Human Genetics

Darwin considered humans one part of the web of life, not the apex of a natural hierarchy. Yet today many maintain that we are the most intelligent, virtuous, successful species that ever lived. This flawed thinking enables us to exploit the earth towards our own exclusive ends, throwing us into a perilous planetary imbalance. But is this view and way of life inevitable? The Arrogant Ape shows that human exceptionalism is an ideology that relies more on human culture than our biology, more on delusion and faith than on evidence.

The United States is embarking on a medical revolution. Supporters of personalized, or precision, medicine—the tailoring of health care to our genomes—have promised to usher in a new era of miracle cures. Advocates of this gene-guided health-care practice foresee a future where skyrocketing costs can be curbed by customization and unjust disparities are vanquished by biomedical breakthroughs. Progress, however, has come slowly, and with a price too high for the average citizen.

For all that science knows about the living world, notes David P. Barash, there are even more things we don't know, genuine evolutionary mysteries that perplex the best minds in biology. Paradoxically, many of these mysteries are very close to home, involving some of the most personal aspects of being human. Homo Mysterious examines a number of these evolutionary mysteries, exploring things we don't yet know about ourselves, laying out the best current hypotheses, and pointing toward insights that scientists are just beginning to glimpse.

Your DNA determines who you are… But what if it’s not your DNA? Orion Montgomery’s world shatters in an instant when ancient secrets and cutting‑edge science collide. Once a quiet, misunderstood mechanic with a mysterious heritage, he now possesses uncanny abilities that mark him as both a target and the key to humanity’s future. As ruthless enemies close in and the long-buried secrets of his lineage unravel, every heartbeat propels him deeper into a web of betrayal and danger. With the fate of his family hanging in the balance, Orion must decipher the coded clues of his own DNA ...

In this engaging exploration, archaeologist Ian Hodder departs from the two prevailing modes of thought about human evolution: the older idea of constant advancement toward a civilized ideal and the newer one of a directionless process of natural selection. Instead, he proposes a theory of human evolution and history based on "entanglement," the ever-increasing mutual dependency between humans and things.

Shawn Shaw is a Pulitzer prize winning reporter and columnist for The Chronicle who's on the hunt for his next great story. He thinks he may have found it when he's approached by billionaire tech entrepreneur James Berk. Berk is a trustee of The Destiny Foundation, a secretive society supposedly facilitating the work of the world's greatest scientific minds. Berk convinces Shaw to help him find Chuti Tiu, a prostitute who is allegedly the smartest person ever to exist. If her intelligence lives up to its promise, there is a 50-million dollar prize waiting for her. Berk uses strong arm ...

On May 10, 1998, biologist Craig Venter, director of the Institute for Genomic Research, announced that he was forming a private company that within three years would unravel the complete genetic code of human life, seven years before the projected finish of the U.S. government's Human Genome Project. Venter hoped that by decoding the genome ahead of schedule, he would speed up the pace of biomedical research and save the lives of thousands of people. He also hoped to become very famous and very rich.

Bill McKibben, examines the dangers inherent in an array of technologies that threaten not just our survival, but our identity. Imagine a future where lab workers can reprogram human embryos to make our children "smarter" or "more sociable" or "happier." Enough examines such possibilities, and explains how we can avoid their worst consequences while still enjoying the fruits of our new scientific understandings.

In the sultry, shadow-drenched streets of New Orleans, a fertility clinic whispers promises of miracles. But beneath its guise of hope, two vampire doctors play a sinister game. Their dark secret? Impregnating clients with a bloodline never meant to see the light of day. A bloodline blending human and vampire, birthing children with terrifying, untamed powers. But secrets in the vampire world don't stay hidden for long. The overlord, a figure of nightmarish authority, uncovers their treachery. His verdict is swift and brutal – extermination. Yet, the deed is done. The city now blessed ...

