she contemplates the universal circadian rhythms that measure the passing of time.
"This is the alchemy of art with solid science -- the real thing," said Edward Hoagland in praising Jennifer Ackerman's NOTES FROM THE SHORE. Her new book is a magnificent addition to both science and literature.
First line
WHY IS IT SO strange and sweet to ponder a family tree?
Details
- Title Chance in the House of Fate A Natural History of Heredity
- Author Ackerman, Jennifer.
- Binding Trade Cloth
- Edition First Edition
- Pages 272
- Language EN
- Publisher Houghton Mifflin, Wilmington, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
- Date June 1, 2001
- ISBN 9780618082872
Media reviews
"...graceful, nearly lyrical at times...The way in which she focuses on the beauty of scientific language enriches her expertise." Bookpage
"ponders the complexities of a common genetic inheritance among diverse organisms, from fruit flies to human beings" -Science News
"...a beautiful story of the natural world that will inspire and educate without dampening wonder." The San Francisco Chronicle
"ponders the complexities of a common genetic inheritance among diverse organisms, from fruit flies to human beings" -Science News
"...a beautiful story of the natural world that will inspire and educate without dampening wonder." The San Francisco Chronicle
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