The Genesis Enigma

An acclaimed, paradigm-shifting evolutionary biologist shows how the biblical story of Genesis uncannily reflects recent scientific discoveries-and finds room for divine inspiration within. Consider this: Genesis recounts the story of creation, step-by-step: "Let there be light"; "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; "Let the earth bring forth [vegetation]"; "Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life"; "God created the whales"; "And God created . . . every winged fowl." For thousands of years, Judeo-Christian belief has accepted this progression as truth. And now, thanks to recent scientific discoveries, the scientific community does, too (though without the mention of "God"). In The Genesis Enigma, respected evolutionary biologist Andrew Parker explains each parallel between Genesis and science in detail-and the closer he looks, the more amazing the parallels become. But the Genesis account has no right to be correct. The author or authors could not have known these things happened in this order, and with the highlights science has come to recognize. Ultimately, Parker argues, it must be divine inspiration that guided the writing of the Bible. This startling conclusion will make The Genesis Enigma a must-read for believers and scientists alike.

Globalization is theorized in this book as an emerging new stage of capitalism. Robert Went takes us on a journey from the historical roots of globalization through to its relevance in the modern day. The Enigma of Globalization is a timely addition to an important debate and covers such themes as: * International trade * Free trade and international movement of capital * The role of the world economy This accessible and intriguing book is a must, not only for students and academics working in the field, but will also prove an interesting read for all those with a general interest in the modern global political economy.

'Why is the Bible's creation story written as it is?' The first page of Genesis features no humans at all. The substance of heaven and earth - and Earth's earliest creatures - arise spontaneously at God's command. Light is mentioned twice, once in 'let there be light' and secondly in 'let there be lights . . . to divide the day from night'. Whales appear before birds. Vegetation appears after 'let there be light', but before day is separated from night. Any study of the Bible will show that the rest of the Bible is written with exacting care, through prolonged, meticulous narratives of human adventure. Yet the description of the creation as it appears in the Bible makes no sense. Could it be that the creation story in Genesis was written as it was, complete with its seemingly odd order, because that is in fact the correct order of events at the beginning of the world? Modern science has more than ever before revealed, in stunning detail, how the world and all of the life on it came into being. Does modern science - while agreeing with Darwinian evolution, the big bang theory and the complexity and deep age of the universe - prove the order of events as described in the Bible to be true? In engrossing detail, respected scientist Andrew Parker brings the latest discoveries of science to bear on this controversial and contentious question.

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"Strange hallucinations have plagued PhD student Andie Robertson throughout her life. After years of consulting doctors, she decided the visions were a glitch in her own mind--until her mentor, the famous physicist Dr. James Corwin, is murdered in Italy, and Andie finds a stack of ink drawings in his office that bear a remarkable resemblance to her hallucinations. Shocked, Andie digs deeper and learns that Dr. Corwin developed a device that might shed light on the very nature of reality. She is even more stunned to discover that her mother, an academic who disappeared when Andie was a young girl, might also be involved. Determined to find answers, Andie follows a trail of clues placed by Dr. Corwin, for reasons unknown, in museums and cultural sites around the world, highlighting human achievement as well as a tapestry of secret knowledge woven into the threads of history. Yet Andie is not the only one searching. Powerful forces know of her mentor's invention, including a mysterious elite society that spans borders and will stop at nothing to find the device. Now a target herself, Andie and a disgraced journalist embark on a perilous journey that might hold the key to a new frontier of knowledge--and which also promises to unlock the doors of her past"--

“Brilliant...Timely and necessary.” —Financial Times “Especially timely as we struggle to make sense of how it is that individuals and communities persist in holding beliefs that have been thoroughly discredited.” —Darren Frey, Science If reason is what makes us human, why do we behave so irrationally? And if it is so useful, why didn’t it evolve in other animals? This groundbreaking account of the evolution of reason by two renowned cognitive scientists seeks to solve this double enigma. Reason, they argue, helps us justify our beliefs, convince others, and evaluate arguments. It makes it easier to cooperate and communicate and to live together in groups. Provocative, entertaining, and undeniably relevant, The Enigma of Reason will make many reasonable people rethink their beliefs. “Reasonable-seeming people are often totally irrational. Rarely has this insight seemed more relevant...Still, an essential puzzle remains: How did we come to be this way?...Cognitive scientists Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber [argue that] reason developed not to enable us to solve abstract, logical problems...[but] to resolve the problems posed by living in collaborative groups.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker “Turns reason’s weaknesses into strengths, arguing that its supposed flaws are actually design features that work remarkably well.” —Financial Times “The best thing I have read about human reasoning. It is extremely well written, interesting, and very enjoyable to read.” —Gilbert Harman, Princeton University

' This popular account of the history of ferment takes the reader on a fascinating journey from its obscure origins in medieval medicine and alchemy to the modern concept of the enzyme. During the 19th century, the question of the nature of the ferment led to a long and bitter conflict between those that believed in a vital force peculiar to the living cell and those that looked for a more chemical explanation. The book takes an in-depth look at the events of 1897 when Eduard Buchner demonstrated that cell-free extracts of yeast could catalyze alcoholic fermentation, putting an end to “vitalism” and at the same time earning him a Nobel Prize, the first to be awarded for purely biochemical work. Contents:Alchemy and the Dawn of ChemistryMedicine and Chemistry in the Scientific RevolutionA Golden Age of ChemistryFerment or Vital ForceA Fortuitous ObservationThe Nobel Prize Readership: Academics as well as general readers. Keywords:History of Ferment;Enzyme;Eduard Buchner;Nobel PrizeKey Features:Gives readers a feeling for how events unfolded over the centuries and the often colourful characters that were involvedDetails a series of conflicts between schools of scientists where individuals stand out as interesting personalitiesReviews:“Lagerkvist has written a concise but highly informative and lucid history of the emergence of chemistry … For present-day scholars and students interested in the evolutionary emergence of modern biological sciences and medicine, The Enigma of Ferment is a highly recommended read.”Paul Berg Cahill Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus Stanford University School of Medicine, USA Nobel Laureate “Ulf Lagerkvist has written a book which is both fascinating and easy to read. I can recommend it to everyone who wants a historical perspective on today's medical and biological sciences.”Torvard C Laurent University of Uppsala, Sweden “In this elegant text … the close connection between medicine and chemistry over time is richly exemplified. With his great sense for details, Lagerkvist cleverly illustrates the contributions of a great number of colorful characters. This book is a very entertaining journey through the centuries for all readers.”Lars Thelander Umea University, Sweden “Lagerkvist is a great storyteller without compromising any of the accuracy of his stories. His latest book can be recommended to the layman as much as to the researcher interested in the background and history of our life sciences.”Istvan Hargittai Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary “Lagerkvist, who has had access to the recently released information and documents in the Swedish Academy on the deliberations preceding Buchner's well-deserved prize, provides an entertaining and scholarly description of the disagreements and intrigues associated with this particular award. In summary, an excellent and entertaining read for anyone with an interest in the starting points of modern life sciences.”Dr Tomas Lindahl London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK “This is a story to whet the appetite of young minds for intellectual history, science, or medical research, and to satisfy those more mature minds desirous of a refreshing look at how man came to develop modern concepts of biomedicine.”Jacques R Fresco Princeton University, USA '

An examination of some enigmatic passages and episodes in the gospels.