Blackburn

The story of molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn and her groundbreaking research on telomeres and what it reveals about the resourceful opportunism that characterizes the best scientific thinking. Molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn—one of Time magazine's 100 “Most Influential People in the World” in 2007—made headlines in 2004 when she was dismissed from the President's Council on Bioethics after objecting to the council's call for a moratorium on stem cell research and protesting the suppression of relevant scientific evidence in its final report. But it is Blackburn's groundbreaking work on telomeric DNA, which launched the field of telomere research, that will have the more profound and long-lasting effect on science and society. In this compelling biography, Catherine Brady tells the story of Elizabeth Blackburn's life and work and the emergence of a new field of scientific research on the specialized ends of chromosomes and the enzyme, telomerase, that extends them. In the early stages of telomere research, telomerase, heralded as a potential cure for cancer and diseases related to aging, attracted the voracious interest of biotech companies. The surrounding hype succeeded in confusing the role of telemorase in extending the life of a cell with a mechanism that might extend the lifespan of an entire organism. In Brady's hands, Blackburn's story reveals much about the tension between pure and applied science, the politicking that makes research science such a competitive field, and the resourceful opportunism that characterizes the best scientific thinking. Brady describes the science accessibly and compellingly. She explores Blackburn's struggle to break down barriers in an elite, male-dominated profession, her role as a mentor to other women scientists (many of whom have made their mark in telomere research), and the collaborative nature of scientific work. This book gives us a vivid portrait of an exceptional woman and a new understanding of the combination of curiosity, imaginative speculation, and aesthetic delight that powers scientific discovery.

"Jimmy Blackburn grows up in the Midwest believing the things that adults tell him. He questions his teachers and they lie to him. He questions his parents and his father beats him. He questions the world and it hurts him. And so Jimmy Blackburn becomes a killer. In this novel we meet many of Blackburn's twenty-one victims. They include law enforcers, writers, adulterers, auto mechanics, and other liars. This is an exceptional novel, at once riotously funny and searingly potent: a vision of America through the eyes of the central bogeyman of our culture."--Publisher.

Dr. Ivy Collins, founder and CEO of Hedera, Inc., is ready to begin clinical trials of her company's cutting-edge prosthetic. Her work has been heralded by government, medical, and advocacy groups and everyone hopes the device will be a success. Well, almost everyone. Someone is trying to sabotage Hedera and the launch, but to what purpose--and how far will they go to get what they want? Meanwhile, U.S. Secret Service Agent Gil Dixon can't believe he's finally been reunited with Ivy, his childhood best friend. Now that he's found her again, Gil intends to spend the rest of his life with her. But it will take all his skill to uncover the truth in time to save Ivy's life's work, her own life, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire. Perfectly balancing chilling suspense and uplifting romance, award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn delivers a story of revenge, greed, and overcoming that you won't want to put down no matter how late it gets. *** "Malicious Intent has an addictive plot that delves into the dangerous underworld of digital crime, and the protagonists' chemistry, brewed during a lifetime of friendship and romantic longing, positively sizzles."--Booklist

Summary, Analysis & Review of Elizabeth Blackburn’s and Elissa Epel’s The Telomere Effect by Instaread Preview: The Telomere Effect by Elizabeth Blackburn and Elissa Epel describes advances in the field of gerontology and presents practical information on how to apply scientifically based guidance to daily life. An indicator of health and longevity is the condition of a person’s telomeres, which are protective DNA that exists as cap-like structures at the end of each chromosome. Telomeres have the capacity to accelerate or decelerate the aging process because of their critical role in cellular health. It’s critical to understand how they function within the body and how they respond, for better or worse, to variables including diet, sleep hygiene, exercise, stress, emotions, and environmental toxin exposure. Although some people like to believe that aging is entirely predestined by genetics, science has proven otherwise. Numerous studies have shown that a shift in lifestyle can radically alter the length of people’s “healthspan,” or the period in which they enjoy robust health… PLEASE NOTE: This is a Summary, Analysis & Review of the book and NOT the original book. Inside this Summary, Analysis & Review of Elizabeth Blackburn’s and Elissa Epel’s The Telomere Effect by Instaread: · Overview of the Book · Important People · Key Takeaways · Analysis of Key Takeaways About the Author With Instaread, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience. Visit our website at instaread.co.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 We all have the fear that the world we live in is a dream, and that the things we take for granted are actually fantasies. But how do we know that the world as we take it to be, is the world as it is. #2 The problems of the self, mortality, knowledge, and the nature of the world are all raised in the oldest philosophical texts. The generation before Descartes included the French essayist Montaigne, whose motto was the title of one of his great essays: Que sais-je. #3 There are six Meditations in the first part of the book. In the first, Descartes introduces the method of doubt. He resolves that if he is to establish anything in the sciences that is stable and likely to last, he must demolish all his ordinary opinions and start from the foundations. #4 Descartes realized that his understanding of himself was not based on knowledge of his embodied existence. He realized that a conception of oneself as an embodied thing living in an extended spatial world of physical objects will inevitably come back. The I he is left with is pretty thin: this puzzling I that cannot be pictured in the imagination.