The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author

Amazon.com

Inheriting the mantle of revolutionary biologist from Darwin, Watson, and Crick, Richard Dawkins forced an enormous change in the way we see ourselves and the world with the publication of The Selfish Gene. Suppose, instead of thinking about organisms using genes to reproduce themselves, as we had since Mendel's work was rediscovered, we turn it around and imagine that "our" genes build and maintain us in order to make more genes. That simple reversal seems to answer many puzzlers which had stumped scientists for years, and we haven't thought of evolution in the same way since.

Why are there miles and miles of "unused" DNA within each of our bodies? Why should a bee give up its own chance to reproduce to help raise her sisters and brothers? With a prophet's clarity, Dawkins told us the answers from the perspective of molecules competing for limited space and resources to produce more of their own kind. Drawing fascinating examples from every field of biology, he paved the way for a serious re-evaluation of evolution. He also introduced the concept of self-reproducing ideas, or memes, which (seemingly) use humans exclusively for their propagation. If we are puppets, he says, at least we can try to understand our strings. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

The million copy international bestseller, critically acclaimed and translated into over 25 languages. This 30th anniversary edition includes a new introduction from the author as well as the original prefaces and foreword, and extracts from early reviews. As relevant and influential today as when it was first published, The Selfish Gene has become a classic exposition of evolutionary thought. Professor Dawkins articulates a gene's eye view of evolution - a view giving centre stage to these persistent units of information, and in which organisms can be seen as vehicles for their replication. This imaginative, powerful, and stylistically brilliant work not only brought the insights of Neo-Darwinism to a wide audience, but galvanized the biology community, generating much debate and stimulating whole new areas of research.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent overview of evolution.......2007-10-08

Scholars pro-evolution can generally be divided into 1) those who believe in evolution at the group level (ie: The reason lions behave in a particular way is because they want to survive as a species) or 2) those who believe in evolution at an individual level (ie: The reason a particular bird behaves in a particular way is because he wants to survive as an individual bird). Dawkins' views are closer to the latter. In fact, he takes it a step further and argues for evolution at the gene level. I think he makes a very convincing case for his views. Of course nothing is certain (except uncertainty perhaps) so he does not prove his theory definitively.

The book can be hard to read at times and may be a bit slow for those with no background in biology or science. Nevertheless I think anyone with patience can read, enjoy and learn from this important book.

No matter what your views this is a very educational and important book. Highly recommended.

Fancifully Dark.......2007-09-21

In his play "Suddenly, Last Summer," Tennessee Williams writes of a young man who, on vacation at the seashore, watches newly hatched baby turtles struggling down to the safety of the water. Only a small percentage get there, though, because the gulls overhead scoop them up and eat them faster than they can crawl. The young man, observing this and already under great psychic tension, tells his cousin that now "I have seen God!" Later on, we realize the man is morally insane, and that perhaps this was the turning point; his descent into insanity.
Whether Williams himself thought of God the same way, I don't know. But certainly the example of the turtles and gulls had been chosen, out of thousands of other such biological observations, because the young man chose to find God - or truth - in it. He could, if he had been in a sunnier mood, chosen to look at nesting robins or a mare and her colt.
In "The Selfish Gene," Dr. Dawkins argues against the idea of altruism in nature: mothers take care of their young because they love them, etc. Dawkins says they do it because it's in their genes. But he takes it one step further: he says it's the genes themselves that are struggling to survive - not the whole animal. The analogy of genes "using" animal bodies for their own "selfish" ends, as if we were robots and the genes our drivers, is made over and over again.
Of course, Dawkins realizes this is not correct. Darwinism asserts that biological life came into existence blindly: cells and animals came (and continue to come) into being, not because they chose to, but because of natural selection. And the ones who survive do so because of serendipity.
This is a very hard concept, of course, to understand. I remember Sister Pauline laboring to explain to us girls in junior biology class that the white butterflies didn't decide to turn black; they turned black over generations, due to natural selection. She had a hard time of it. (Catholics are "allowed" to choose between a literal or analogous interpretation of the Bible, so she was not breaking any official rules!)
In other words, a "selfish" gene (or animal) makes no more sense in Darwinistic terms than an "altruistic" one.
Dawkins explicitly states this on page 196. But he uses the selfish gene analogy so many more times - hundreds of times - that, just from the sheer repetitiveness of the theme, it may sink in too deeply (and do some psychic damage) to people who are not currently living on the sunny side of the street, so to speak.
For those people, like the gentleman who wrote the touching review of how this book contributed to fits of depression, I'd say: This point of view has no more legitimacy than the altrustic point of view.
An additional (and, I think, unnecessary) weight on the sensitive reader's soul is the aspersions that Dr. Dawkins, an aggressive atheist, throws on the concept of God - limited mainly, I think, to his chapter on memes (he saves most of his vituperation on this issue for another book, "The God Delusion").
On that score, I'd say: please realize that scientists don't know everything. People in different professions develop different mental prejudices: lawyers think like lawyers, engineers like engineers, etc. And scientists, for whom scientific method is everything, tend to think that anything that's not measurable therefore doesn't exist. This is a logical fallacy. They also tend to think they are so intelligent, and the world outside science is so simple, that they can read a few survey books on religion, philosophy, or history and know all there is to know about the field. This leads them to made irresponsible, blanket statements, completely unaware of how little they know.
On page 201, he winds up a chapter by saying all is not gloomy; humans can still strive towards altruism; that "[w]e, alone on earth, can rebel against the tyranny of the selfish replicators." Then, in a long footnote, he writes that some of his colleagues disapproved of this passionate summation. "In some cases, the criticism came from doctrinaire sociobiologists jealously protective of genetic influence...." and in others, from "high priests of the left jealously protective of a favorite demonological icon!" (His exclamation point.) These latter, apparently, were objecting that he on the one hand implied a belief in free will while on the other hand talking like a genetic determinist. He objects to this, saying, if I understand it, that he's both, and ends the argument by saying, "We, that is our brains, are separate and independent enough from our genes to rebel against them. ...[W]e do so in a small way every time we use contraception."
Now, I don't pretend to have a handle on the philosophical and sociobiological arguments regarding whether or not humans have free will, or even what exactly free will is. But in the above I don't see that Dr. Dawkins really does, either: he treats it far too simply.
In sum, read the book, but don't let it get you down. After all, if the village priest doesn't have the right to bully people intellectually, than neither does the research scientist.

