Sam Kean

The Periodic Table is one of man's crowning scientific achievements. But it's also a treasure trove of stories of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. The infectious tales and astounding details in THE DISAPPEARING SPOON follow carbon, neon, silicon, and gold as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, war, the arts, poison, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. We learn that Marie Curie used to provoke jealousy in colleagues' wives when she'd invite them into closets to see her glow-in-the-dark experiments. And that Lewis and Clark swallowed mercury capsules across the country and their campsites are still detectable by the poison in the ground. Why did Gandhi hate iodine? Why did the Japanese kill Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium? And why did tellurium lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history? From the Big Bang to the end of time, it's all in THE DISAPPEARING SPOON.

And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

The Disappearing Spoon

From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes the gripping, untold history of science's darkest secrets. We think of science as a force for good--usually. So much of contemporary society is linked to scientific discovery that the word "science" has practically become synonymous with truth and progress. But what was the cost of that progress? And how far were scientists willing to go in order to test the boundaries that gave way to our modern world? The Icepick Surgeon exposes this darker history, delving into the human costs of scientific study and examining what exactly pushes these otherwise rational men and women to cross the line in the name of science. Using fascinating case examples and posing essential questions of right and wrong, Sam Kean guides us through a history of malpractice and moral compromise, from Edison's mercenary support of execution by electricity and the Nazis' unpardonable explorations of human suffering on through the quandaries that lie ahead, with science ushering us into an unknown world. In an age when many still feel that the end justifies the means, Kean stops to question the moral toll of unfettered progress. Unflinchingly skeptical and thrilling to the last page, The Icepick Surgeon threads an astonishing narrative through heinous acts and revelatory discoveries. The resulting analysis is a reckoning with the means through which science has created the modern world.

Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science

The Icepick Surgeon

The author of the bestseller The Disappearing Spoon reveals the secret inner workings of the brain through strange but true stories. Early studies of the human brain used a simple method: wait for misfortune to strike -- strokes, seizures, infectious diseases, horrendous accidents -- and see how victims coped. In many cases their survival was miraculous, if puzzling. Observers were amazed by the transformations that took place when different parts of the brain were destroyed, altering victims' personalities. Parents suddenly couldn't recognize their own children. Pillars of the community became pathological liars. Some people couldn't speak but could still sing. In The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons, Sam Kean travels through time with stories of neurological curiosities: phantom limbs, Siamese twin brains, viruses that eat patients' memories, blind people who see through their tongues. He weaves these narratives together with prose that makes the pages fly by, to create a story of discovery that reaches back to the 1500s and the high-profile jousting accident that inspired this book's title.* With the lucid, masterful explanations and razor-sharp wit his fans have come to expect, Kean explores the brain's secret passageways and recounts the forgotten tales of the ordinary people whose struggles, resilience, and deep humanity made neuroscience possible. *"The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons" refers to the case of French king Henri II, who in 1559 was lanced through the skull during a joust, resulting in one of the most significant cases in neuroscience history. For hundreds of years scientists have gained important lessons from traumatic accidents and illnesses, and such misfortunes still represent their greatest resource for discovery.

The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery

The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons

From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes incredible stories of science, history, language, and music, as told by our own DNA. In The Disappearing Spoon, bestselling author Sam Kean unlocked the mysteries of the periodic table. In The Violinist's Thumb, he explores the wonders of the magical building block of life: DNA. There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, why other people have no fingerprints, and why some people survive nuclear bombs. Genes illuminate everything from JFK's bronze skin (it wasn't a tan) to Einstein's genius. They prove that Neanderthals and humans bred thousands of years more recently than any of us would feel comfortable thinking. They can even allow some people, because of the exceptional flexibility of their thumbs and fingers, to become truly singular violinists. Kean's vibrant storytelling once again makes science entertaining, explaining human history and whimsy while showing how DNA will influence our species' future.

And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code

The Violinist's Thumb

From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes the gripping, untold story of a renegade group of scientists and spies determined to keep Adolf Hitler from obtaining the ultimate prize: a nuclear bomb Scientists have always kept secrets. But rarely have the secrets been as vital as they were during World War II. In the middle of building an atomic bomb, the leaders of the Manhattan Project were alarmed to learn that Nazi Germany was far outpacing the Allies in nuclear weapons research; Hitler, with just a few pounds of uranium, would have the capabaility to reverse the entire D-Day operation and conquer Europe. So they assembled a rough and motley crew of geniuses - dubbed the Alsos Mission - and sent them careening into Axis territory to spy on, sabotage, and even assassinate members of Nazi Germany's feared Uranium Club. No theater of the war, from battlefields to laboratories, was considered off-limits, and for good reason: the entire outcome of the war rested on its shoulders. The details of the mission rival the finest spy thriller, but it's the incredible characters - both heroes and rogues alike - who make this story sing. There's an ex-Major League baseball catcher turned clandestine spy. There's Joe Kennedy Jr., who died trying to out-macho his kid brother, future president John F. Kennedy. There's a Dutch physicist who, while hunting down top German scientists, also needed to save his Jewish parents from the concentration camps. There are Nobel Prize winners like Werner Heisenberg, Albert Einstein, and Irène Joliot-Curie, daughter of Marie Curie. And dozens more. Thrust into the dark world of international espionage, these scientists and soldiers played a vital and largely untold role in turning back one of the darkest tides in human history.

