Summary of Sara Manning Peskin's A Molecule Away from Madness

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 DNA had a lackluster start in the scientific world. It was only discovered in 1944, by Dr. Oswald Avery, who was a nearly retired Canadian bacteriologist with a wide forehead and a narrow chin. He was a drably dressed creature of habit.
#2 Avery’s experiment proved that DNA was the long-sought-after molecule that conferred hereditary traits. With only four nucleotides to use as building blocks, it is no wonder Miescher doubted that DNA could be the molecule of heredity.
#3 The sequence of human DNA is nearly three billion nucleotides long. We can withstand a surprising number of mutations without experiencing any harm. But sometimes, in particularly important parts of our DNA, even a change in a single nucleotide can be lethal.
#4 Amelia had long convinced herself that the test results would be bad news. She had seen her life as a series of blunders and near catastrophes. Her parents had divorced when she was three years old, and her mother had struggled to keep low-paying jobs.

Sujets

• Neuroscience
• Life science

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 24 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669359203
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Sara Manning Peskin's A Molecule Away From Madness
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

DNA had a lackluster start in the scientific world. It was only discovered in 1944, by Dr. Oswald Avery, who was a nearly retired Canadian bacteriologist with a wide forehead and a narrow chin. He was a drably dressed creature of habit.

#2

Avery’s experiment proved that DNA was the long-sought-after molecule that conferred hereditary traits. With only four nucleotides to use as building blocks, it is no wonder Miescher doubted that DNA could be the molecule of heredity.

#3

The sequence of human DNA is nearly three billion nucleotides long. We can withstand a surprising number of mutations without experiencing any harm. But sometimes, in particularly important parts of our DNA, even a change in a single nucleotide can be lethal.

#4

Amelia had long convinced herself that the test results would be bad news. She had seen her life as a series of blunders and near catastrophes. Her parents had divorced when she was three years old, and her mother had struggled to keep low-paying jobs.

#5

When she was twelve, Amelia’s mother and father were evicted from their home after the landlord stopped paying their rent. They moved into a motel, and Amelia began wondering how long they would have a place to stay.

#6

When social workers arrived at the motel, Amelia’s mother exploded with maternal ferocity. She pleaded to keep her daughter at home, but the social workers were unable to accommodate her request. Amelia spent the next year living in a homeless shelter for children.

#7

Amelia’s mother died in 2017, and she arranged for her mother’s cremation. She wanted to know if she had inherited her mother’s genetic mutation. If she had, she would prepare her mind and her muscles to be the strongest they could be when the disease eventually took over.

#8

In the late 20th century, the field of molecular genetics stalled. Researchers had known for decades that DNA dictated hereditary traits, but they couldn’t figure out which genes caused what diseases. In 1968, a young woman named Nancy Wexler decided to find a cure for Huntington’s disease.

#9

The scientists were able to find the DNA ar