Mandatory reading for students/interested persons.......2007-09-17

This is an excellent primer to biological evolution and could also be a valuable co-text with a standard high school biology course. Written in British english, it is quite understandable though more academic than casual.
Dawkins' use of the 'gene's eye view' of the world permeates the text. It is very easy to follow. A great book to rebut any creationist's
viewpoint. This was Dawkins' first book in the field. It will not disappoint or talk down to you.
Enjoy.

a mixed bag.......2007-09-09

Parts of the book were utterly fascinating to me, such as the groundbreaking idea of the "meme" as a unit of cultural transmission. But the argument that species are survival machines for our "immortal genes" seems seriously flawed.

First and foremost in my mind, it is hard for me to swallow that organisms practice altruism because the gene or genes that are responsible for this altruism have a probability of existing in the recipient of the altruism, the probability increasing with the closeness of familial relatedness. How, then, to explain altruism beyond the family, or even beyond the species? The author mentions that there is at least one well-documented case of a dolphin rescuing a drowning human being. In the book this was suggested to be a mistake. One of Earth's most intelligent animals has a gene for rescuing long, narrow objects and cannot tell the difference between a human and its own species. I got doubtful when contradictory evidence was explained as a mistake. And what about organisms' adopting children originating from other parents? Always a mistake? Highly expensive practice for when the real deal arises?

I do not understand why there must be *a* unit of natural selection. Can't there be more than one, sometimes at odds with each other, sometimes in tandem? I do believe genes are selected over other genes, but I believe groups can be selected over other groups, too. Perhaps other units, both larger and smaller than genes (Why not the selfish base pair?), are also naturally selected.

Finally, especially considering recent discoveries in genomics that have downsized the number of estimated human genes, there cannot be one gene behind any behavioral trait you can think of, a gene for being nice to your cousin, for example. I get that a gene can have many functions and can have a net effect of being nice to your cousin, and in its absence you would be less nice to your cousin, but this makes for a complicated web which would get torn apart as succeeding generations inherit just part of the web. The influences of biology, environment, and history get harder to ignore.

a new way to look at the world.......2007-08-29

Dawkins challenges us to look at old ideas (Darwinian) in a new light. At times I found his mathematical calculations tedious to follow, however when I bothered to think them through, they did make sense. I esepcially enjoyed the chapter on game theory because it helped to explain why humans do not usually behave in blatantly exploitive ways in spite of our "selfish genes". I recommend the book to anyone who wonders how the world works.

In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind

Average customer rating:

Experiments on Short and Long term memory
Great Product plus excellent delivery time
Detailed
In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind
Both more simple and complex than imagined

In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind
Eric R. Kandel
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Cognitive Psychology | Behavioral Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Behavioral Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, And The New Biology Of Mind
Stumbling on Happiness
I Am a Strange Loop
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
Francis Crick: Discoverer of the Genetic Code (Eminent Lives) (rough edge)

ASIN: 0393329372

Book Description

"A stunning book."—Oliver Sacks

Charting the intellectual history of the emerging biology of mind, Eric R. Kandel illuminates how behavioral psychology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and molecular biology have converged into a powerful new science of mind. This science now provides nuanced insights into normal mental functioning and disease, and simultaneously opens pathways to more effective healing.

Driven by vibrant curiosity, Kandel's personal quest to understand memory is threaded throughout this absorbing history. Beginning with his childhood in Nazi-occupied Vienna, In Search of Memory chronicles Kandel's outstanding career from his initial fascination with history and psychoanalysis to his groundbreaking work on the biological process of memory, which earned him the Nobel Prize.

