Biology Genetics

The zombie has had a bit of a renaissance over the last decade. Hollywood churns out films like World War Z and TV shows like The Walking Dead, and communities throughout the country hold zombie runs and races. So what’s driving the zombie obsession? Where did the fear of this creature originate? In this audiobook, The Real Zombies of Nature, we look at the myth of the zombie versus real instances of zombification in the natural world and engage in some scientific speculation about what would happen if myth ever became reality.

This book contains brief sketches on the life and work of 22 of the greatest evolutionary thinkers in the past two centuries. Accessible and listenable, with recommended readings for each thinker. From Lamarck and Darwin, to Gould and Dawkins.

John Tyler Bonner, one of our most distinguished and insightful biologists, here challenges a central tenet of evolutionary biology. In this concise, elegantly written book, he makes the bold and provocative claim that some biological diversity may be explained by something other than natural selection. With his customary wit and accessible style, Bonner makes an argument for the underappreciated role that randomness - or chance - plays in evolution.

With trusted expertise from Mayo Clinic, the Edge of Medicine series sets out to inspire and educate the next generation of young scientists by highlighting the medical breakthroughs of a diverse range of scientists and researchers. From the discovery of the double helix to mapping the human genome, this exploration of scientific inquiry celebrates the greatest developments to date in genetics. Get to know the physicians, scientists, and other researchers responsible for these breakthroughs in medicine, and explore the ups, the downs, and the eureka moments that are science in action.

In 1966, Isaac Asimov and Theodosius Dobzhansky wrote The Genetic Effects of Radiation as a public information resource for the US Atomic Energy Commission. In Asimov's typically incisive and easy-to-understand style, the pair presents an overview of genetics, and how inherited traits can be influenced by external factors, including radiation, both environmental and man-made.

Imagine being able to consume 250,000 calories daily without gaining weight. If you had the metabolism of a shrew you could. And while most of us can't hold our breath for more than a few minutes, the Weddell seal can remain underwater for a full 75 minutes! Through many amazing examples this audio discusses the mechanisms humans and other creatures have evolved to maintain survival needs.

This is the first in a series of "mini" audiobooks on scientists who have provided us with great insights into how nature works. The first audiobook is on Charles Darwin's understanding of natural selection as excerpted from his classic tome On the Origin of Species. Includes a brief introduction by Professor David Christopher Lane, PhD.

This gives a brief and quick overview of evolutionary theories of the origins of early life at the microscopic levels and the view of how organic substances can come from inorganic substances.

DNA serves as the basic instruction manual for life. In this installment, we look at the way in which DNA is structured, replicated, and how it is packaged into such a small area. This will provide the basic understanding of how genes are structured in an easy to understand way.