Matt Ridley Livres

Qui sommes-nous ? D'où venons-nous ? Où allons-nous ? Pour comprendre les véritables conséquences de la plus importante découverte scientifique du nouveau siècle, lisez Matt Ridley. Le génome humain contient sa propre autobiographie - l'histoire, écrite dans la langue des gènes, de toutes les vicissitudes et inventions qui ont marqué notre évolution. Certains gènes n'ont guère changé depuis la nuit des temps. Certains se sont développés quand nous étions de simples vers. D'autres quand nous étions des poissons. Certains existent sous leur forme actuelle en raison d'épidémies récentes. D'autres enfin permettent d'écrire l'histoire des migrations humaines... Le génome est comme un journal intime : il contient la trace écrite de chaque événement important. Une visite guidée en vingt-trois chapitres - un par paire de chromosomes - des plus beaux sites touristiques de notre génome. Nous avons une chance inouïe : nous sommes les premiers à pouvoir lire le livre de la vie. Et cela bouleverse déjà ce que nous savons de nos origines, de notre évolution, de notre nature et de notre esprit. Une révolution s'annonce : l'anthropologie, la psychologie, la médecine, la paléontologie et pratiquement toutes les autres disciplines ne seront plus jamais les mêmes.

The bestselling author of "Genome" chronicles a new revolution in the world'sunderstanding of genes.

The biography delves into the life of Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA's double helix structure, showcasing his journey from a mundane upbringing in the English Midlands to a groundbreaking career in biology. Author Matt Ridley highlights Crick's initial struggles, including a lackluster education and a stint designing magnetic mines for the Royal Navy, before his transformative leap into the scientific world at age 31. This portrayal offers a rich and detailed insight into Crick's life, surpassing previous accounts.

The book explores the evolution of human society, emphasizing that changes in technology, language, and morality occur gradually and through trial and error, akin to natural selection. It highlights that societal development is a collective outcome of countless interactions rather than the result of intentional designs by a select few. This perspective underscores the complexity of human progress as an organic process shaped by the actions of many individuals over time.

A new virus emerged in 2019, causing unprecedented chaos and raising urgent questions about its origins. As the pandemic unfolded, initial hopes of quickly identifying how SARS-CoV-2 first infected humans faded. Nearly two years in, the mystery remains unresolved and increasingly complex. In this insightful exploration, a scientist and a writer collaborate to uncover how a virus, closely related to those found in bats in subtropical southern China, began spreading in Wuhan, over 1,500 kilometers away. They confront the perplexing absence of expected signs of an outbreak: no infected animals in markets, no early cases among travelers, no rural epidemics, and no rapid adaptation of the virus to humans. To unravel this pressing enigma, the narrative delves into the events from 2019 to 2021, examining animal markets, virology labs, and hidden records in Chinese theses and websites, as well as clues embedded in the virus's genetic code. The result is a captivating detective story that leads readers deeper into a metaphorical cave of mystery. The authors investigate various promising leads, only to find blind alleys, until they finally approach a shaft that hints at the truth.

The "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Genome" and "The Red Queen" offers a provocative case for an economics of hope, arguing that the benefits of commerce, technology, innovation, and change--cultural evolution--will inevitably increase human prosperity.

By integrating insights from geneticists, psychologists, and anthropologists, this book challenges conventional beliefs about interpersonal relationships. It explores how advancements in fields like computer programming, microbiology, and economics reshape our understanding of connections in various roles, such as parents and trade partners. The author invites readers to reconsider their everyday assumptions and the underlying motivations that drive human interactions.

The book offers an insightful exploration of the interplay between genetics and personal experiences, blending intelligence with charm and wit. It presents a balanced examination of contemporary perspectives on how our genetic makeup interacts with our life experiences, providing a thought-provoking narrative that engages readers in understanding the complexities of human identity.

Following his acclaimed previous work, the author presents a profound exploration of human behavior's roots. The narrative delves into the intricate question of identity, sparked by the revelation that the human genome comprises only 30,000 genes, significantly fewer than previously thought. This led some to argue that behavior is shaped entirely by nurture rather than nature. However, the author contends that the reality is more nuanced: nurture relies on genetics, and genetics require nurturing. Genes not only shape the brain's structure but also interact with experiences, respond to social cues, and influence memory. They serve as both causes and consequences in the tapestry of human behavior. This work, published fifty years after the discovery of DNA's double helix, chronicles a transformative shift in our understanding of genetics. The author navigates the century-long debate between nature and nurture, illustrating how humans embody a complex interplay of free will, instinct, and cultural influences. This engaging account sheds light on how genes construct brains capable of absorbing experiences, offering a fresh perspective on the age-old nature-nurture dichotomy.

Referring to Lewis Carroll's Red Queen from Through the Looking-Glass, a character who has to keep running to stay in the same place, Matt Ridley demonstrates why sex is humanity's best strategy for outwitting its constantly mutating internal predators. The Red Queen answers dozens of other riddles of human nature and culture -- including why men propose marriage, the method behind our maddening notions of beauty, and the disquieting fact that a woman is more likely to conceive a child by an adulterous lover than by her husband. Brilliantly written, The Red Queen offers an extraordinary new way of interpreting the human condition and how it has evolved.