A deft mixture of memoir and history, modern biology and behavior, In Search of Memory traces how a brilliant scientist's intellectual journey intersected with one of the great scientific endeavors of the twentieth century: the search for the biological basis of memory. 50 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Experiments on Short and Long term memory.......2007-08-13

Eric Kandel's work represents a harmonious mixture of autobiography and a description of research into the workings of the Brain, particularly memory. Having been tormented by childhood memories of Nazi hounding in Vienna in the early years of the second world war, he wanted to find out how these memories are held in the Brain. At the same time, he was also very curious about how Freud's (a fellow Viennese) representation of Id, Ego and Superego mapped to the Brain in terms of neurons and signaling.

He starts off with a history of discoveries in the structure of the Brain, starting with Santiago Cajal's study of the basic form of neurons. Leading to chemical and electrical signaling between the neurons. He dwells into the details of how the electrical signals are converted into chemicals at the synapses while crossing to a neighboring neuron and how the chemicals change back to the electricity after the crossing has been accomplished. He describes his own experiments with short and long term memories. He brings out the distinction very clearly. Short term memory results from strengthening or synapses, while long term memory results from growing of new synapses. Protein synthesis is involved in such a growth and can come only from a conscious effort on part of an individual to commit something to long term memory. This also explains why cramming for an exam does not really result in a long term learning.

He explains clearly why metal illnesses are difficult to diagnose and treat, unlike the other structural damages like tumors, strokes etc. Mental illnesses do result from multiple genes and sometimes the environmental factors as well. The book ends with the Nobel Prize ceremony and a critique of Austria's turning of blind eye towards Hitler's invasion and persecution of Jews.

The beauty of the book is that it is not restricted to just the students and practitioners of Psychiatry. Anyone with some initiation into Basic Sciences at College level can appreciate the work.

Great Product plus excellent delivery time.......2007-07-18

I am very satisfied with my order, got here in less then a week which is great as i was anxios to get this book.

Had no problems with the seller and would definetly buy from them again

Thanks

Detailed.......2007-07-12

This book is certainly written for those that have a keen interest in the biological fundamentals and intricacies of memory. Do not expect much from a psychological or phenomenological perspective. It is a well written book but a lot of neuroscience nuts and bolts.

In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind.......2007-06-17

An interesting weaving of personal recollection and history that takes the reader on a voyage through some of the discoveries in neural science. The logic of science and twists and turns of fate combine to make for fascinating reading. The book details how the molecular biology of the nervous system is responsible for short term and long term memory, and has been preserved through evolution from primitive snails through human beings, and lays the pathway for possible future understanding and research. On a personal level, the book details how a Jewish boy flees Austria in 1938 as Hitler rises to power, enters medical student with an interest in psychoanalysis and becomes one of the leading neuroscientists of our time, earning a Nobel Prize in the process. Though the book does contain some details of molecular biology, "In Search of Memory" is well worth the time to read.

Both more simple and complex than imagined.......2007-06-15

Is it in his eyes? Is it in his kiss? No, it's in his cells. That's where it is.
For those who have toiled in the field of psychology this book tells the story of where we've been and where we are now. And it tells it well.
It's hard to imagine the author starting with elegant psychoanalytic theory and ending up with utter reverence for a single celled organism. But that's the road science has taken us. The mind is both more and less complicated than we imagined.
In addition to explaining the basics of cell memory, the author recounts his own life experiences, adding humanity to this technical topic.

Average customer rating:

She's Seen Mermaids and Fairies & Lillith!!
Exploring the Levels of Creation
Sylvia ...i love her
perfect as always
Excellent Book /Great Insight

Exploring the Levels of Creation
Sylvia Browne
Manufacturer: Hay House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Spiritualism | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Mystical Life of Jesus: An Uncommon Perspective on the Life of Christ
Insight: Case Files From The Psychic World
Christmas in Heaven
Father God: Co-creator to Mother God
Spiritual Connections: How to Find Spirituality Throughout All the Relationships in Your Life

ASIN: 1401908918
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Book Description

Have you ever wondered about life and Creation? Is there life after death? Why do we have to go through these trials and tribulations? Why do we have thoughts and dreams that run from the sublime to those that are nightmarish and bizarre? Why do goodness and evil go hand in hand in life … or do they?

The answers to these questions and more are brought to light by author and spiritual teacher Sylvia Browne. She once again shares her psychic gifts and years of research in order to enlighten us and give us more insights into God and the realities of life.

This time she tackles the structure of Creation by showing us that there is purpose and order in our sometimes seemingly chaotic world and existence. She outlines the structural levels of Creation of not only life as we know it; but the reality of the afterlife and the heretofore-unexplored structure of the Lower Levels of Creation. From the beautiful and perfect life of the Other Side to the wondrous, weird, and strange Lower Levels, to the everyday intricacies of life on this planet, Sylvia takes us on another journey of exploration and truth.

Customer Reviews:

She's Seen Mermaids and Fairies & Lillith!!.......2007-05-08

In this book but only briefly, Sylvia writes that she has seen Mermaids and Fairies, and how they are entirely BEAUTIFUL creatures.

