Comments on "Here Is a Human Being - At the Dawn of Personal Genomics" by Misha Angrist
The author of this book, Misha Angrist, quotes others to say that, actually, the entire human genome has not been sequenced because about 7% of the 6 billion base pairs in our 23 pairs of chromosomes, for some reason or other, do not yet yield to sequencing. He does not say anything more about this fact, such as, where is all of this "refractory 7%" located on our chromosomes.
Besides that, instead of a clear "blueprint" for human life, what has been sequenced, or deciphered, of our chromosomes, is often so apparentely repititious and "mixed up", that it is a wonder how it all works, or that it works at all.
None the less, this incredible scientific achievement has led to such a deluge of billions upon billions of facts, that there seems to be as much mystery in understanding the developement of a human life and the genetic sciences as there was 20 years ago, before the genome project had really started. Various scientific experts disagree with each other on the determining importance of our genes and chromosomes.
We all begin with a single cell, the fertilized egg and its chromosomes, but to become a mature adult involves an unimaginable and incomprehensible number of factors and processes. Beyond that, an adult human life includes so much unpredictabiblty of an unimaginable number of events that the control and influence of our beginning and life long individual genomes might seem all but buried.
Besides having a PhD and postdoctoral work in genetics, the author also has a Master of Fine Arts in writing and literature.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Experimental Blog #47
Comments on "Going Rogue - An Anerican Life" by Sarah Palin
In this book by Sarah Palin the author reveals a very noticable and unusual ability to recognize and describe her mistakes in a simple factual manner. Other qualities revealed are Sarah's very impressive energy and her quick recovery from setbacks of different kinds. By far the greater part of the book is very informative and persuasive about herself, her exceptional family, and the state of Alaska and its politics, both Republican and Democrat.
Sarah Palin describes herself as a "Commonsense Conservative," and it might be true that many Americans think, along with her, that more prayer, or prayerfulness, would do as much, or more, for America in the long run as any trillion dollar "stimulus package."
Only toward the very end of her book does Sarah Palin expand on her common, and questionable, belief in the "specialness" of Americans. Can it really be true that America and Americans are organically different from all the world's other people today, as well as at other times in the world's history, as she seems to suggest?
In this book by Sarah Palin the author reveals a very noticable and unusual ability to recognize and describe her mistakes in a simple factual manner. Other qualities revealed are Sarah's very impressive energy and her quick recovery from setbacks of different kinds. By far the greater part of the book is very informative and persuasive about herself, her exceptional family, and the state of Alaska and its politics, both Republican and Democrat.
Sarah Palin describes herself as a "Commonsense Conservative," and it might be true that many Americans think, along with her, that more prayer, or prayerfulness, would do as much, or more, for America in the long run as any trillion dollar "stimulus package."
Only toward the very end of her book does Sarah Palin expand on her common, and questionable, belief in the "specialness" of Americans. Can it really be true that America and Americans are organically different from all the world's other people today, as well as at other times in the world's history, as she seems to suggest?
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Experimental Blog #46
Comments on "The Lost Girls" - Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World. by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C Corbett, and Amanda Pressner
Before the table of contents and the regular text of this book begins, there is a "Disclaimer." It says, in part, "we occasionally merged characters, reordered events," and "Many names ... have been changed and some of the identifying details altered..."
Whatever this means, one of the authors consistently seems more serious than the others. Another author seems prone to taking a variety of patience testing and provocative risks. The third author, perhaps, seems to sometimes alternate between her two companions. Also, at least 1 or 2 seemingly significant countries that they visited, Myanmar and, maybe, the United Arab Emirates, are completely omitted from the account of their travels.
Towards the last parts of the book the writing seems more hurried, or condensed, or perhaps, somewhat stylized.
However, seriously, overall, totally, their story of three American women, in their late 20s traveling around the world together for a whole year, is rather original and even quite thought provoking, seriously, totally.
Before the table of contents and the regular text of this book begins, there is a "Disclaimer." It says, in part, "we occasionally merged characters, reordered events," and "Many names ... have been changed and some of the identifying details altered..."
Whatever this means, one of the authors consistently seems more serious than the others. Another author seems prone to taking a variety of patience testing and provocative risks. The third author, perhaps, seems to sometimes alternate between her two companions. Also, at least 1 or 2 seemingly significant countries that they visited, Myanmar and, maybe, the United Arab Emirates, are completely omitted from the account of their travels.
Towards the last parts of the book the writing seems more hurried, or condensed, or perhaps, somewhat stylized.
However, seriously, overall, totally, their story of three American women, in their late 20s traveling around the world together for a whole year, is rather original and even quite thought provoking, seriously, totally.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)