Bøker av Adam Rutherford

An illuminating manifesto for a twenty-first century understanding of human evolution and variation - and a weapon against scientific racism - by the author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF EVERYONE WHO EVER LIVED

A thrilling new examination of what sets us apart in the animal kingdom by the popular science broadcaster and author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF EVERYONE WHO EVER LIVED

From the acclaimed science writer and broadcaster, a dazzling tour of the latest genetic discoveries which are blurring the boundaries between science and history

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.

Avmystifiserende og opplysende om hvem vi er og hvordan vi har blitt sånn, basert på den nyeste genforskningen gjort forståelig for hvermannsen.Dette er en historie om oss. Det er historien om hvem vi er og hvordan vi ble til. Om det som er unikt for hvert eneste menneske som noen gang har trukket pusten. Men det er også vår kollektive historie, for i hvert eneste genom bærer vi vår arts historie - fødsler, død, sykdom, krig, hungersnød, migrasjon og masse sex.I denne fengslende gjennomgangen av det voksende feltet genetikk, avslører Adam Rutherford hva genene våre forteller om vår historie som mennesker, og hva historien kan fortelle oss om våre gener. Fra neandertalere til mord, fra rødhårete til rase, døde konger til pest, evolusjon til epigenetikk - En kort historie om alle som noen gang har levd er en avmystifiserende og opplysende bok om et felt som er i rasende utvikling.

I Boken om mennesket utforsker Adam Rutherford hvordan mye av det vi tror er spesielt for oss, ikke er det: vi er ikke den eneste arten som kommuniserer, lager verktøy, bruker ild eller har sex av andre grunner enn å lage nye versjoner av oss selv. Men evolusjonen har gjort oss i stand til å skape komplekse kulturer som overgår andre vi kan observere i naturen.Vi liker å tenke på oss selv som unike, men er det egentlig noe spesielt som skiller oss fra andre dyr? Mennesket er bare en grein på et familietre som omfatter fire milliarder år, mange forgreninger og en milliard arter. Alle disse organismene har samme opprinnelse, med et felles arvestoff. Dette paradokset - at vår biologi ikke lar seg skille fra annet liv, likevel anser vi oss som unike - er kjernen i hvem vi er.

Hvordan snakke med en rasist er en særdeles viktig programerklæring for hvordan vi i det tjueførste århundre skal forstå menneskets evolusjon og mangfold, og et betimelig våpen i kampen mot misbruk av vitenskap i intoleransens tjeneste. Rase finnes fordi vi oppfatter det. Rasisme finnes fordi vi tillater det. Men presset på vitenskapen fra krefter som ønsker å legitimere rasistiske ideologier, blir stadig sterkere - og i stadig større grad en del av den offentlige samtalen rundt politikk, migrasjon, utdanning og sport. Stereotypier og myter om rase kommer ikke bare fra uttalte rasister, men fra velmenende mennesker med en erfaring og en kulturell bagasje som gjør dem disponert for synspunkter som ikke har dekning i den moderne forskningen på menneskelig genetikk. Selv enkelte forskere finner det ubehagelig å fremme meninger om rase basert på egen forskning. Likevel kan vitenskap og historie, hvis det forstås riktig, være mektige allierte i møte med rasisme, og gi det klareste bilde av hvordan mennesker faktisk er, snarere enn hvordan vi antar at de er.

Inspired by the bestselling A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived and the Sunday Times bestseller How to Argue with a Racist, award-winning geneticist, writer and broadcaster, Adam Rutherford introduces children to evolution, race and the real human story.

A short, highly directed guide to an area of science that is little understood but increasingly part of public discourse by the Sunday Times bestselling author of HOW TO ARGUE WITH A RACIST

'You will not find a better, more balanced or up-to-date take on either the origin of life or synthetic biology. Essential reading' ObserverCreation by Adam Rutherford tells the entire spellbinding story of life in two gripping narratives.'Prepare to be astounded. There are moments when this book is so gripping it reads like a thriller' Mail on SundayThe Origin of Life is a four-billion-year detective story that uses the latest science to explain what life is and where it first came from, dealing with life's biggest questions and arriving at a thrilling answer.'A superbly written explanation' Brian CoxThe Future of Life introduces an extraordinary technological revolution: 'synthetic biology', the ability to create entirely new life forms within the lab. Adam Rutherford explains how this remarkable innovation works and presents a powerful argument for its benefit to humankind.'The reader's sense of awe at the well-nigh inconceivable nature of nature is suitably awakened. The extraordinary science and Rutherford's argument are worth every reader's scrutiny. Fascinating' Sunday Telegraph'One of the most eloquent and genuinely thoughtful books on science over the past decade. You will not find a better, more balanced or up-to-date take on the origin of life or synthetic biology. Essential reading for anyone interested in the coming revolution, which could indeed rival the Industrial Revolution or the internet' Observer'The perfect primer on the past and future of DNA' Guardian'Susenseful, erudite and thrilling' Prospect'A witty, engaging and eye-opening explanation of the basic units of life, right back to our common ancestors and on to their incredible synthetic future. The mark of a really good science book, it shows that the questions we still have are just as exciting as the answers we already know' Dara O Briain'This is a quite delightful two-books-in-one. Rutherford's lightness of touch in describing the dizzying complexity of life at the cellular level in The Origin of Life only serves to emphasise the sheer scale and ambition of the emerging field of synthetic biology' Jim Al Khalili'A fascinating glimpse into our past and future. Rutherford's illuminating book is full of optimism about what we might be able to achieve' Sunday Times'Fresh, original and excellent. An eye-opening look at how we are modifying and constructing life. Totally fascinating' PopularScience.co.uk'In this book of two halves, Rutherford tells the epic history of life on earth, and eloquently argues the case for embracing technology which allows us to become biological designers' Alice Roberts'An engaging account of both the mystery of life's origin and its impending resolution as well as a fascinating glimpse of the impending birth of a new, synthetic biology'' Matt Ridley, author of Genome'I warmly recommend Creation. Rutherford's academic background in genetics gives him a firm grasp of the intricacies of biochemistry - and he translates these superbly into clear English' Financial TimesDr Adam Rutherford is a geneticist, writer and broadcaster. He presents BBC Radio 4's weekly programme Inside Science and his documentaries include the award-winning series The Cell (BBC4), The Gene Code (BBC4), Horizon: 'Playing God' (BBC2) as well as numerous other programmes for BBC Radio 4. This is his first book.TGTCGTGAAGCTACTATTTAAAATGCCACAGTGAAAGATTAAACGCCCGAAAACGGGGTGATAAATGGACGGTAAGTTCCCGACTAAACGTGTTAAATG