I just wanted to share this, even though it is just a few lines in the entire book. The rest is very interesting of course. I'm just completely happy Sylvia wrote about how she has seen these Heavnly beings.

Exploring the Levels of Creation.......2007-03-28

One of Sylvias best!!!
I cant even begin to tell you what it did for me.
Thank You Sylvia!

Sylvia ...i love her.......2007-03-09

What can i say that everyone already knows...She lifts your spirit. Even if some of you don't want to believe...it's ok...i do and that is all that counts. She is a wonderful writer and i love her.

perfect as always.......2007-03-09

I have never read a Sylvia Browne book that I have not loved and felt great truth within the pages, and this book is just the same. It is a bit like her creation trio of books but this one has ALOT of new information in it. Really you cannot compare the two, (this book and her 3 book creation series) because they each have their own wisdom and truths in them. I loved this book and as Sylvia says, if what some of what she says does not feel right to you, then leave it. She is not attempting to make us all believe that everything she says and believes is the only way. I, however, usually agree with her truths. WONDERFUL BOOK BY A WONDERFUL BLESSING OF A WOMAN.!

Excellent Book /Great Insight.......2007-03-09

I was particularly fascinated by the information regarding the "Lower Levels" of creation. Actually, it made me want to go there. Not for a long time or anything, just long enough to look around and get the hell out. The 7 stages of human life along with the 7 levels of life on the other side was really informative as well. I (for the first time in 37 years) realized what I was doing here on earth and what my purpose was from this one book. I guess that is really important huh? It is also a great inspirational book and reminded me of what it means to live here on the earth and that all is well and that I'll be returning home one day so not to worry. That's pretty good to get all that from the pages of a book. I love Sylvia Browne. :o)

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chinese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Japanese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Doctors & Medicine | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Lawyers & Criminals | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Love, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Historiography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

French | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Victorian | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Epic | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

German | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Russian | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Chinese | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Conspiracy Theories | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

War on Drugs | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

Science | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

Online Research | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Magic & Wizards | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Sailor Moon | Popular Characters | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Pilates | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

History | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Biographies | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory
They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies

ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences

Average customer rating:

Revolutionary read!
I strongly recommend this book
20th Century Schizoid Man...
The study of DMT must continue
Increadible Read

DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences
Rick Strassman MD
Manufacturer: Park Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Psychopharmacology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Near-Death Experiences | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution
Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism
2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl
The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching
Pihkal: A Chemical Love Story

ASIN: 0892819278
Release Date: 2000-12-01

Book Description

A clinical psychiatrist explores the effects of DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known.

• A behind-the-scenes look at the cutting edge of psychedelic research.

• Provides a unique scientific explanation for the phenomenon of alien abduction experiences.

From 1990 to 1995 Dr. Rick Strassman conducted U.S. Government-approved and funded clinical research at the University of New Mexico in which he injected sixty volunteers with DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. His detailed account of those sessions is an extraordinarily riveting inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. DMT, a plant-derived chemical found in the psychedelic Amazon brew, ayahuasca, is also manufactured by the human brain. In Strassman's volunteers, it consistently produced near-death and mystical experiences. Many reported convincing encounters with intelligent nonhuman presences, aliens, angels, and spirits. Nearly all felt that the sessions were among the most profound experiences of their lives.

Strassman's research connects DMT with the pineal gland, considered by Hindus to be the site of the seventh chakra and by Rene Descartes to be the seat of the soul. DMT: The Spirit Molecule makes the bold case that DMT, naturally released by the pineal gland, facilitates the soul's movement in and out of the body and is an integral part of the birth and death experiences, as well as the highest states of meditation and even sexual transcendence. Strassman also believes that "alien abduction experiences" are brought on by accidental releases of DMT. If used wisely, DMT could trigger a period of remarkable progress in the scientific exploration of the most mystical regions of the human mind and soul.

Customer Reviews:

Revolutionary read!.......2007-08-30

A must for anyone who is interested in mystical experiences and the human mind and spirit.

I strongly recommend this book.......2007-08-23

I liked the fact the author writes about the whole experience - positive and negative parts. It is important to hear about all of the experiences not only from the jovial side of it. Eventhough he conducted the experiment, he manages to stay objective in his writing.
The experiences sound amazing. Unfortunately not everybody is able to accept certain truths, this is why he carefully chose the participants. It's a shame he stopped his researches in that direction, eventhough I perfectly understand him. I would be discouraged faster than him.

20th Century Schizoid Man..........2007-08-21

Dr Strassman has indeed taken a giant step forward for mankind with his research. The psychedelic experience seems at once necessary and enlightening for the human race. Perhaps if everyone could experience an outer dimensional "trip" such as described in this book, we could put an end to the modern ethos of hatred and violence that surrounds us.
Researchers as opened minded as this are rare and deserve our support. If you are at all interested in the exploration of inner space, buy Dr Strassman's book - it's a modern day equivalent to the moon landing (if it ever really happened...)

