The Achilles Gene

Author : N. E. Miller
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781913340216
Total Pages : 358 pages
Book Rating : 4.1X/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Achilles Gene written by N. E. Miller and published by . This book was released on 2021-04-08 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The discovery of the Achilles gene by Ahmad Sharif at the Middle East Centre for Cancer and AIDS Research (MECCAR), recently opened in Jordan's remote Wadi Rum desert, had stunned Western scientists. Each gene having the potential to destroy its own cell should it ever become cancerous, the discovery had promised a universal cure for the disease. But there was a hitch. Although every one of our cells has the gene, only those of a unique Bedouin tribe have the extra piece of DNA needed to turn it on. Dr Stephen Salomon of the US National Cancer Institute claims to have invented such a switch, for which he will soon receive the Nobel Prize. But maverick Oxford don Giles Butterfield suspects his American friend's invention might be fraudulent. After a sleepless night in his office in Magdalen College, he sets off for Heathrow in search of the truth. When his young assistant Fiona Cameron unexpectedly joins him in Washington, it is the start of a globetrotting adventure the outcome of which exceeds their wildest expectations, presenting Giles with a dilemma of epic proportions.

Author : N. Miller
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781505264890
Total Pages : 358 pages
Book Rating : 4.98/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Achilles Gene written by N. Miller and published by . This book was released on 2016-11-06 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stephen Salomon, director of the US National Cancer Institute, is under the gun. After the newly formed Middle East Center for Cancer and AIDS Research (MECCAR) stuns the world with a genetic discovery that could cure all cancers, a humiliated President gives Salomon an ultimatum: develop an artificial DNA switch capable of triggering the cancer-killing gene or find a new job. Within a few months, Salomon delivers just that, and the Nobel Assembly elects him as its next laureate in medicine. However, Oxford don Giles Butterfield is suspicious about Salomon's almost providentially timed discovery, especially after a leading researcher in MECCAR was found drowned during a cancer symposium. Digging into the American scientist's recent activity, Giles finds evidence of a massive scientific fraud. To prove his case, Giles will have to operate outside his own ethical boundaries. By the end, one man's reputation will lie in tatters-but will it be Giles or Salomon who pays the price? A mystery thriller reminiscent of Michael Crichton, The Achilles Gene is a chillingly realistic depiction of the fiercely competitive world of medical research, where a major breakthrough can bring fame and fortune-even if achieved through deception, theft, or worse.

Author : David Epstein
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 161723012X
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.27/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Sports Gene written by David Epstein and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-04-29 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestseller – with a new afterword about early specialization in youth sports – from the author of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. The debate is as old as physical competition. Are stars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Serena Williams genetic freaks put on Earth to dominate their respective sports? Or are they simply normal people who overcame their biological limits through sheer force of will and obsessive training? In this controversial and engaging exploration of athletic success and the so-called 10,000-hour rule, David Epstein tackles the great nature vs. nurture debate and traces how far science has come in solving it. Through on-the-ground reporting from below the equator and above the Arctic Circle, revealing conversations with leading scientists and Olympic champions, and interviews with athletes who have rare genetic mutations or physical traits, Epstein forces us to rethink the very nature of athleticism.

Author : Malcolm Collins
Publisher : Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers
ISBN 13 : 380559027X
Total Pages : 209 pages
Book Rating : 4.73/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Genetics and Sports written by Malcolm Collins and published by Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication reviews past, current and future applications of genetic research in the fields of exercise science and sports medicine. It highlights ethical concerns, potential clinical applications and exploitation of genetic information. The authors, an interdisciplinary group of experts comprising clinicians, exercise scientists, human geneticists and other biological scientists, present an integrated and holistic understanding of the field to the reader. Several chapters of the book address the issue of nature and nurture in determining athletic ability and etiology of sports injuries. Other chapters are dealing with genetics and performance research during premolecular and molecular biology eras, gene-lifestyle interactions and their consequences on health, as well as genetic risk factors in musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries. Finally, the possible application of gene therapy in athletes, gene doping and genetic testing of athletes are discussed. The book is highly recommended to exercise scientists, sports clinicians, human geneticists, athletes, coaches and to all those interested in the relatively new area of genetic research within the fields of exercise science and sports medicine.

