The Dance of Life
The New Science of How a Single Cell Becomes a Human Being
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The Dance of Life
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Narrated by:
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Shaina Summerville
About this listen
A renowned biologist's cutting-edge and unconventional examination of human reproduction and embryo research
Scientists have long struggled to make pregnancy easier, safer, and more successful. In The Dance of Life, developmental and stem-cell biologist Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz takes us to the front lines of efforts to understand the creation of a human life. She has spent two decades unraveling the mysteries of development, as a simple fertilized egg becomes a complex human being of 40 trillion cells. Zernicka-Goetz's work is both incredibly practical and astonishingly vast: Her groundbreaking experiments with mouse, human, and artificial embryo models give hope to how more women can sustain viable pregnancies. Set at the intersection of science's greatest powers and humanity's greatest concern, The Dance of Life is a revelatory account of the future of fertility - and life itself.
©2020 Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, Roger Highfield (P)2020 Basic BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Non-fiction books - please include references
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Changed this strict genetic determinist's mind
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1 out of 5 stars
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Critic reviews
"Quite simply the best book about science and life that I have ever read." (Alice Roberts, professor of public engagement in science, University of Birmingham)
"How does a single fertilized egg know how to develop into the trillions of different cells that making up a human? This book provides you with much more than the answer - it is story-telling at its very best. Together with Highfield, Zernicka-Goetz leads us through her life scientific, intertwining the exciting field of 21st biology with a joyous personal journey of discovery at the cutting edge of research." (Jim Al-Khalili, coauthor of Life on the Edge)
"Illuminating...Zernicka-Goetz and Highfield's informative professional memoir has much to engage readers." (Publishers Weekly)
Elegantly written and highly enjoyable book
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