Steve Jones
From AwardAnnals
Information about the author.
Works
- 2 works
- Show titles only
Steve Jones
Displaying a remarkable ability to convey complex ideas in an entertaining and illuminating way, geneticist Steve Jones takes the reader on a fascinating tour of the world of human genetics, explaining how the field began, the darker uses genetics has been put to in history, the role genes play in shaping who and what we are, and the effects that new genetic discoveries have had on our basic theories of evolution.
Over the last decade, the study of the human genetic code has granted us unparalleled insights into our species’ past, present, and future. The…
Coral: A Pessimist in Paradise
Steve Jones
While writing this book, Steve Jones had beside him the coral brooch that his sea captain grandfather brought back across the Indian Ocean as a gift for his wife. This simple object is a starting point for a dazzling narrative that touches on a number of the most important issues facing us today. Following in the footsteps of Darwin and Captain Cook, Jones reveals what coral has to tell us about the human genome project, cloning, and the possibility of a cure for cancer and genetic diseases; what insights it can offer us into the future of trade in oil and other forms of carbon; how it is linked to the fluctuations in weather patterns that have lead to destruction along the coasts of the Americas and the Far East. Finally, Jones considers what coral—exploited and destroyed in many ways and under siege from climate change—tells us about the likely future of the planet and humankind: it is a warning that both may be close to the point of no return.