Author : Eric Grimes
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 286 pages
Book Rating : 4.89/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Physical Mapping of Bacterial Genes Using Achilles' Heel Cleavage written by Eric Grimes and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Evelyn Fox KELLER
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674039432
Total Pages : 194 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Century of the Gene written by Evelyn Fox KELLER and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a book that promises to change the way we think and talk about genes and genetic determinism, Evelyn Fox Keller, one of our most gifted historians and philosophers of science, provides a powerful, profound analysis of the achievements of genetics and molecular biology in the twentieth century, the century of the gene. Not just a chronicle of biology’s progress from gene to genome in one hundred years, The Century of the Gene also calls our attention to the surprising ways these advances challenge the familiar picture of the gene most of us still entertain. Keller shows us that the very successes that have stirred our imagination have also radically undermined the primacy of the gene—word and object—as the core explanatory concept of heredity and development. She argues that we need a new vocabulary that includes concepts such as robustness, fidelity, and evolvability. But more than a new vocabulary, a new awareness is absolutely crucial: that understanding the components of a system (be they individual genes, proteins, or even molecules) may tell us little about the interactions among these components. With the Human Genome Project nearing its first and most publicized goal, biologists are coming to realize that they have reached not the end of biology but the beginning of a new era. Indeed, Keller predicts that in the new century we will witness another Cambrian era, this time in new forms of biological thought rather than in new forms of biological life.

Author : Austin BURT
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674029119
Total Pages : 613 pages
Book Rating : 4.18/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Genes in Conflict written by Austin BURT and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 613 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covering all species from yeast to humans, this is the first book to tell the story of selfish genetic elements that act narrowly to advance their own replication at the expense of the larger organism.

Author : Maggie Craddock
Publisher : Harvard Business Press
ISBN 13 : 1422142728
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.21/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Power Genes written by Maggie Craddock and published by Harvard Business Press. This book was released on 2011-05-31 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New Way of Looking at Power at Work Who hasn’t left the office after a particularly frustrating day wondering what they could have done to turn a negative experience into a positive one? Perhaps it was a difficult conversation with a domineering boss, or an encounter with a know-it-all peer who made you feel insecure. Would you believe the way you react to these interactions likely stems from the dynamics you experienced as a child? Could it be that your childhood persona has grown into your power persona at work? In Power Genes, executive coach Maggie Craddock reveals how to kick those old habits—trying too hard to please, acting out, using manipulative methods of persuasion—and tells how to use power more effectively to advance your career. Craddock identifies four power types and explains how to diagnose yours: • The Pleaser—you make others feel good about themselves but need constant validation and approval from them • The Charmer—you draw others in with your charm, yet trust is your Achilles heel • The Commander—you take charge of the situation and gain admiration from others, but fear any loss of control • The Inspirer—you are star power in action, yet your vision for the future can derail the needs of workers right now The book outlines a process for avoiding your type’s signature destructive reflexes and replacing them with new behaviors—helping you to interact productively with other people in the office. By showing you how to recognize your type’s blind spots and then recondition your actions, Power Genes will give you the insights and action plan you need to become a more consistently powerful professional. It’s time to throw out unproductive habits and take charge of your workplace relationships.