The study of DMT must continue.......2007-07-22

The fact of the matter is, in the troubling world we find ourselves in - good news is very hard to come by. It is research such as this that becomes the candle in the dark, the light at the end of the dark tunnel we all traverse.
Rick Strassman's research is not only revolutionary, but it shows that science, unequivocally, must never leave spirituality at the front door - since spirituality may be far more scientific than we previously had thought. Without a doubt in my mind, this book has proven such a thing.

Yet, there are still many more questions that need to be answered. The ultimate being - are these experiences, creatures and invisible landscapes REAL? Are they more real than "channel normal"? The exciting thing about these questions is that they may be answered in our lifetime, IF the study of DMT is continued.

From what I understand, Rick Strassman's website speaks of a DMT Documentary that is currently in the making. I sincerely hope that this Documentary, upon release, arouses the curiosity of mainstream science and the general population.

Do I recommend this book? The answer is 100% YES. If you are not aware of the information within this book, you are intellectually naked.

With ever-increasing scientific knowledge, this generation as we know it could very well be catching up to what the mystics have been saying for aeons.

Increadible Read.......2007-07-14

This book is incredible. IT sheds light on research done on psychedelics and goes into the history of psychedelic research. Very Interesting. A lot of interesting and mind expanding ideas and theories within.

The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids

Average customer rating:

Yet Another Ridiculous Parenting Book
A must-read for every parent!
Not an Instruction Manual
Good Read for Parents, Not Neurologists
So That's What's Going On in Their Heads!

The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids
Barbara Strauch
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adolescent Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Teenagers | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

WHY Do They Act That Way?: A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen
Secrets of the Teenage Brain: Research-Based Strategies for Reaching & Teaching Today's Adolescents
Staying Connected to Your Teenager: How to Keep Them Talking to You and How to Hear What They're Really Saying
Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind
A Mind at a Time

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0385721609
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Book Description

For anyone who has ever puzzled over the mysterious and often infuriating behavior of a teenager comes a groundbreaking look at the teenage brain written by the medical science and health editor for The New York Times. While many members of the scientific community have long held that the growing pains of adolescence are primarily psychological, Barbara Strauch highlights the physical nature of the transformation, offering parents and educators a new perspective on erratic teenage behavior. Using plain language, Strauch draws upon the latest scientific discoveries to make the case that the changes the brain goes through during adolescence are as dramatic and crucial as those that take place in the first two years of life, and that teenagers are not entirely responsible for their sullen, rebellious, and moody ways. Featuring interviews with scientists, teenagers, parents, and teachers, The Primal Teen explores common challenges–why teens go from articulate and mature one day to morose and unreachable the next, why they engage in risky behavior–and offers practical strategies to help manage these formative and often difficult years.

Customer Reviews:

Yet Another Ridiculous Parenting Book.......2006-12-01

The is yet another book premised on the assumption that your teen (or child) is some kind of alien. Remember -- you were once a child and a teen yourself, and your child will eventually be an adult, and maybe even a parent. Just relate to your child as a person, and forget about this book.

A must-read for every parent!.......2006-05-04

As parents of teens, we tend to think that--by now--we have pretty much figured out what makes our kids tick...hormones, immaturity, psicological issues...right? Well, maybe that is only part of the picture. This books does a wonderful job of going beyond that, to the neurological foundation of behavior itself. It clearly explains the ramifications of the changes that are going on at a neurological level in the brain of teens and how that, consequently, translates into "teen behavior".
Your kid is not "crazy"...their frontal cortex just needs more time to develop! A reassuring read for every parent!

Not an Instruction Manual.......2006-03-16

Strauch's book answers many questions as regards my teens' behaviors. My last one at home is 16; I purchsed this book to help me understand what is happening within that skull of his. Strauch utilizes her research to not only explain what my own child is going through but also helps to clarify the behavior of youth today as far as impulsivity, criminality, and various other compelling and noteworthy up-to-the-minute pertinent and important information we need to help our teenagers be successful in this day and age. The book is written somewhat like an investigative report, with a humourous punch, and is easily read by parents and teachers alike. It is an enjoyable and worthy read.

Good Read for Parents, Not Neurologists.......2006-02-23

This was a good read for parents of teens or pre-adolescents who are not in the medical field or some related field. The author is not a researcher but a journalist putting together what they've learned about the topic. (Some parents may have already done this for themselves.) It's not as detailed as someone well-read on the topic may hope, but for someone just becoming interested, perhaps someone experiencing shocking episodes in their own home with their own primal teen, it's a good starter book! Glad she put it together. Hopefully there's more to come with more neurological detail.

So That's What's Going On in Their Heads!.......2005-05-13

This book has helped me understand so much about what is going on with my teen! I could not put this book down. Now when my son does something odd, I just think, well at least I know why. Of course their is still your active parenting involved, but you know how to approach things better, and with an understanding of what may, or may not, have been going on in their little teenage brains. Buy it.

Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, And The New Biology Of Mind

Average customer rating:

Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, And The New Biology Of Mind
Eric Kandel
Manufacturer: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Psychoanalysis | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Medicine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind
The Brain and the Inner World: An Introduction to the Neuroscience of Subjective Experience
The Cognitive Neurosciences III: Third Edition (Bradford Books)
The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: Building and Rebuilding the Human Brain
The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment and the Developing Social Brain

ASIN: 1585621994

Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine

Average customer rating:

What's for dinner?
Really great read
A fresh and innovatrive approach
EVOLUTIONARY MEDICINE
Outstanding introduction to a perspective on health you won't get from your doctor

Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine
Randolph M. Nesse , and George C. Williams
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease
Evolutionary Medicine
Plague Time: The New Germ Theory of Disease
Evolving Health: The Origins of Illness and How the Modern World is Making Us Sick
The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author

ASIN: 0679746749
Release Date: 1996-01-30

Amazon.com

Is our tendency to "fix" our bodies with medicine keeping them from working exactly as they're supposed to? Two pioneers of the emerging science of Darwinian medicine argue that illness is part and parcel of the evolutionary system and as such, may be helping us to evolve towards better adaptation to our environment.

Book Description

The answers are in this groundbreaking book by two founders of the emerging science of Darwinian medicine, who deftly synthesize the latest research on disorders ranging from allergies to Alzheimer's and from cancer to Huntington's chorea. Why We Get Sick compels readers to reexamine the age-old attitudes toward sickness. Line drawings.

Customer Reviews:

What's for dinner?.......2007-09-02

"If you are starving in a rain forest, eat the camouflaged frog that is hidden in the vegetation, not the bright one sitting resplendent on a nearby branch."

At first glance, this quote from WHY WE GET SICK wouldn't seem to be relevant to the topic. But since the hypothesis of the book is that evolution and natural selection govern the senescence of aging and the physiological responses to diseases and mortally competitive environments, the fact that the gaudier frog has evolved with potent internal poisons that (should) signal "danger" to any potential predator makes the connection vis-a-vis both the amphibian's toxin and the starving hiker whose internal defense mechanisms may at least cause vomiting and diarrhea if frog's legs make it onto the dinner menu.

As authors Randolph Nesse and George Williams summarize:

"First, there are genes that make us vulnerable to disease ... Most deleterious genetic effects ... are actively maintained by selection because they have unappreciated benefits that outweigh their costs ... Second, disease results from exposure to novel factors that were not present in the environment in which we evolved ... Third, disease results from design compromises, such as upright posture with its associated back problems ... Fourth, ... natural selection ... works just as hard for pathogens trying to eat us and the organisms we want to eat. In conflicts with these organisms, as in baseball, you can't win 'em all. Finally, disease results from unfortunate historical legacies ... the human body must function well, with no chance to go back and start afresh ... Susceptibility to disease ... cannot be eliminated by any duration of natural selection, for it is the very power of natural selection that created them."

Under the umbrella of natural selection, the authors include everything from the obvious and non-arguable, such as fever as a mechanism to kill invading pathogens with heat, to the less obvious and perhaps debatable, such as the instinctive desire of small children to remained unweaned from mother's breast, which serves to prolong lactation and ensures that Mom won't become pregnant with a potential rival. Other examples fall into the category, Gee, Why Didn't I Think of That, including the morning sickness of pregnancy, which serves to prevent Mom from ingesting toxins during that vulnerable period when the unborn child is experiencing peak organ formation, and the causative agent of gout, uric acid, the build-up of which also protects the body from the aging effects of oxidative damage. Then there's cancer, which wouldn't be a problem had we not tissue cells that grow and regenerate. And did you know that premature ejaculation in the male is ostensibly selective, in an evolutionary sense, for those men that can get the gene transfer job done, so to speak, and then flee before the female's alpha male partner shows up to brain the interloper with a knotty pine cudgel?

Nesse and Williams lucidly present an unconventional paradigm of medicine, a different perspective from which to view disease and aging, that's only accasionally preachy. They rue the fact that it's not part of the mainstream, and argue for its inclusion in the curriculum of the country's medical schools. They fail to mention what I think is the more practical route to widespread acceptance, i.e. when it can make the medical industry lots of money.

Hey honey! How about some frog legs for dinner? I see a bright green one with yellow and red speckles perched in the carrotwood out back!

Really great read.......2007-01-09

Anyone in interested in how evolution impacts their day-to-day lives should read this book. It's not only informative, but also an enjoyable read.

A fresh and innovatrive approach.......2006-03-22

Insightful, progressive, meaningful, and comprehensive coverage of the field. I learned a lot from the book. Few minor points that can be improved. One, the figures in the book (there are only a few anyway) are vague and don't add much to the content. Two, there are many sentences in the book that are either out of context or they don't convey what the authors have in mind. Third, the book could have benefited from a bibliography. Alphabetical bibliography is easier to use to look the sources up than to struggle to find them in the Notes section at the end of the book. But, overall, a great book.

EVOLUTIONARY MEDICINE.......2006-02-26

Why we get sick is great for explaining evolutionary medicine for first timers. It's great for students, classrooms and anyone interested in Evolutionary medicine.

