Sam Kean

From the periodic table in The Disappearing Spoon to DNA in The Violinist’s Thumb, Kean is a proven master at making complex science fun. In his new book he plumbs the mysteries of the human brain, recounting stories of injuries, illness, and treatments that amounted to experiments. The stories are riveting, and each one shows how we’ve slowly come to better understand how the brain works. (Little, Brown)

Beer and wine will be available.

Street: 5015 Connecticut Ave NW City: Washington, Province: District Of Columbia Postal Code: 20008 Country: United States (afegit de IndieBound)… (més)

Take a tour of the human brain with New York Times-bestselling science writer Sam Kean and his latest entertaining, engaging, and elegant work, The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery. Full of his trademark wit and astonishing anecdotes, this offbeat look at medical history explains the brain's secret passageways while recounting forgotten stories of common people whose struggles, resiliency, and deep humanity made modern neuroscience possible.

Location: Books Inc. Street: 601 Van Ness City: San Francisco, Province: California Country: United States (afegit de IndieBound)… (més)

Credit: Voss Studios

Sam Kean

Thursday, May 22, 7:30 p.m.

The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery

Early studies of the functions of the human brain used a simple method: wait for misfortune to strike-strokes, seizures, infectious diseases, lobotomies, horrendous accidents-and see how the victim coped. In many cases survival was miraculous, and observers could only marvel at the transformations that took place afterward, altering victims' personalities. But a few scientists realized that these injuries were an opportunity for studying brain function at its extremes. With lucid explanations and incisive wit, Sam Kean explains the brain's secret passageways while recounting forgotten stories of common people whose struggles, resiliency, and deep humanity made modern neuroscience possible.

Sam Kean is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist's Thumb. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, and New Scientist, and has been featured on NPR's "Radiolab" and "All Things Considered."

Location: Street: 1010 El Camino Real City: Menlo Park, Province: California Postal Code: 94025-4349 Country: United States (afegit de IndieBound)… (més)

The violinist's thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code Sam Kean Unraveling the genetic code hasn’t always been easy—from its earliest days, genetics has been rife with infighting, backstabbing, and controversial theories—but scientists can now finally read the astounding stories inscribed in our DNA. As we make advances into DNA mapping and modification, genetics will continue to be the hottest topic in science, shaping the very makeup of our bodies and the world around us. With the same masterful combination of science, history, and culture he brought to The Disappearing Spoon, Sam Kean untangles the secrets of our genetic code, explaining how genetics has shaped our past, and how DNA will determine humankind’s future. WHYY Independence Mall West 150 N. 6th St. Philadelphia, PA 19106 This is a FREE event, but registration is required. To register for this event, please click here

Location: Street: WHYY, Independence Mall West Additional: 150 North 6th Street City: Philadelphia, Province: Pennsylvania Postal Code: 19106 Country: United States (afegit de IndieBound)… (més)

Are you tall? Do you have an odd hobby or a singular talent? Thank—or blame—your DNA for these and other traits. As he did so entertainingly with the periodic table in The Disappearing Spoon, Kean makes science accessible and fascinating, using history and anecdotes to uncover the powers of deoxyribonucleaic acid, aka the building block of life.

Street: 5015 Connecticut Ave NW City: Washington, Province: District Of Columbia Postal Code: 20008 Country: United States (afegit de IndieBound)… (més)

In The violinist's thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code, Sam Kean uses the forensic traces in our DNA to illuminate how humans evolved from primordial muck to the most dominant species on the planet, how studying language, art, and history can reveal the scientific workings of DNA, and vice-versa, and how the human line almost went extinct, twice, causing us to be more closely related than any other species.

There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, a love of reckless activities, and a talent for the violin; genes that could allow someone to survive nuclear bombs, and cause the untimely end of explorers in the arctic. The violinist's thumb uses genes to reveal so much about our past, and leaves us wondering if and how scientists will manipulate DNA to alter our species’ future.

Sam Kean is a writer in Washington, D.C. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, the New York Post, and New Scientist. In 2009 he was a runner-up for the National Association of Science Writers' Evert Clark/ Seth Payne Award for best science writer under the age of thirty, and he was a Middlebury Environmental Journalism fellow. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Disappearing Spoon.

Location: Street: 1200 11th St City: Bellingham, Province: Washington Postal Code: 98225-7015 Country: United States (afegit de IndieBound)… (més)

Sam Kean debat The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements.

The Periodic Table is one of man’s crowning scientific achievements. It’s also a treasure trove of stories of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. Sam Kean follows carbon, neon, silicon, and gold as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, war, the arts, poison, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. From the Big Bang to the end of time, it’s all covered in The Disappearing Spoon. Tickets: $15 / $10 Student or Senior. Free for Festival Members and Carleton Students. (thebookpile)… (més)