17 Of The Best Science Books Of All Time For Nonfiction Fans

50 of The Best Science Books - 2022 - 2022 The Planets

The 100 Best Science Books of All Time - Listmuse.com

The Best Science Books | 100 Popular Science Books | OEDb.org

A Brief History of Time

Breve Historia del Tiempo

Cosmos

And Other Clinical Tales

Y otros cuentos clínicos

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat

El hombre que confundió a su mujer con un sombrero

Silent Spring

Primavera Silenciosa

Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

Super Cuerdas, Dimensiones Ocultas y la Búsqueda de la Teoría Definitiva

The Elegant Universe

El Universo Elegante

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Pensando, rápido y lento

The Selfish Gene

El Gen Egoísta

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Una Breve Historia de Casi Todo

A Biography of Cancer

Una Biografía del Cáncer

The Emperor of All Maladies

El Emperador de Todas las Enfermedades

An Intimate History

Una Historia Íntima

The Gene

El Gen

The Origin of Species

El Origen de las Especies

A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Un economista rebelde explora el lado oculto de todo

Freakonomics

The Making of the Atomic Bomb

La Creación de la Bomba Atómica

In 1951, a woman of African American descent, Henrietta Lacks, found herself diagnosed with an aggressive form of cervical cancer. The chief gynecologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, keen on studying this disease, had reached out to George Gey, the leader of tissue culture at the hospital, with a request for both healthy and cancerous cell tissue cultures. As part of this, Henrietta's tissue samples were taken. Henrietta's cancer cells labeled HeLa, surprisingly, survived against all odds in the laboratory. While Henrietta battled her disease and eventually passed away, leaving behind her family, her cells continued to live, unbeknownst to her family. It was only in 1973, when a family friend who happened to be a researcher mentioned his work with HeLa cells, that her family found out that part of Henrietta was still alive.

George Gey's cultivation of HeLa cells paved the way for revolutionary research on diseases and genetics, and the development of new medical treatments and vaccines. Gey generously shared HeLa cell samples with any researcher who needed them. Eventually, for-profit labs began to mass-produce HeLa cells to cater to the research demands. However, due to their rapid growth, HeLa cells could contaminate other cell cultures. This led to geneticists devising ways to identify genetic markers within HeLa cells to distinguish them from the rest. Amidst all this, Henrietta's children were asked for blood samples, without adequate explanation, leading Henrietta's daughter Deborah to believe she was being screened for cancer.

The story of the "immortal" cell culture and the unknown woman behind it started making waves in media, leading to a mix-up with Henrietta's name, which was widely reported as Helen Lane. The truth was eventually uncovered by Michael Rogers, a journalist from Rolling Stone, who contacted the Lacks family. The family was shocked to learn that Henrietta's cells were being profited from by others, which sparked memories of unethical practices by white doctors on black patients. The family continued to be approached by journalists, which included a BBC documentary team in 1996, and had an unfortunate encounter with a conman posing as a lawyer. Henrietta's daughter Deborah hoped that the documentary would shed light on her mother's story and also help her understand her mother better. The family's journey took many more twists and turns, culminating in a visit to the lab at Johns Hopkins where Henrietta's cells were kept, and the shocking revelation about the abuse suffered by Henrietta's other daughter, Elsie, at a mental institution. Despite the emotional toll, Deborah remained determined to learn and understand more about her mother's life and her contribution to science.


The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

La Vida Inmortal de Henrietta Lacks

Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher

Conceptos Esenciales de Física Explicados por su Profesor Más Brillante

Six Easy Pieces

Seis Piezas Fáciles

50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

50 Pioneras Impertérritas que Cambiaron el Mundo

Women in Science

Mujeres en Ciencia

The Best Books for the Science Lover | Penguin Random House

The Quest for a Theory of Everything

La Búsqueda de una Teoría del Todo

The God Equation

La Ecuación de Dios

Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Respuestas breves a las grandes preguntas

Making a New Science

Creando una Nueva Ciencia

Chaos

Caos

The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History

El Esquisto de Burgess y la Naturaleza de la Historia

Wonderful Life

Vida Maravillosa

Notes of a Biology Watcher

Notas de un Observador de Biología

The Lives of a Cell

Las Vidas de una Célula

21 Best Science Books of All Time

A Brief History of Time

Cosmos

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat

And Other Clinical Tales

Silent Spring

The Elegant Universe

Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

Thinking, Fast and Slow

The Selfish Gene

A Short History of Nearly Everything

The Emperor of All Maladies

A Biography of Cancer

The Gene

An Intimate History

The Origin of Species

Freakonomics

A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

The Making of the Atomic Bomb

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Six Easy Pieces

Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher

Women in Science

50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

The God Equation

The Quest for a Theory of Everything

Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Chaos

Making a New Science

Wonderful Life

The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History

The Lives of a Cell

Notes of a Biology Watcher

Sources

What To Read Next

21 Best Science Books of All Time

A Brief History of Time

Cosmos

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat

And Other Clinical Tales

Silent Spring

The Elegant Universe

Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

Thinking, Fast and Slow

The Selfish Gene

A Short History of Nearly Everything

The Emperor of All Maladies

A Biography of Cancer

The Gene

An Intimate History

The Origin of Species

Freakonomics

A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

The Making of the Atomic Bomb

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Six Easy Pieces

Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher

Women in Science

50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

The God Equation

The Quest for a Theory of Everything

Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Chaos

Making a New Science

Wonderful Life

The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History

The Lives of a Cell

Notes of a Biology Watcher

Sources

What To Read Next

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