Obra de divulgación extraordinaria en torno al ADN, los genes, epigenomas, etc, etcGEN
En algunas partes es bastante técnico y un poco complejo de entender si no aplicas toda la concentración, pero en general abre la mente a una comprensión de cuáles son nuestras instrucciones internas y quizá de su posible dominio con sus implicaciones éticas, sanitarias y demás.
Hay temas contados de forma impresionante intercalando la historia, fundamental en todas las ciencias para saber dónde vamos sabiendo de dónde venimos. Combina el lenguaje común y el científico con maestría.
Es necesario saber sobre este tema. Hay que leerlo. ( )

Greatly enjoyed this. Part explanation for the lay person, part historical journey through the history of genetics, this book and its notes were a joy to read. The DNA acrostic was fun, too- flashbacks of BIOCH 301. ( )

I adored Sam Kean's [b:The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements|7247854|The Disappearing Spoon And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements|Sam Kean|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438018063s/7247854.jpg|8246153] -- it was quirky, educational, fast-paced and filled with both big concepts and tiny little stories of chemistry. So even though genetics is my day job, I figured The Violinist's Thumb was worth a look. And I readily admit that after all, this is what I do all day, every day and the resultant luster loss may bias my opinion. But the Violinst's Thumb lacked the pizzazz of the Disappearing Spoon for me. It hit the genetic high points: The Human Genome Project, Cloning, etc. But what I wanted were the tiny stories; the things that add color and interest to the big stories. There were a couple (yes, I know about DNA and RNA, but not the tons of other *NAs that are not just possible, but exist.) But overall, I found the book a drag to get through. I wish I'd enjoyed it more, but it might be me, not the book. ( )

This was one of the most fascinating books I've read in a long time. Kean covers so much ground and does so in a way that is both respectful (there are some touchy subjects discussed) and engaging. I had so many good conversations with people based on things in this book that I learned or started to understand the connections of, and the references and reading suggestions has a wealth of future reading as well. The nerd in me also really relished needing to use two bookmarks to easily flip back and forth to the notes section :) Highly recommend! ( )

This was essentially a series of essays on a variety of topics associated with genetics and some history on how we know what we do. It was interesting and engaging, but sometimes gross and disconcerting(ie topic such as cannibalism and attempts to make humanizes). It would be interesting to get some updates on further stuff we have learned since it was published. Also, I didn't care for how he romanticized rape in regards to Thomas Jefferson and maybe/probably the sexual encounters between humans and Neanderthals. ( )