Outstanding introduction to a perspective on health you won't get from your doctor.......2006-01-02

This is a very readable, intelligent introduction to a perspective on medicine that is very useful for those of us who recognize that we have to manage our own medical care. It provides us with a basis for asking questions about the recommendations that doctors make. Those recommendations can be short-sighted. Most medical schools have not provided doctors with a useful evolutionary perspective on disease and medicine. The evolutionary perspective is simple enough for an intelligent lay person to grasp and use and novel enough to give insights that most doctors will not be able to provide.

Together with some knowledge of psychosomatic medicine (also neglected in most doctor's education) evolutionary medicine can give a patient sound footing to formulate a holistic perspective on health that few doctors will provide. Unlike holistic perspectives based on, say, Chinese medicine, this kind of perspective is more directly and obviously scientifically based. Accordingly, it is more likely to help a patient earn the respect of doctors that is needed for them to accept the patient as a full partner in the diagnosis and healing process.

Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government's Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory

Average customer rating:

Interesting and frightening read
The U.S. Government exposed...again.
Worth your time!
Hurricane Bob, Hurricane Katrina = Government Keystone Cops
Lab 257

Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government's Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory
Michael C. Carroll
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Healing Lyme: Natural Healing And Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis And Its Coinfections
Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World--Told from Inside by the Man Who Ran It
Everything You Need to Know About Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Disorders, 2nd Edition
When Antibiotics Fail: Lyme Disease and Rife Machines, with Critical Evaluation of Leading Alternative Therapies
Plum Island

ASIN: 0060011416
Release Date: 2004-02-17

Amazon.com

That the United States government engaged in dangerous biological research during World War II will come as no surprise to Americans jaded by revelations of secret medical experiments and radiation exposures. But that the accident-plagued facility where it happened--and continues to happen--is just off the coast of Long Island may alarm many readers of Michael Christopher Carroll's Lab 257. Carroll, an attorney by trade, gamely takes on complex microbiology and shady government record-keeping in telling the story of Plum Island, home of the Animal Disease Center--no place for a casual picnic. The lab, initially set up by the Army to research ways of destroying Soviet farm animals (and to keep them from destroying ours), has often dealt with bacteria and viruses that can be passed from animals to humans. Carroll draws compelling causal links between Plum Island and the introduction of Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and duck enteritis, all non-native germs that wreaked sudden havoc in North America, and all germs that Plum Island scientists were allegedly working with. With hurricanes and terrorists on his mind, Carroll asks readers to imagine a scenario in which the Plum Island lab might release pathogens into the most densely populated area in the country. He ends the book with two chilling questions. First, does the United States need a research facility that investigates animal pathogens with potential for human transmission? Second, considering that Plum Island never had a particularly good safety record, is it the right place for such a facility? Lab 257, while occasionally veering into unsupported speculation, introduces key questions to the debate on biological security in the 21st century. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

Nestled near the Hamptons, the fashionable summer playground of America's rich and famous, and in the shadow of New York City, lies an unimposing 840-acre island unidentified on most maps. On the few on which it can be found, Plum Island is marked red or yellow, and stamped U.S. government—restricted or dangerous animal diseases. Though many people live the good life within a scant mile or two from its shores, few know the name of this pork chop-shaped island. Even fewer can say whether it is inhabited, or why it doesn't exist on the map. That's all about to change.

Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government's Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory blows the lid off the stunning true nature and checkered history of Plum Island. It shows that the seemingly bucolic island on the edge of the largest population center in the United States is a ticking biological time bomb that none of us can safely ignore.

Based on innumerable declassified government documents, scores of in-depth interviews, and access to Plum Island itself, this is an eye-opening, suspenseful account of a federal government germ laboratory gone terribly wrong. For the first time, Lab 257 takes you deep inside this secret world and presents startling revelations including virus outbreaks, biological meltdowns, infected workers who were denied assistance in diagnosis by Plum Island brass, the periodic flushing of contaminated raw sewage into area waters, and the insidious connections between Plum Island, Lyme disease, and the deadly 1999 West Nile virus outbreak.

An exploration of the complex world of microbiology, viruses, and bacteria, Lab 257 also shows how the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which ran Plum Island for the last half century, is far more than wholesome grade-A eggs and the food pyramid. The book probes what's in store for Plum Island's new owner, the Department of Homeland Security, in this age of bioterrorism. And for those interested in questions of national security and safety, it is a call to action for those concerned with protecting present and future generations from preventable biological catastrophes.

Lab 257 will change forever our current understanding of Plum Island -- a place that is, in the words of one insider, "a biological Three Mile Island."

Customer Reviews:

Interesting and frightening read.......2007-04-11

I picked up this book on a whim because I love the conspiracy theory-type books about all the shady government projects. As it turns out, this book really disturbed me.

Carroll, an attorney, wrote this book over the course of seven years, during which he requested government documents under the FOIA, conducted interviews with current and former employees of Plum Island, researched the connection to US-harbored Nazi scientists, and the inevitable decline of lab conditions under the new American trend of "privatization". Carroll visited the island himself before his access was pulled; he never states exactly why this happened. The book outlines the creation of the labs, how and why the island location was chosen (prevailing winds blow out to sea rather than inland, or so they said at the time), how it went from the US Army's jurisdiction to the USDA, and from there how the program went into a long, slow decline in standards, safety, and hazards. The chapter on the hurricane was terrifying in itself - you can feel the terror the maintenance workers must have felt knowing how helpless they were to prevent a potential "biological meltdown".