The stakes are higher, the enemies deadlier, the adventure non-stop - join the fight to save humanity in the latest instalment of the epic saga. When a super-smart ape reveals to Arthur and Elliot that they missed something important while investigating Hellinix, the four heroes must return to Level-8, the vault at the center of the corporation's rot, to uncover their ultimate goal. Elliot has lost his sword, Arthur has fallen for Elliot's best friend, Millicent is struggling to fit in with the team, and Stanley just wants to know where the mangoes are. Can they keep their minds on the ...

At a conference in Hong Kong in November 2018, Dr. He Jiankui announced that he had created the first genetically modified babies - twin girls named Lulu and Nana - sending shockwaves around the world. A year later, a Chinese court sentenced Dr. He to three years in prison for "illegal medical practice". As scientists elsewhere start to catch up with China's vast genetic research program, gene editing is fueling an innovation economy that threatens to widen racial and economic inequality. Fundamental questions about science, health, and social justice are at stake.

Pets have never been more popular. Over half of American households share their home with either a cat or a dog, and many contain both. This is a huge change from only a century ago, when the majority of domestic cats and dogs were working animals, keeping rodents at bay, guarding property, herding sheep. Nowadays, most are valued solely for the companionship they provide. As mankind becomes progressively more urban and detached from nature, we seem to be clinging to the animals that served us well in the past.

In Eve, Cat Bohannon answers questions scientists should have been addressing for decades. With boundless curiosity and sharp wit, she covers the past 200 million years to explain the specific science behind the development of the female sex. Eve is not only a sweeping revision of human history, it’s an urgent and necessary corrective for a world that has focused primarily on the male body for far too long.

After seeing his own cells used to grow clumps of new neurons - essentially mini-brains - Philip Ball begins to examine the concepts of identity and consciousness. Delving into humanity's deep evolutionary past to look at how complex creatures like us emerged from single-celled life, he offers a new perspective on how humans think about ourselves.

In 1997, Yiannis Kouros ran 188 miles in 24 hours. In 1984, at age 42, Maria Moreira gave birth to her 10th set of twins. In 1973, Terry Tao learned to read when he was two years old. Tao started college at age nine, and at 24 was appointed a full-time professor at UCLA. What does it feel like to be exceptional? And what does it take to get there? Why can some people achieve greatness when others can’t, no matter how hard they try? Just how much potential does our species have? Evolutionary biologist Rowan Hooper has the answers.

What if the myths told by ancient peoples are not figments of imaginations, but records of events that had actually taken place? What if the biblical Book of Genesis is not a Creation Myth, but a condensed rendering of an accurate cosmogony and sophisticated knowledge of evolution? What if the gods of ancient times were astronauts who "came down" from another planet? What if we are not alone? Zecharia Sitchin and others raise these important questions in this book. These are the transcripts from the first and only gathering of the best Sitchin researchers of the time, including two Ph.D.s ...

In this fresh and provocative view of a seven-million-year evolutionary journey, Finlayson demonstrates the radical implications for the interpretation of fossils and technologies and shows that understanding humans within an ecological context provides insights into the emergence and spread of Homo sapiens worldwide.

Abe was blond with blue eyes and a winning smile. His wings were blue instead of the lavender that Lu sported. His tail looked similar, but Abe was just a bit shorter, and his build was heavier. Gloria was a pretty blonde Amazon. The female was easily six feet tall and had the palest blue eyes he’d ever seen. She was lovely and good, but she didn’t want a male in her life. She knew everyone thought they were dating, but they were just friends, really. Can these two work things out or will Abe be forever alone and heartbroken?

A fascinating, bite-sized insight into how human sexuality came to be the way it is now - Jared Diamond explains why we are different from the animal kingdom. Why are humans one of the few species to have sex in private? Why do humans have sex any day of the month or year, including when the female is pregnant, beyond her reproductive years, or between her fertile cycles? Why are human females one of the few mammals to go through menopause?

When did the human species turn against the planet that we depend on for survival? Human industry and consumption of resources have altered the climate, polluted the water and soil, destroyed ecosystems, and rendered many species extinct, vastly increasing the likelihood of an ecological catastrophe. How did humankind come to rule nature to such an extent? To regard the planet's resources and creatures as ours for the taking? To find ourselves on a seemingly relentless path toward ecocide?