Unlocking the Hidden History of DNA By: Sam Kean [Audiobook]

Author: Sam Kean, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Professor Sam Kean

Locked inside the DNA of every species that ever lived are endless stories – about origins, ancestors, fate, and much more. Until recently, these secrets were completely inaccessible. But with the help of new technologies, scientists are now reading the hidden history of DNA, making remarkable discoveries about ourselves and our fellow species. Your gateway to this treasure trove of information is Unlocking the Hidden History of DNA, 12 informative and accessible lectures delivered by New York Times best-selling author Sam Kean. Assuming the viewer has no prior background in science, these detailed but delightful half-hour lectures cover the fundamental properties of DNA, the techniques that have unraveled its mysteries, the exciting revelations that have resulted, and the very human stories of the scientists involved – many of whom won Nobel Prizes and sparked fierce controversies along the way. 

You start in the mid-19th century with Austrian monk Gregor Mendel, who pioneered the science of genetics with experiments on pea plants, and the almost-forgotten discovery of DNA by Friedrich Miescher. Proceeding briskly through decades when the connection between genes and DNA were pieced together, you learn about the discovery of DNA, the race to determine its structure, and the Human Genome Project, which mapped all three billion base pairs of our DNA. Then you dig deeply into our genome to mine its secrets, including our surprising relationship to Neanderthals, when we first started wearing clothes, genetic influences on language, and our kinship with viruses. You also excavate new historical details about King Tut, Genghis Khan, King Richard III, and Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Warren Harding. Finally, you examine today’s cutting-edge DNA technology, notably a genetic engineering technique called CRISPR heralded as holding the potential for science fiction-like manipulation of our species. Genetics has come a long way since Gregor Mendel’s humble pea plants. 

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

23M	TGC10020 S01E01 Genes versus DNA.mp3
21M	TGC10020 S01E02 The Quest For DNA's Structure.mp3
22M	TGC10020 S01E03 The Double Helix Revealed.mp3
24M	TGC10020 S01E04 From Genetic Codes to DNA Fingerprints.mp3
22M	TGC10020 S01E05 The War Over the Huma Genome.mp3
23M	TGC10020 S01E06 How DNA Controls Itself and Shapes Our Culture.mp3
23M	TGC10020 S01E07 Microbes Manipulate Us, Viruses Are Us.mp3
23M	TGC10020 S01E08 How Epigenetics Turns Genes On and Off.mp3
22M	TGC10020 S01E09 Apes, Humans, and Neanderthals.mp3
23M	TGC10020 S01E10 How DNA Reveals History.mp3
22M	TGC10020 S01E11 CRISPR's Rise, Promise, and Peril.mp3
23M	TGC10020 S01E12 How DNA Redefines Medicine and Our Future.mp3
266M	total