Can 21st Century Biology Answer Age-old Questions About the Human Experience?
Foster City, CA (PRWEB) September 24, 2014 -- In "Sex, Love and DNA: What Molecular Biology Teaches Us About Being Human," author Peter Schattner draws on his 30 years experience as a scientist in academia and industry to show how proteins and DNA affect our lives: from influencing how we make our choices in sex and love and how we communicate, to affecting our emotions and the processes by which we age and die. Written in language that anyone can understand, "Sex Love and DNA" explores the amazing world of molecular biology through stories of people who don’t feel pain because of rare genetic variants, children whose DNA enables them to perform feats of strength, and people who can't speak or read simply because they lack certain proteins.
This engaging and entertaining book doesn’t merely describe how proteins and DNA shape our lives; it is not a dry biology textbook. Instead it is a collection of fascinating stories of people with unusual traits and of animal experiments that illuminate how our biological makeup affects us. Through these stories, Schattner helps readers understand:
- How our cells and our lives are influenced by both "nature" and "nurture".
- Why studying animals is often the most effective way to learn about people.
- How to read about the scientific discoveries with a more critical eye, distinguishing real advances from hype.
- What kind of questions science is capable of answering and what issues science is not capable of addressing.
"From talking with non-scientists about molecular biology, I've learned that most people already realize that biology plays a key role in shaping us,” says Schattner. "However, they think that molecular biology and genetics are too complicated to comprehend without years of study. I wrote this book to show that, when properly explained, the important concepts in these fields can be understood by anyone. In fact, every one of us can appreciate the remarkable insights into the human condition that modern science provides.”
Peter Schattner is a scientist, educator and writer with 30 years of research experience in molecular biology, genetics, biomedical instrumentation and physics. Recipient of the Technical Innovation Award from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, Schattner received his Ph.D. from M.I.T. under Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg and has held research and teaching positions at the University of California, California State University, Stanford Research Institute and Diasonics, Inc. He is the author of numerous scientific articles and reviews as well as the textbook "Genomes, Browsers and Databases." "Sex, Love and DNA" is his first book for nonscientists.
Photo of Dr. Peter Schattner:
http://peterschattner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/author-pic.png
Photo of Book Cover:
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Sex, Love and DNA: What Molecular Biology Teaches Us About Being Human
Author: Peter Schattner, Ph.D.
Olingo Press
ISBN: 978-0-9914225-1-7 (paperback) $ 19.95
ISBN: 978-0-9914225-2-4 (e-book) $ 9.99
6"x 9"
382 pages
Peter Schattner, Olingo Press, http://peterschattner.com/, +1 (650) 574-7694, [email protected]
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