The True Story of the Renegade Scientists and Spies Who Sabotaged the Nazi Atomic Bomb

The Bastard Brigade

Il cucchiaino scomparso e altre storie della tavola periodica degli elementi

Travma, Delilik ve Iyilesme Hikayeleriyle Bir Beyin Arastirmalari Tarihi

Insan Beyninin Gizemi

The Guardian's Best Science Book of 2017: the fascinating science and history of the air we breathe. It's invisible. It's ever-present. Without it, you would die in minutes. And it has an epic story to tell. In Caesar's Last Breath, New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean takes us on a journey through the periodic table, around the globe, and across time to tell the story of the air we breathe, which, it turns out, is also the story of earth and our existence on it. With every breath, you literally inhale the history of the world. On the ides of March, 44 BC, Julius Caesar died of stab wounds on the Senate floor, but the story of his last breath is still unfolding; in fact, you're probably inhaling some of it now. Of the sextillions of molecules entering or leaving your lungs at this moment, some might well bear traces of Cleopatra's perfumes, German mustard gas, particles exhaled by dinosaurs or emitted by atomic bombs, even remnants of stardust from the universe's creation. Tracing the origins and ingredients of our atmosphere, Kean reveals how the alchemy of air reshaped our continents, steered human progress, powered revolutions, and continues to influence everything we do. Along the way, we'll swim with radioactive pigs, witness the most important chemical reactions humans have discovered, and join the crowd at the Moulin Rouge for some of the crudest performance art of all time. Lively, witty, and filled with the astounding science of ordinary life, Caesar's Last Breath illuminates the science stories swirling around us every second.

Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us

Caesar's Last Breath

Tim Folger

Best-selling author Sam Kean edits this year's volume of the finest science and nature writing.

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2018

O renomado jornalista Sam Kean conta a história da genética, de Mendel e suas ervilhas até os dias de hoje, em que exames de ponta são capazes de detectar doenças que poderemos desenvolver. Ele mostra como, em algum ponto no emaranhado de fitas do DNA, se encontra a solução de muitos mistérios da espécie humana. Dentre eles, a grande saga sobre o lugar de onde viemos e como evoluímos a ponto de dominar o planeta como nenhuma outra espécie havia conseguido antes. Tudo isso entremeado a fantásticas narrativas protagonizadas pelo DNA: as mulheres grávidas que transmitiam câncer aos filhos ainda não nascidos; os sobreviventes de bombas nucleares; a morte precoce dos primeiros exploradores do ártico; o cientista russo que teria criado um híbrido de homem e chimpanzé; e até mesmo casos em que, como o do violinista virtuose Paganini, a ciência esclarece a arte.

E outras histórias da genética sobre amor, guerra e genialidade

O polegar do violinista

Il duello dei neurochirurghi

Il pollice del violinista

disappearing spoon and other true tales of madness, love, and the history of the world from the periodic table of the elements

al-Milʻaqah al-mukhtafīyah wa qiṣaṣṣ ukhraʹ ḥaqīqīyyah, fī al-junūn, wa al-ḥubb, wa tarīkh al-ʻālam min al-jadwal al-dawrī lil-ʻanāṣir al-kimyāʼīyyah

Bastard Brigade

la apasionante historia de los científicos y espías que sabotearon la bomba atómica nazi

La brigada de los bastardos

"In The Disappearing Spoon, bestselling author Sam Kean unlocked the mysteries of the periodic table. In THE VIOLINIST'S THUMB, he explores the wonders of the magical building block of life: DNA. There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, why other people have no fingerprints, and why some people survive nuclear bombs. Genes illuminate everything from JFK's bronze skin (it wasn't a tan) to Einstein's genius. They prove that Neanderthals and humans bred thousands of years more recently than any of us would feel comfortable thinking. They can even allow some people, because of the exceptional flexibility of their thumbs and fingers, to become truly singular violinists. Kean's vibrant storytelling once again makes science entertaining, explaining human history and whimsy while showing how DNA will influence our species' future"--

