She Has Her Mother's Laugh

The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity

By: Carl Zimmer

Narrated by: Joe Ochman

2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalist

"Science book of the year"—The Guardian

One of New York Times 100 Notable Books for 2018

One of Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Books of 2018

One of Kirkus's Best Books of 2018

One of Mental Floss's Best Books of 2018

One of Science Friday's Best Science Books of 2018

“Extraordinary”—New York Times Book Review

"Magisterial"—The Atlantic

"Engrossing"—Wired

"Leading contender as the most outstanding nonfiction work of the year"—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Celebrated New York Times columnist and science writer Carl Zimmer presents a profoundly original perspective on what we pass along from generation to generation. Charles Darwin played a crucial part in turning heredity into a scientific question, and yet he failed spectacularly to answer it. The birth of genetics in the early 1900s seemed to do precisely that. Gradually, people translated their old notions about heredity into a language of genes. As the technology for studying genes became cheaper, millions of people ordered genetic tests to link themselves to missing parents, to distant ancestors, to ethnic identities...

But, Zimmer writes, “Each of us carries an amalgam of fragments of DNA, stitched together from some of our many ancestors. Each piece has its own ancestry, traveling a different path back through human history. A particular fragment may sometimes be cause for worry, but most of our DNA influences who we are—our appearance, our height, our penchants—in inconceivably subtle ways.” Heredity isn’t just about genes that pass from parent to child. Heredity continues within our own bodies, as a single cell gives rise to trillions of cells that make up our bodies. We say we inherit genes from our ancestors—using a word that once referred to kingdoms and estates—but we inherit other things that matter as much or more to our lives, from microbes to technologies we use to make life more comfortable. We need a new definition of what heredity is and, through Carl Zimmer’s lucid exposition and storytelling, this resounding tour de force delivers it.

Weaving historical and current scientific research, his own experience with his two daughters, and the kind of original reporting expected of one of the world’s best science journalists, Zimmer ultimately unpacks urgent bioethical quandaries arising from new biomedical technologies, but also long-standing presumptions about who we really are and what we can pass on to future generations.

©2018 Carl Zimmer (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Extraordinary...This book is Zimmer at his best: obliterating misconceptions about science with gentle prose. He brings the reader on his journey of discovery as he visits laboratory after laboratory, peering at mutant mosquitoes and talking to scientists about traces of Neanderthal ancestry within his own genome. Any fan of his previous books or his journalism will appreciate this work. But so, too, will parents wishing to understand the magnitude of the legacy they’re bequeathing to their children, people who want to grasp their history through genetic ancestry testing and those seeking a fuller context for the discussions about race and genetics so prevalent today.”—The New York Times Book Review

"Zimmer dispels longstanding scientific misconceptions, introduces facts that may surprise you and brings readers on a delightful journey of genetic discovery."—The New York Times, "Paperback Row"

“Magisterial...In Zimmer’s pages, we discover a world minutely threaded with myriad streams of heredity flowing in all directions, in variegated patterns and different registers.”—The Atlantic

Intriguing Insights

The concept of mosaic inheritance was mind boggling. Also the idea that DNA from my daughter and her father may be lingering in my body is awesome. The exploration of the range of possibilities of how DNA forms each person’s individual sexuality is truly eye opening.

Fascinating target shift

Great genetics historic overview with information shifting for youth to elderly as in popular page turned genres. Entertaining. Informative.

Amazing overview

Highly recommended. May be too much detail for some but still an excellent resource. Worthy of your time :-)

Good overview of inheritance

Starts off slow with stories that have little to do with inheritance, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Zimmer provides a good up to date research in genentics. A good overview for anyone interested in the study of heredity.

Multiple mind-blowing moments

From history you never imagined to evolutionary quirks you've never heard of, this book is continually mind-blowing.

Very informative!

If you like reading research on research, this book in incredibly informative! From the philosophical arguments about heredity to the current science and status of genetic engineering, this book is a thorough and interesting investigation into how we perceive WHAT we are is passed on to future generations. Not only is the scientific significance examined, but as well as the ethical and legal ramifications of these findings.

excellent science writing

I picked this title because I hoped to develop a better understanding genetic heredity. The book delivers a social and scientific history of the concept of heredity: from the development of royal bloodlines and family trees to the rise of racism and eugenics. It was as interesting to learn about this history as it was to delve into the future of gene editing and its moral and social implications. I throughly enjoyed this book.

If only high school science class could be so interesting

This a fantastic book about our genes DNA and more and how they have developed and what it means to science in the future. The author explains all of this and makes it relatable and interesting. I was listening in my kitchen and my kids, who usually roll their eyes at what I am listening to actually asked if they could please listen when I was done. Cannot recommend enough, truly worth your time.

Science of Heredity for the Layman

This was a really good book which puts the science in easy to understand terms as well as setting them into position chronologically as well as in order of importance within the field. The reader seems to have a firm grasp of the subject which goes a long way in navigating jargon.

Great listen, storytelling structure

This book is a fantastic survey on the history of inheritance as a concept, from the microbes that possibly breathed life into this Earth to the values and cultures we imprint on our children. Just bonkers! Honest, scathing at times, and intensely interesting. Read now.