Control is a book about eugenics, what geneticist Adam Rutherford calls a defining idea of the twentieth century. Inspired by Darwin's ideas about evolution, eugenics arose in Victorian England as a theory for improving the British population, and quickly spread to America, where it was embraced by presidents, funded by Gilded Age monopolists, and enshrined into racist American laws that became the ideological cornerstone of the Third Reich. Despite this horrific legacy, eugenics looms large today as the advances in genetics in the last thirty years--from the sequencing of the human genome to modern gene editing techniques--have brought the idea of population purification back into the mainstream.
Eugenics has a short history, but a long past, Rutherford writes. The first half of Control is the history of an idea, from its roots in key philosophical texts of the classical world all the way into their genocidal enactment in the twentieth century. The second part of the book explores how eugenics operates today, as part of our language and culture, as part of current political and racial discussions, and as an eternal temptation to powerful people who wish to improve society through reproductive control.
With disarming wit and scientific precision, Rutherford explains why eugenics still figures prominently in the twenty-first century, despite its genocidal past. And he confronts insidious recurring questions--did eugenics work in Nazi Germany? And could it work today?--revealing the intellectual bankruptcy of the idea, and the scientific impossibility of its realization.
Despite our clever linguistic abilities, humans are spectacularly ill-equipped to comprehend what's happening in the universe. Our senses and intuition routinely mislead us. The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything (Abridged) tells the story of how we came to suppress our monkey minds and perceive the true nature of reality. Written with wit and humor, this brief book tells the story of science--tales of fumbles and missteps, errors and egos, hard work, accidents, and some really bad decisions--all of which have created the sum total of human knowledge.
Geneticist Adam Rutherford and mathematician Hannah Fry guide readers through time and space, through our bodies and brains, showing how emotions shape our view of reality, how our minds tell us lies, and why a mostly bald and curious ape decided to begin poking at the fabric of the universe.
Rutherford and Fry shine as science sleuths, wrestling with some truly head-scratching questions: Where did time come from? Do we have free will? Does my dog love me? Hilarious sidebars present memorable scientific oddities: for example, hypnotized snails, human-sized ants, and the average time it takes most animals to evacuate their bladders. (A surprisingly consistent twenty-one seconds, if you must know.)
Both rigorous and playful, The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything (Abridged) is a celebration of the weirdness of the cosmos, the strangeness of humans, and the joys and follies of scientific discovery.
Control is a book about eugenics, what geneticist Adam Rutherford calls a defining idea of the twentieth century. Inspired by Darwin's ideas about evolution, eugenics arose in Victorian England as a theory for improving the British population, and quickly spread to America, where it was embraced by presidents, funded by Gilded Age monopolists, and enshrined into racist American laws that became the ideological cornerstone of the Third Reich. Despite this horrific legacy, eugenics looms large today as the advances in genetics in the last thirty years--from the sequencing of the human genome to modern gene editing techniques--have brought the idea of population purification back into the mainstream.
Eugenics has a short history, but a long past, Rutherford writes. The first half of Control is the history of an idea, from its roots in key philosophical texts of the classical world all the way into their genocidal enactment in the twentieth century. The second part of the book explores how eugenics operates today, as part of our language and culture, as part of current political and racial discussions, and as an eternal temptation to powerful people who wish to improve society through reproductive control.
With disarming wit and scientific precision, Rutherford explains why eugenics still figures prominently in the twenty-first century, despite its genocidal past. And he confronts insidious recurring questions--did eugenics work in Nazi Germany? And could it work today?--revealing the intellectual bankruptcy of the idea, and the scientific impossibility of its realization.
Despite our clever linguistic abilities, humans are spectacularly ill-equipped to comprehend what's happening in the universe. Our senses and intuition routinely mislead us. The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything (Abridged) tells the story of how we came to suppress our monkey minds and perceive the true nature of reality. Written with wit and humor, this brief book tells the story of science--tales of fumbles and missteps, errors and egos, hard work, accidents, and some really bad decisions--all of which have created the sum total of human knowledge.
Geneticist Adam Rutherford and mathematician Hannah Fry guide readers through time and space, through our bodies and brains, showing how emotions shape our view of reality, how our minds tell us lies, and why a mostly bald and curious ape decided to begin poking at the fabric of the universe.
Rutherford and Fry shine as science sleuths, wrestling with some truly head-scratching questions: Where did time come from? Do we have free will? Does my dog love me? Hilarious sidebars present memorable scientific oddities: for example, hypnotized snails, human-sized ants, and the average time it takes most animals to evacuate their bladders. (A surprisingly consistent twenty-one seconds, if you must know.)
Both rigorous and playful, The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything (Abridged) is a celebration of the weirdness of the cosmos, the strangeness of humans, and the joys and follies of scientific discovery.
Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES.
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Who discovered genetics?
How does gene inheritance work?
Is DNA common to all living things?
We inherit CODES from our parents. And these codes are written in the molecule DNA. This DNA means that we RESEMBLE each other, namely our families.
This raises so many questions such as how does DNA influence evolution? How was it discovered? And what does it mean for the future of the human race?
Discover the answers and more inside Adam Rutherford's Ladybird Expert - Genetics, the thrilling and accessible account that explains race and genetics, whether it is our DNA or the environment that influences us most, what are our chances of being related to royalty, genetic engineering and much more . . .
Meanwhile, these advances are shedding new light on the biggest mystery of all--how did life begin? As we come closer and closer to understanding the ancient root that connects all living things, Adam Rutherford shows how we may finally be able to achieve the creation of new life where none existed before.
Vor etwa 45.000 Jahren haben wir Menschen uns mit der Schaffung von Kultur, Werkzeugen, Symbolik und Kunst von unseren Vorfahren und Ursprüngen entfernt. Diese kognitive Revolution gab uns das Gefühl, dass wir etwas Besonderes sind. Schriftsteller, Wissenschaftler, Philosophen und Religionen staunen seit Jahrtausenden über unsere Brillanz. Dennoch sind wir mit dem Rest der Natur durch Gene, Anatomie und Physiologie verbunden und in einer gemeinsamen Evolution verwurzelt. Alle Arten sind einzigartig, aber sind wir einzigartiger als andere Tiere?
Diese Frage geht an die Wurzel dessen, was wir sind. Doch viele wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse haben im Laufe der Zeit Zweifel an der Sonderstellung des Menschen aufkommen lassen. Dinge, die wir einst als einzigartig menschlich betrachtet haben, sind es nicht. Wir sind nicht die einzige Spezies, die z.B. Pläne für die Zukunft schmiedet, vergangene Entscheidungen bereut, um verlorene Leben trauert und Sex aus anderen Gründen als derZeugung von Nachkommen hat.