[ View menu ]

Monthly Archive January, 2014

new book – ‘Me, Myself, and Why: Searching for the Science of Self’ by Jennifer Ouellette

January 28, 2014

Me, Myself, and Why

Me, Myself, and Why: Searching for the Science of Self by Jennifer Ouellette (Penguin, 2014)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

A fascinating tour through the science behind who we are and how we got this way—from the author of The Calculus Diaries

As diverse as people appear to be, all of our genes and brains are nearly identical. In Me, Myself, and Why, Jennifer Ouellette dives into the miniscule ranges of variation to understand just what sets us apart. She draws on cutting-edge research in genetics, neuroscience, and psychology—enlivened as always with her signature sense of humor—to explore the mysteries of human identity and behavior. Readers follow her own surprising journey of self-discovery as she has her genome sequenced, her brain mapped, her personality typed, and even samples a popular hallucinogen. Bringing together everything from Mendel’s famous pea plant experiments and mutations in The X-Men to our taste for cilantro and our relationships with virtual avatars, Ouellette takes us on an endlessly thrilling and illuminating trip into the science of ourselves.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s website

Comments (0) - new books,self

new book – ‘Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes’ by Svante Pääbo

January 27, 2014

Neanderthal Man

Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes by Svante Pääbo (Basic Books, 2014)

(amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

What can we learn from the genomes of our closest evolutionary relatives?

Neanderthal Man tells the story of geneticist Svante Pääbo’s mission to answer this question, and recounts his ultimately successful efforts to genetically define what makes us different from our Neanderthal cousins. Beginning with the study of DNA in Egyptian mummies in the early 1980s and culminating in the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome in 2010, Neanderthal Man describes the events, intrigues, failures, and triumphs of these scientifically rich years through the lens of the pioneer and inventor of the field of ancient DNA.

We learn that Neanderthal genes offer a unique window into the lives of our hominin relatives and may hold the key to unlocking the mystery of why humans survived while Neanderthals went extinct. Drawing on genetic and fossil clues, Pääbo explores what is known about the origin of modern humans and their relationship to the Neanderthals and describes the fierce debate surrounding the nature of the two species’ interactions. His findings have not only redrawn our family tree, but recast the fundamentals of human history—the biological beginnings of fully modern Homo sapiens, the direct ancestors of all people alive today.

A riveting story about a visionary researcher and the nature of scientific inquiry, Neanderthal Man offers rich insight into the fundamental question of who we are.

Google Books preview:

Comments (0) - human evolution,new books

Kindle Daily Deal (1/27) – ‘Manage Your Day-to-Day’ and ‘Maximize Your Potential’ for $1.99 each

Comments (0) - Uncategorized

Kindle Daily Deals (1/26) – ‘The Paradox of Choice,’ ‘Being Wrong’ and more!

January 26, 2014

Lots of great choices in today’s Kindle Daily Deal – “Top Rated Kindle Books: Novels, Nonfiction, and More” for $1.99 each, including:

Check out The Whole List

Comments (0) - Uncategorized

new book – ‘Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why It Pays to Get Along’ by Stefan Klein

January 24, 2014

Survival of the Nicest

Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why It Pays to Get Along by Stefan Klein (The Experiment, 2014)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk), (UK kindle ed.)

Book description from the publisher:

This revelatory tour de force by an acclaimed and internationally bestselling science writer upends our understanding of “survival of the fittest”—and invites us all to think and act more altruistically

The phrase “survival of the fittest” conjures an image of the most cutthroat individuals rising to the top. But Stefan Klein, author of the #1 international bestseller The Science of Happiness and winner of the Georg von Holtzbrinck Prize for Scientific Journalism, makes the startling assertion that the key to achieving lasting personal and societal success lies in helping others. In fact, Klein argues, altruism is our defining characteristic: Natural selection favored those early humans who cooperated in groups, and with survival more assured, our altruistic ancestors were free to devote brainpower to developing intelligence, language, and culture—our very humanity. As Klein puts it, “We humans became first the friendliest and then the most intelligent apes.”

To build his persuasive case for how altruistic behavior made us human—and why it pays to get along—Klein synthesizes an extraordinary array of material: current research on genetics and the brain, economics, social psychology, behavioral and anthropological experiments, history, and modern culture. Ultimately, his groundbreaking findings lead him to a vexing question: If we’re really hard-wired to act for one another’s benefit, why aren’t we all getting along?

Klein believes we’ve learned to mistrust our generous instincts because success is so often attributed to selfish ambition. In Survival of the Nicest, he invites us to rethink what it means to be the “fittest” as he shows how caring for others can protect us from loneliness and depression, make us happier and healthier, reward us economically, and even extend our lives.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s website

Comments (0) - human evolution,new books