
The Violinist's Thumb
And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code
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Narrated by:
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Henry Leyva
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By:
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Sam Kean
About this listen
From New York Times best-selling author Sam Kean come more incredible stories of science, history, language, and music, as told by our own DNA.
In The Disappearing Spoon, best-selling author Sam Kean unlocked the mysteries of the periodic table. In The Violinist's Thumb, he explores the wonders of the magical building block of life: DNA.
There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, why other people have no fingerprints, and why some people survive nuclear bombs. Genes illuminate everything from JFK's bronze skin (it wasn't a tan) to Einstein's genius. They prove that Neanderthals and humans bred thousands of years more recently than any of us would feel comfortable thinking. They can even allow some people, because of the exceptional flexibility of their thumbs and fingers, to become truly singular violinists.
Kean's vibrant storytelling once again makes science entertaining, explaining human history and whimsy while showing how DNA will influence our species' future.
©2012 Sam Kean; 2012 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, greed, betrayal, and obsession. The fascinating tales in The Disappearing Spoon follow elements on the table as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.
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Great stories for science lovers!
- By Emmilie on 09-22-20
By: Sam Kean
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Napoleon's Buttons
- 17 Molecules That Changed History
- By: Penny Le Couteur, Jay Burreson
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Napoleon's Buttons is the fascinating account of 17 groups of molecules that have greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration, and made possible the voyages of discovery that ensued. The molecules resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine and law; they determined what we now eat, drink, and wear. A change as small as the position of an atom can lead to enormous alterations in the properties of a substance.
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Wish one of the authors would have read this book
- By A.J. on 03-09-12
By: Penny Le Couteur, and others
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The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
- The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
- By: Richard P. Feynman
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a magnificent treasury of the best short works of Richard P. Feynman, from interviews and speeches to lectures and printed articles. A sweeping, wide-ranging collection, it presents an intimate and fascinating view of a life in science - a life like no other. From his ruminations on science in our culture to his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, this book will delight anyone interested in the world of ideas.
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Interesting, but material is covered in better book.
- By Erlend on 04-06-16
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City of Stairs
- By: Robert Jackson Bennett
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions - until its divine protectors were killed. Now Bulikov has become just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power, but the surreal landscape of the city itself - first shaped, now shattered, by the thousands of miracles its guardians once worked upon it - stands as a constant, haunting reminder of its former supremacy. Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani.
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Something Different
- By Scott S. on 10-17-14
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All That Remains
- A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes
- By: Sue Black
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Dame Sue Black is an internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and human anatomist. She has lived her life eye to eye with the Grim Reaper, and she writes vividly about it in this book, which is part primer on the basics of identifying human remains, part frank memoir of a woman whose first paying job as a schoolgirl was to apprentice in a butcher shop, and part no-nonsense but deeply humane introduction to the reality of death in our lives. It is a treat for CSI junkies, murder mystery and thriller fans, and anyone seeking a clear-eyed guide to a subject that touches us all.
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I wanted a science book about forensics. I got a mostly-memoir instead.
- By A Customer on 11-29-19
By: Sue Black
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Quackery
- A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything
- By: Lydia Kang, Nate Pedersen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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What won't we try in our quest for perfect health, beauty, and the fountain of youth? Well, just imagine a time when doctors prescribed morphine for crying infants. When liquefied gold was touted as immortality in a glass. And when strychnine - yes, that strychnine, the one used in rat poison - was dosed like Viagra. Looking back with fascination, horror, and not a little dash of dark, knowing humor, Quackery recounts the lively, at times unbelievable, history of medical misfires and malpractices.
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Computer-generated Narrator. Dated Humour.
- By Nemo on 12-28-18
By: Lydia Kang, and others
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I Contain Multitudes
- The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life
- By: Ed Yong
- Narrated by: Charlie Anson
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Joining the ranks of popular science classics like The Botany of Desire and The Selfish Gene, a groundbreaking, wondrously informative, and vastly entertaining examination of the most significant revolution in biology since Darwin - a "microbe's-eye view" of the world that reveals a marvelous, radically reconceived picture of life on Earth.
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Undoes what you've learned from the headlines
- By Tristan on 10-14-16
By: Ed Yong
Great book, but I really need the visuals
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Where does The Violinist's Thumb rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This book's included contents is very good with the exception that it is abridged as the notes for this book were rather informative and their excise was a great loss.Who was your favorite character and why?
Paul KammererWhich scene was your favorite?
EpigeneticsWas this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Too long for that, but yeah, it'd have been nice.Any additional comments?
I never had time to read the notes so I feel I missed something.No option to hear the notes
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Not what I expected
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So many things are discussed from why some people can survive atomic bombs to why there are hoarding cat people. The politics and infighting stories of the human genomes projects is as thrilling as any world history debates and wars. There are scientific studies of people from the past---what was the real truth about JFK's health; why was King George so crazy; and why were the Egyptian Pharos so misshapen. Perhaps one of the most interesting proven theories for me was Ziff's Law: the most common word in any language is used twice as much as the next most common word in that language in any book. The most common word is then used three times as much as the third most popular word, etc, until the least most common word.
This discussion of genetic make-up is not out to prove any particular point. Everything is discussed and the final conclusion remains that all living things are a combinations of multiple bits and pieces that makes everything unique and similar. Surely science will continue with this troublesome and fascination exploration for years to come. One big hope is to help cure and prevent devastating diseases.
Though I am not necessarily a non-fiction book reader for pleasure, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Were that all learning was this easy and entertaining!!! Now on to his first book on the chemical elements---THE DISAPPEARING SPOON. I hope Sam Kean has more books like this in his future!!
VERY INTERESTING non-fiction book on genes and DNA
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Would you consider the audio edition of The Violinist's Thumb to be better than the print version?
No, I like print better than audio but I can listen to audio while driving.What was one of the most memorable moments of The Violinist's Thumb?
The section on art and mutationsHave you listened to any of Henry Leyva’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
fineWas there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
noAmazing Book
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I deeply appreciate the combination of scientific data consideration with the equally relevant social & political contexts that Sam’s books weave.
And the narration by Henry Leung is equally superb - especially considering the sometimes quite technical nature of the content.
Henry’s style is always enjoyable and always on point.
Thank you Sam Keen and Henry Leyva :)
Yet another intellectually valuable & emotionally entertaining g book from Sam Keen!
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well written, but not quite understandable
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The story was very interesting and full of bits of information and anecdotes and stories I didn't already know. I enjoyed Kean's last book, The Disappearing Spoon, and this one is at least as good. I've read a reasonably good amount of popular science books on heredity and biology, but this one was fresh and accessible with a wealth of fascinating information.
Good narration. I highly recommend it. And I wan't to read more like this.
Highly recommended
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**I’m now listening to the 4th book, Caesars Last Breath, and find it to be more accessible. Like the others, it is well written and I am enjoying it.
Over my head
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Just as he did with Disappearing Spoon, Kean brought a fresh perspective to an ordinary subject. Among my favorite aspects of this book were:
- The names fruit fly scientists gave various genes, on example being the Cleopatra gene that, when mutated, kills other flies when it interacts with a gene named Asp.
- Machiavellian microbes that turn humans into cat hoarders and ants into big berry-like creatures birds want to eat, all so microbes can make it into the guts of animals and mate.
- Wonderful history of Barbara McClintock
- How the human placenta came to be, how fetuses are really parasites, and how viruses are brilliant.
-Einstein's brain
- Painting chimps
- Women who lust after rock (or violin) stars
- And how genes proved and disproved myths of days gone by
Great read!
Fresh perspective
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