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Science of Self  By  cover art

Science of Self

By: Lee M. Silver, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Lee M. Silver
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Publisher's summary

Some of the most profound secrets about what it means to be human are now being revealed, thanks to the amazing tools of biotechnology. The Human Genome Project, completed in 2003, opened the book on the genetic instructions that go into making a human. Now other species are being studied at the same level of detail, providing astonishing insights into the whole range of life on Earth.

In 24 thought-provoking lectures designed for nonscientists, this course explores today's exciting field of genomics, the study of the vast storehouse of information contained within chromosomes. Your professor is Princeton University biologist Lee M. Silver, an acclaimed teacher, scientist, and author of popular books on biotechnology, genetics, and their impact on society.

Enlivened by Dr. Silver's clear and enthusiastic presentation, this course is an unrivaled opportunity to investigate this dramatic new picture of our past, present, and future as a species. You’ll begin by surveying the history of ideas about life and inheritance, then peer into the human genome to read its code, compare it with the genomes of other species, and trace how information is translated into individual humans with all of our rich diversity. Then you’ll investigate topics like gene sequencing, FISH, the DNA microarray, and the molecular clock. Watching this very timely course, you will feel a sense of awe as you probe deeply and wondrously into the Science of Self.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2009 The Great Courses (P)2009 The Teaching Company, LLC

What listeners say about Science of Self

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Fantastic book!

This was a wonderful listen with a great teacher. I learned a lot from him. I hope he will have more for us in the future.

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6 people found this helpful

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A Must Listen Book

The book is great for the average person wanting a big picture of how humans have evolved and learned of our origin as far as now !!! It may be the best I have listened to so far. I highly recommend this course !

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3 people found this helpful

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Fun lectures, learned a ton.

I enjoyed theses lectures very much! The very complicated ideas related to DNA were explained neatly. There were several more philosophical parts that were my favorite, especially those that discussed Leon Kass. Great for non-experts that are looking for a general education.

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2 people found this helpful

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great book

very informative even though it was a lecture I found it very entertaining the knowledge given was very fruitful.

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  • gc
  • 05-13-22

Genetics Made Simple & Interesting

I have read a few books on genetics I am not trained in that subject matter, and could never quite put the pieces together. This course allowed me to get a more thorough understanding of the subject. To be clear, it is still a course aimed for the layman, however his approach encompasses a wide area of knowledge and examples to present a thorough explanation of the subject. it makes me want to get my DNA sequenced!

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1 person found this helpful

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Uneven.

Some really interesting science but repetitive and his philosophical musings were unsupported. Three more words.

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disappointing, no accompanying figures.

I'm only less than halfway through, the author is presenting in an interesting way but he talks about videos or pictures that are not present in the PDF. It is extremely hard to understand especially when you hear "you can see here , you can see there". This is extremely disappointing and unexpected from a lecture provided by audiable and the great courses. sorry, I was expecting more.

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19 people found this helpful