Todo buen científico sabe que el Galio es el elemento de la Tabla Periódica al que uno debe acudir si tiene invitados en casa. Aunque a temperatura ambiente es sólido, este metal tiene una propiedad única y muy poco conocida, se funde a 30 oC. Así que no hay más que fabricar unas cucharitas con este elemento, servir el café... y observar las caras que ponen los invitados al ver cómo ésta desaparece. Kean, autor de este libro fascinante, describe la Tabla como un gran mapa lleno de actores en conflicto que nos permite viajar a través del tiempo y del espacio. Del Big Bang a la Alemania nazi, pasando por la Grecia Clásica y la India de Gandhi, los elementos sirven de guía para entender algunos de los episodios clave de la historia de la humanidad. La cuchara menguante es un libro entretenido y divulgativo, un acervo de relatos apasionantes, aventuras y obsesiones que descubre aspectos sorprendentes de la química, de la historia y de los científicos (locos) que descubrieron los elementos de la Tabla, uno de los mayores logros de todos los tiempos. Un libro fascinante que discurre entre la divulgación de la ciencia química y la historia de la humanidad.

Y otros relatos veraces de locura, amor y la historia del mundo...

La cuchara menguante

Verblüffende Geschichten aus der Welt der Chemie

Treffen sich zwei Elemente ...

Asesinato, fraude, sabotaje, piratería y otras barbaridades perpetradas en nombre de la ciencia Por lo general, la ciencia es una fuerza para el bien. Pero, a veces, la obsesión vence a los científicos y estos convierten una noble búsqueda en algo siniestro. Esta es la verdadera historia de lo que ocurre cuando hombres y mujeres racionales traspasan de forma flagrante los límites éticos y cometen delitos en aras del avance científico. El cirujano del picahielo guía magistralmente al lector por un recorrido de dos mil años que comienza con las oscuras hazañas de Cleopatra para determinar el sexo del feto en el útero, y continúa con las intrincadas relaciones entre la piratería y la esclavitud con las exploraciones científicas. También revela el próspero mercado negro de cadáveres para anatomistas del siglo XIX; el apoyo de Thomas Edison a la silla eléctrica después de experimentar con la electrocución de animales; la retorcida lógica de los espías que se infiltraron en el Proyecto Manhattan; las pruebas de los nazis en judíos, discapacitados y presos políticos para "purgar a la sociedad de sus supuestos venenos"; el invento de la lobotomía con picahielo; el estudio de Harvard sobre las personalidades que involucró a un joven Ted Kaczynski, el tristemente célebre Unabomber; los primeros estudios de género y reasignación de sexo, y el caso de Annie Dookhan, quien cometió el mayor fraude en la historia de la ciencia hasta ahora. El autor incluso nos lleva al futuro, cuando la IA y la ingeniería genética podrían desencadenar formas completamente nuevas de provocar el mal. Emocionante hasta la última página, este libro fusiona las vicisitudes del descubrimiento científico con la perturbación del true crime. Con su ingenio, humor y precisión característicos, Kean muestra que, si bien la ciencia ha hecho más bien que mal, existen personas deshonestas capaces de violar todas las normas con tal de forjarse un nombre en el Olimpo de la ciencia.

El cirujano del picahielo

La specie umana è stata sul punto di estinguersi? Può la genetica spiegare l'amore ossessivo di certe persone per i gatti? Perché nascono individui privi di impronte digitali e bambini con la coda? Che cosa possono dirci i geni sulla morte prematura del faraone Tutankhamon o sulla vicenda di Tsutomu Yamaguchi, il giapponese sopravvissuto a due esplosioni nucleari? Quale combinazione genetica creò le dita straordinariamente flessibili di Paganini? Con la consueta brillantezza e il peculiare gusto per l'aneddoto scientifico, Kean esplora queste e altre questioni, e ci mostra come da qualche parte, nel groviglio di filamenti della doppia elica, si trovino le risposte a molti misteri sugli esseri umani. La decifrazione del codice genetico non è stata facile, ma grazie a essa gli scienziati sono ora in grado di leggere le storie stupefacenti e vecchie di migliaia (o a volte milioni) di anni scritte nel nostro dna. Come un antico oracolo che non ha ancora smesso di parlare, il dna sa raccontarci le grandi saghe delle origini e dell'evoluzione della nostra specie, la più dominante che il nostro pianeta abbia conosciuto, e insieme le semplici storie individuali, dimostrando l'impatto decisivo che l'eredità genetica ha sul destino di ciascuno di noi. Ma non si pensi che il sequenziamento del genoma umano rappresenti un punto d'arrivo. Le nuove frontiere dell'ingegneria genetica aprono prospettive che ci affascinano e al tempo stesso ci terrorizzano, specie quando lasciano intravedere la possibilità di «modificare la nostra stessa essenza chimica, e di inventare da capo la vita».

Sam Kean

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