S. Donner
- 4
- reviews
- 3
- helpful votes
- 28
- ratings
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Understanding Genetics: DNA, Genes, and Their Real-World Applications
- By: David Sadava, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David Sadava
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,078
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 948
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 948
We use DNA routinely - to cure diseases, solve crimes, and reunite families. Yet we've known about it for only 60 years. And what we're continuing to learn about it every day has the potential to transform our health, our nutrition, our society, and our future. But what, exactly is DNA, the self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms?
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5 out of 5 stars
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“ The DNA double helix, discovered in 1953, is...
- By Kristi R. on 12-31-14
Great intro but now incomplete without CRISPR
Reviewed: 05-08-17
Great intro into DNA and genetics and would have garnered 5 stars if it weren't CRISPR which has completely changed the game for genetic modification. This series is now incomplete and needs to be updated with a CRISPR section (or two).
Still highly recommended for those that are wanting to learn about DNA and genes.
Anecdotal story time: I had a conversation not long ago with a woman who happened to be a fertility doctors and based on the info I learned solely from this series I was able to hold a fairly technical conversation to the point she was sure I was a biologist of some sort.
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Einstein's Intuition: Visualizing Nature in Eleven Dimensions
- By: Thad Roberts
- Narrated by: Jonathan Farkasofsky
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 66
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Story4 out of 5 stars 66
Roberts' model, called quantum space theory, has been praised for how it offers an intuitively accessible picture of 11 dimensions and for powerfully extending the insight of general relativity, eloquently translating the four forces into unique kinds of geometric distortions while offering us access to the underlying deterministic dynamics that give rise to quantum mechanics. That remarkably simple picture explains the mysteries of modern physics in a way that's fully commensurate with Einstein's Intuition.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Ether 2.0 plus Fractals
- By Michael on 12-19-15
A glimpse of the Theory of Everything
Reviewed: 05-16-16
This book is extremely thought provoking and provides a path to the ultimate theory of everything. There are a few things I don't agree with. For example Thad believes that there is no such thing as true randomness and thus everything is determined. He also believes that every universe in the fractal ladder is playing out the same events just at different spots in the timeline; that would only be true if every universe's Big Bang had the same initial condition and I believe he fails to show that to be the case.
The fact that Thad was able to define the 20 some-odd constants of nature using only the geometry of space pinpoints the fact that there is more to this QST theory than conjecture.
I deducted a full star for two reasons. 1) I would have liked more detail and insight on worm holes, quantum tunneling, dark matter and dark energy. 2) There were too many non-sequiturs in this book. For example a whole chapter on religion and how it has stymied scientific progress. I get where Thad is coming from since his QST is "out there" and not yet gaining the traction it deserves but these ad-homonyms only detract from his theory and add no real value to the reader, it serves mostly as a catharsis for Thad.
Overall a must read for anybody who has an ontological yearning for the origin of the universe and all of creation.
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2 people found this helpful
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The Black Hole War
- My Battle to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics
- By: Leonard Susskind
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,099
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 747
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 742
What happens when something is sucked into a black hole? Does it disappear? Three decades ago, a young physicist named Stephen Hawking claimed that it did - and in doing so, put at risk everything we know about the fundamental laws of the universe. Leonard Susskind and Gerard 't Hooft realized the threat and responded with a counterattack that changed the course of physics.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Good, yet disappointing
- By Dixon on 07-22-08
- The Black Hole War
- My Battle to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics
- By: Leonard Susskind
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
Thought provoking but can be hard to grok at times
Reviewed: 02-13-15
Great performance, I love listening to books by this narrator.
The book is very thought provoking and provides some very interesting concepts but even to the authors own admission, much of this is untestable and approaches the realm of philosophy
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1 person found this helpful
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The Fabric of the Cosmos
- Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,069
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,123
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,115
Space and time form the very fabric of the cosmos. Yet they remain among the most mysterious of concepts. Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Could the universe exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past?
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4 out of 5 stars
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Lucid, Revealing, Thorough
- By Matthew on 02-23-04
- The Fabric of the Cosmos
- Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
Mind blown but not for the laymen.
Reviewed: 01-14-15
Be prepared to have your mind blown. This book definitely is not for the laymen, you need to have some sort of physics or engineering background or otherwise it is easy to get lost. If you can follow it, as much as anybody can follow string theory, then it's a great read.
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