The book brings up some interesting potential connections between the labs on Pulm island and the relatively sudden appearance of Lyme disease and West Nile virus. Even if the research into animal diseases is the absolute truth, you still can't help but feel incredibly suspicious that the highest concentration of both Lyme and West Nile began in and around Connecticut and Long Island - the closest points of civilian population to Plum Island. Couple that with the discussion of bird migration and mosquito infestations, and you're inspired to do further reading on your own to uncover more of the truth - you can't take anything at face value, but any time the US government is involved on this large of a scale, healthy skepticism of government denials is required.

For those who wonder if we aren't already seeing "bioterror" attacks in the form of salmonella and e. coli attacks on our food manufacturing facilities and mad cow disease ravaging British livestock, this book is a must read on the programs that Richard Nixon supposedly ended in 1972.

The U.S. Government exposed...again........2006-12-13

I don't know about most American's, but I for one am fed up with the insane amount of government corruption. Every day there is something new discovered, or admitted by the government that shows how the principle that one's government should benefit them and protect them before anything else is falling apart. Lab 257 exposes the truth about some of the nation's greatest mysteries, including the outbreak of both Lyme disease and the West Nile virus, both unseen in the United States until after Plum Island's research on the substances, both originating in the area immediately surrounding the island. Carroll ultimately allows the reader to draw their own conclusions about the nature of the Biological Time Bomb known as Plum Island, but as for me, it is quite obvious that the American government is not always working for its people. The sad truth, the harsh truth, must be known; reading this book is essentially to destroying the ignorance so prevalent in the mass society we live in, the ignorance towards politics and just what exactly is going on in terms of biological research. The greatest threat to America is not from Islamic terrorists, but from its own government's lack of care for the most dangerous of situations. Plum Island is one startling example of such blatant disregard, and Lab 257 ingeniously exposes the true nature of its past, present, and frightening future.

Worth your time!.......2006-08-08

Quick read that will really make you question your government. While the intentions were good in the beginning..it just goes to show what happens when we get lazy about certain things (security) and start neglecting important details.

This one will have you scratching your head about the intelligence of our government. I only wonder if this would happen in a post 9-11 America.

Hurricane Bob, Hurricane Katrina = Government Keystone Cops.......2006-03-14

Read and become informed of an enemy within, your? government's arrogance coupled with incompetence. But they did stay at a Holiday Inn Express! With leaders like these who needs enemies? Plum Island brings on the West Nile virus, Lyme disease & many more. Yes, the point of origin, Plum Island USA, a biological laboratory doing dangerous germ/bacterial warfare expermintation. Your tax dollars are killing you! Surprize, Surprise! Well researched by an author who lived it for more than 5 years before publishing. The mainsteam press won't touch this! Its simply too true. Off limits for public consumption. You be the judge.

Lab 257.......2006-03-01

Carroll has done his homework - he documents all the chilling incidents in the history of this "lab of terror." His speculations on the origins of Lyme Disease are thought-provoking, too. A good read with a lot of detail.

New Biology for Engineers and Computer Scientists

Average customer rating:

Very good approach to modern biology.

New Biology for Engineers and Computer Scientists
Aydin Tozeren , and Stephen W. Byers
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Biophysics | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Biotechnology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Bioinformatics | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach w/ Student Resources DVD
Essential Mathematical Biology
Rhythms of Life: The Biological Clocks that Control the Daily Lives of Every Living Thing
Modeling and Simulation in Medicine and the Life Sciences
Introduction to Bioengineering

ASIN: 0130664634

Book Description

Taking a system approach to expose modern biology, this book presents the fundamental system principles and parameters common to all living species. The straightforward examination begins with a presentation of molecular cell biology and progresses to the complex interrelationship between genes and proteins as observed in metabolic process, signal transduction, cell division and embryonic development. The book's unique approach provides a depiction of the human genome project, a review of high throughput biology and bioinformatic tools and a presentation of gene circuitry and pathway analysis as applied to cell division, development of embryo and metabolic pathways and expose of emerging proteomic science. The volume presents the chemistry of life, macromolecules of life, cells and their housekeeping functions, gene circuits, genomics, cell adhesion and communication, cell division and its regulation, development of multicellular organisms and large scale biology. For computer scientists, physicists, and engineers.

Customer Reviews:

Very good approach to modern biology........2005-05-19

This book gives a very good overview of cell and molecular biology. The information provided is not complete but enough to get a solid knowledge about biological processes. That means you do not have to read hundreds of papes to come to the point you are interested in. Moreover, it provides you a good knowledge about different types of proteins and their role in biological processes. This is important because somehow they are all connected with each other in a complex way.
The only negative point is, that it is poorly written. I guess this is more the fault of the publisher then of the authors because they accepted it as it is. A new edition would certainly profit by a thorough review. Nevertheless, a very good book one can strongly recommend to non-biologists.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books