Genetic Science

It seems likely that scientists will someday discover how life can emerge on habitable planets like the early Earth and Mars. In Origin of Life: What Everyone Needs to Know, David W. Deamer has written a comprehensive guide to the origin of life that is organized in three sections.

In these lively and fascinating essays, scientists from around the world weigh in on the latest advances in the search for intelligent life in the universe and discuss just what that might look like. Since 2000, science has seen a surge in data and interest on several fronts related to ET (extraterrestrials); AI (artificial intelligence); and SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence). The debate has intensified over whether life exists outside our solar system, what that life would look like, and whether we'll ever make contact.

In this classic volume, Peter Matthiessen exquisitely combines nature and travel writing to bring East Africa to vivid life. He skillfully and magically portrays the sights, scenes, and people he observed firsthand in several trips over the course of a dozen years: the daily lives of herdsmen and hunter-gatherers; the drama of the predator kills; the hundreds of exotic animals; the breathtaking landscapes; the area's turbulent natural, political, and social histories; and more.

Mike Cohen has it all figured out. A successful venture capitalist, he’s got billions in the bank, a lifestyle any New Yorker would kill for, and - if he plays his cards right - a shot with his cute, punky coworker. But everything changes when the life-altering technology he's developing lands him in the middle of a global conspiracy, and the only way to save himself, his loved ones, and his tech is to embed the highly experimental Brainocytes in his own brain. Brainocytes transform the human experience, making you smarter, faster, and more powerful.

How does life work? How does nature produce the right numbers of zebras and lions on the African savanna, or fish in the ocean? How do our bodies produce the right numbers of cells in our organs and bloodstream? In The Serengeti Rules, award-winning biologist and author Sean B. Carroll tells the stories of the pioneering scientists who sought the answers to such simple yet profoundly important questions.

Ever since Darwin and The Descent of Man, the existence of humans has been attributed to our intelligence and adaptability. But in Catching Fire, renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham presents a startling alternative: our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. In a groundbreaking theory of our origins, Wrangham shows that the shift from raw to cooked foods was the key factor in human evolution.

The Martians explores the CIA's top-secret search for the Martians, multiple photos of strange anomalies, and the latest revelations about the environment and water on Mars. And most tantalizing of all: Did an ailing Martian race come to Earth in past eons and were they confused with gods? The questions concerning life on Mars - then and now - are many. The answers are astounding.

When his missionary brother renounced faith in favor of atheism, Perry Marshall was plunged into crisis and doubt. He decided: “I”m going to let science make this decision for me.” He asked: “Is the hand at the end of my arm purposeful? Or is it purposeless?” He leapt into the void of evolution and the origin of life. He could not have begun to anticipate what he was about to discover. Living things were far more sophisticated than textbooks were saying.

As a strong initiate of the Sawa sect, Kei never expected to be given the boot, while someone else cheated their way up the ladder. But here he was, kicked out, speeding across the planet, with one chance left to prove himself: His mission to infiltrate the enemy sect, and steal what makes them the most powerful family on the planet. Fail, and lose everything he’s ever strived for. Fail, and lose the one thing he loves the most, his family. For Kei, failure is just not an option.

Sergeant Major Shaw and the Deadmen command the only known weapon, the dreadnaught, capable of thwarting the impending collapse of the human race. And their enemies in the Principality know it. The Republic’s farspace planets struggle against the spread of the biological weapon known as the Scourge. One by one they are falling prey to the devastating alien disease. Taking advantage of the Scourge calamity, the Principality embark on a brutal conquest to rule all of humanity.

Humans live in landscapes of make-believe. We spin fantasies. We devour novels, films, and plays. Even sporting events and criminal trials unfold as narratives. Yet the world of story has long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It's easy to say that humans are "wired" for story, but why? In this delightful and original book, Jonathan Gottschall offers the first unified theory of storytelling. He argues that stories help us navigate life's complex social problems.

Scientists have accidentally tapped into the deepest recesses of the human mind—and unleash a terrifying force. Now, with an infected creature loose in the Alaskan wilderness, the America military asks expert tracker Nathaniel Hunter to locate the beast before it destroys mankind. A top-secret project brings CIA hit man Roth Tiberius Cain back to life as the ultimate predator. But this killing machine has the soul of a devil. On an Icelandic island, a biological weapons experiment has transformed an innocent creature into the biblical Leviathan that once terrorized the world.

With the Surial gone, Colton Beck has a chance to rebuild the Rusa race. Colton embarks on a dangerous journey to find answers, bringing his closest allies along for the ride. Each objective is a step toward to repopulating Nulit, but the ultimate price might be higher than they’re willing to offer. Now that the truth about the Angor has been realized, the Unity Accord will never be the same. Colton is determined to ensure his peoples’ position over the fabled Ocean, even if it tears the Unity apart.

The Breeds are humans altered before conception with the DNA of the predators of Earth. But although they all carry the genetic material of beasts within them, Cassandra Sinclair stands apart. A unique mix of wolf, coyote, and human, she is revered by many—but preyed upon by others. She is fiercely protected by her community, but no one manages to stop her when she slips away one day to offer her body in exchange for her sister’s safety.

When Bernd Heinrich decided to write a memoir of his ultramarathon running experience, he realized that the preparation for the race was as important, if not more so, than the race itself. In Why We Run, Heinrich considers the flight endurance of birds, the antelope's running prowess and limitations, and the ultra-endurance of camels to understand how human physiology can or cannot replicate these adaptations. Heinrich offers an original and provocative work combining the rigors of science with the passion of running.

When the Imminy fleets arrived at Primitea, there was only one name to rally under: the Bloodmancer. With Arthur and Fars at his side, Richard Stavos had become so much more than a Technomancer. His powers had grown beyond what the Guild could have ever taught him. The war had reached every corner of the Galaxy. The Stavos family had to swing its iron fist against enemies in the far reaches of the void as much as against those on Primitea. While Freya took on the mantle of ruler at home, Richard Stavos took the war to the Federation.

What is animal welfare? This concise and accessible guide is for anyone who is interested in animals and who has wondered how we can assess their welfare scientifically. It defines animal welfare as "health and animals having what they want", a definition that can be easily understood by scientists and non-scientists alike, expresses in simple words what underlies many existing definitions, and shows what evidence we need to collect to improve animal welfare in practice. Above all, it puts the animal's own point of view at the heart of an assessment of its welfare.

Why is the genome of a salamander 40 times larger than that of a human? Why does the avocado tree produce a million flowers and only a hundred fruits? Why, in short, is there so much waste in nature? In this lively and wide-ranging meditation on the curious accidents and unexpected detours on the path of life, Daniel Milo argues that we ask these questions because we’ve embraced a faulty conception of how evolution - and human society - really works.

After surviving the trials of Freedom, Lucius enters the next stage of the military's super soldier creation scheme. Medieval weaponry and gritty fantasy combat are a thing of the past. He must bring what he's learned to the modern battlefield. Fighting futuristic tech isn't his only challenge. He'll go head-to-head against Genesis participants—enlisted military personnel who unlocked their psionics a year before Freedom began. Will his emerging psionic abilities and hard-earned experience be enough?

Engrossing and captivating, Editing Humanity takes listeners inside the fascinating world of a new gene editing technology called CRISPR, a high-powered genetic toolkit that enables scientists to not only engineer but to edit the DNA of any organism down to the individual building blocks of the genetic code. Davies introduces listeners to arguably the most profound scientific breakthrough of our time. He tracks the scientists on the front lines of its research to the patients whose powerful stories bring the narrative movingly to human scale.