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  • She Has Her Mother's Laugh

  • The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity
  • Written by: Carl Zimmer
  • Narrated by: Joe Ochman
  • Length: 20 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (39 ratings)

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She Has Her Mother's Laugh

Written by: Carl Zimmer
Narrated by: Joe Ochman
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Publisher's Summary

2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalist

"Science book of the year"—The Guardian

One of New York Times 100 Notable Books for 2018

One of Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Books of 2018

One of Kirkus's Best Books of 2018 

One of Mental Floss's Best Books of 2018

One of Science Friday's Best Science Books of 2018

“Extraordinary”—New York Times Book Review   

"Magisterial"—The Atlantic

"Engrossing"—Wired

"Leading contender as the most outstanding nonfiction work of the year"—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Celebrated New York Times columnist and science writer Carl Zimmer presents a profoundly original perspective on what we pass along from generation to generation. Charles Darwin played a crucial part in turning heredity into a scientific question, and yet he failed spectacularly to answer it. The birth of genetics in the early 1900s seemed to do precisely that. Gradually, people translated their old notions about heredity into a language of genes. As the technology for studying genes became cheaper, millions of people ordered genetic tests to link themselves to missing parents, to distant ancestors, to ethnic identities...

But, Zimmer writes, “Each of us carries an amalgam of fragments of DNA, stitched together from some of our many ancestors. Each piece has its own ancestry, traveling a different path back through human history. A particular fragment may sometimes be cause for worry, but most of our DNA influences who we are—our appearance, our height, our penchants—in inconceivably subtle ways.” Heredity isn’t just about genes that pass from parent to child. Heredity continues within our own bodies, as a single cell gives rise to trillions of cells that make up our bodies. We say we inherit genes from our ancestors—using a word that once referred to kingdoms and estates—but we inherit other things that matter as much or more to our lives, from microbes to technologies we use to make life more comfortable. We need a new definition of what heredity is and, through Carl Zimmer’s lucid exposition and storytelling, this resounding tour de force delivers it. 

Weaving historical and current scientific research, his own experience with his two daughters, and the kind of original reporting expected of one of the world’s best science journalists, Zimmer ultimately unpacks urgent bioethical quandaries arising from new biomedical technologies, but also long-standing presumptions about who we really are and what we can pass on to future generations.

©2018 Carl Zimmer (P)2018 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

“Extraordinary...This book is Zimmer at his best: obliterating misconceptions about science with gentle prose. He brings the reader on his journey of discovery as he visits laboratory after laboratory, peering at mutant mosquitoes and talking to scientists about traces of Neanderthal ancestry within his own genome. Any fan of his previous books or his journalism will appreciate this work. But so, too, will parents wishing to understand the magnitude of the legacy they’re bequeathing to their children, people who want to grasp their history through genetic ancestry testing and those seeking a fuller context for the discussions about race and genetics so prevalent today.”—The New York Times Book Review

"Zimmer dispels longstanding scientific misconceptions, introduces facts that may surprise you and brings readers on a delightful journey of genetic discovery."—The New York Times, "Paperback Row"

“Magisterial...In Zimmer’s pages, we discover a world minutely threaded with myriad streams of heredity flowing in all directions, in variegated patterns and different registers.”—The Atlantic

What listeners say about She Has Her Mother's Laugh

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good book

I thought it was narrated by a computer at first. He’s a bit odd but you get used to it. There was a lot of information! Overall informative and good.

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Great book

I'm a PhD neuroscientist and I still learned a lot about heredity. Gene drives, microchimerism and the history of epigenetics are fascinating and this books make it compelling.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very interesting. A little to sciencey at times.

Very informative and entertaining. The narrator did a fantastic job. It was a little bit too deep into the science at some points, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book.

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Great Listen

I really enjoyed this listen. I’m not a scientist, and sometimes science books can get dry, but this one kept me engaged the whole way through! Highly recommend.

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  • Koa
  • 2019-07-14

Something everyone should listen to

Engaging and fascinating! It covers such diverse topics while following a cohesive theme. Joe Ochman's reading of it is easy to listen to also.

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