Author : John C. Avise
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674020359
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Genetic Gods written by John C. Avise and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: They mastermind our lives, shaping our features, our health, and our behavior, even in the sacrosanct realms of love and sex, religion, aging, and death. Yet we are the ones who house, perpetuate, and give the promise of immortality to these biological agents, our genetic gods. The link between genes and gods is hardly arbitrary, as the distinguished evolutionary geneticist John Avise reveals in this compelling book. In clear, straightforward terms, Avise reviews recent discoveries in molecular biology, evolutionary genetics, and human genetic engineering, and discusses the relevance of these findings to issues of ultimate concern traditionally reserved for mythology, theology, and religious faith. The book explains how the genetic gods figure in our development--not just our metabolism and physiology, but even our emotional disposition, personality, ethical leanings, and, indeed, religiosity. Yet genes are physical rather than metaphysical entities. Having arisen via an amoral evolutionary process--natural selection--genes have no consciousness, no sentient code of conduct, no reflective concern about the consequences of their actions. It is Avise's contention that current genetic knowledge can inform our attempts to answer typically religious questions--about origins, fate, and meaning. The Genetic Gods challenges us to make the necessary connection between what we know, what we believe, and what we embody. Table of Contents: Preface Prologue 1. The Doctrines of Biological Science 2. Geneses 3. Genetic Maladies 4. Genetic Beneficence 5. Strategies of the Genes 6. Genetic Sovereignty 7. New Lords of Our Genes? 8. Meaning Epilogue Notes Glossary Index Reviews of this book: Our genes, [Avise] says, are responsible not only for how we got here and exist day to day, but also for the core of our being--our personalities and morals. It is our genetic make-up that allows for and formulates our religious belief systems, he argues. Avise does not eschew spirituality but seeks a more informed, less confrontational approach between science and the pulpit. --Science News Reviews of this book: For the general scientific reader, the book is an excellent distillation of a broad and increasingly important field, a course of causation that cannot be ignored. From advising expectant parents to getting innocent people off death row, genetics increasingly dominates our lives. The sections on genetics are expertly written, particularly for those readers without in-depth knowledge. The author explains slowly and carefully just how genetics operates, using multiple metaphors. His genetic discourse proceeds in a neighborly fashion, as one might tell stories while sitting in a rocking chair at a country store. He seems to be invigorated by genes and just can't wait to tell about them. --David W. Hodo, Journal of the American Medical Association Reviews of this book: As a whole, this book is quite informative and stimulating, and sections of it are beautifully written. Indeed, Professor Avise has a real gift for prose and scientific expositions, and I would suspect that he must be a formidable lecturer...At its core, [The Genetic Gods] is a survey, and a very nice one at that, of evolutionary genetics, the field of the author's major research interests. There is a strong sociobiological cast to the arguments, and the work and ideas of E. O. Wilson figure prominently. The presentation of evolutionary genetics is imbedded in a more general discussion of modern human and molecular genetics...However, this book is, most of all, a philosophical treatise that attempts, admittedly with the bias of a biologist, to examine the intersection of the fundamental premises of evolution and religion. Professor Avise has given us plenty to think about in this book [and]...it was a real pleasure to wrestle with the ideas he was presenting. I would suggest that other readers give it a try. --Charles J. Epstein, Trends in Genetics Reviews of this book: [Avise's] account of the role genes play in shaping the human condition is wholly involving, paying particular attention to issues of reproduction, aging and death. In addition to presenting ample biological information in a form accessible to the nonspecialist, Avise does a superb job of discussing many of the ethical implications that have arisen from our growing knowledge of human genetics. Just a few of the topics covered are genetic engineering, the patenting of life, genetic screening, abortion, human cloning, gene therapy and insurance-related controversies. --Publishers Weekly Reviews of this book: Avise explains thoroughly how evolution operates on a genetic level. His goal is to show that humans can look to this information as a way to answer fundamental questions of life instead of looking to traditional religious beliefs...Avise includes some very interesting discussions of ethical concerns related to genetic issues. --Eric D. Albright, Library Journal This is a splendid account of a subject that affects us all: the breathtaking increase in understanding of human genetics and the insight it provides into human evolution. John Avise speaks with authority of molecular evolutionary genetics and with affecting compassion of what it might mean. --Douglas J. Futuyma, State University of New York at Stony Brook The Genetic Gods is many things. It is a wonderful introduction to modern molecular biology, by a man who knows his subject backwards. It is a stimulating account of the ways in which genetics impinges on human nature--our thinking and our behavior. It is a remarkably level-headed and sympathetic account of the implications of our new findings for traditional and not-so-traditional issues in philosophy and religion. In an age of genetic counseling, cloning, construction of new life forms, the book is worth its weight in gold for this alone. But most of all, it is a huge amount of fun to read--you want to applaud or argue with the author on nigh every page. Highly recommended! --Michael Ruse, University of Guelph The Genetic Gods makes a valuable contribution to the on-going task of sorting out the implications of evolutionary biology and genetics for human self-understanding. Avise addresses, with authority and grace, the most consequential intellectual issues of our time. A challenging and insightful book. --Loyal Rue, Harvard University A wonderfully informative and engaging book. Avise offers a lucid, accessible primer on our genes, angelic and demonic, and examines religious and ethical issues, all too human, now confronted by genetic science. He makes a compelling case that anyone seeking to 'Know Thyself' should study the DNA molecular scriptures, our most ancient and universal legacy. --Dudley Herschbach, Harvard University, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

Author : Eve K. Nichols
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674414808
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.02/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Human Gene Therapy written by Eve K. Nichols and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1988 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nichols explores the potential for gene therapy and identifies those who are candidates for it. Having provided a biomedical background for understanding somatic cell gene therapy, she takes a thoughtful look at complex and sensitive issues surrounding ethical, economic, and policy aspects of manipulating human genes.