Unique: The New Science of Human Individuality

Author:   David J. Linden
Publisher:   Basic Books
ISBN:  

9781541698888


Pages:   336
Publication Date:   05 November 2020
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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Unique: The New Science of Human Individuality


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Overview

As a scientist, David Linden had devoted his career to understanding the brain processes and behaviors that are common to us all. That is, until a few years ago, when he found himself on OKCupid. Looking through that vast catalog of human difference, he got to thinking, where does it all come from? Why does one person have perfect pitch, a taste for hoppy beer, and an aversion to bathroom selfies? That is, what makes you, you, and me, me? In Unique, David Linden tells a riveting and accessible story of human individuality. Exploring topics that touch all of our lives-among them sexuality, gender identity, food preferences, biological rhythms, mood, personality, memory, and intelligence-Linden shows that human individuality is not simply a matter of nature versus nurture. Rather, it is a product of the complex, and often counterintuitive, interplay between our genetic blueprints and our experiences. Experience isn't just the how your parents reared you, but the diseases you have had, the foods you have eaten, the bacteria that reside in your body, the weather during your early development, and the technology you've been exposed to. Drawing all those factors together, Linden argues that human individuality is key to how we live as individuals and groups and explores how questions of individuality are informing social discussions of morality, public policy, religion, healthcare, education, and law. Like Carl Zimmer's She Has Her Mother's Laugh and Robert Sapolsky's Behave, Unique unveils a new vista on the intricacies of human existence. But, for all its brilliance and insight, this is no weighty academic tome. Told with Linden's unusual combination of authority and openness, seriousness of purpose and a great sense of humor, Unique sets a new standard for what popular science can be.

Full Product Details

Author:   David J. Linden
Publisher:   Basic Books
Imprint:   Basic Books
Dimensions:   Width: 15.80cm , Height: 3.20cm , Length: 24.20cm
Weight:   0.540kg
ISBN:  

9781541698888


ISBN 10:   1541698886
Pages:   336
Publication Date:   05 November 2020
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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Reviews

A master at explaining tricky concepts, David Linden has pulled together impressive strands of radical research from genetics to sexuality to our food selection, peppered with amusing anecdotes. We may know who we are, but we should be more conscious of judging others. This book will provoke a fruitful debate. --Gyoergy Buzsaki, author of The Brain from Inside Out


A master at explaining tricky concepts, David Linden has pulled together impressive strands of radical research from genetics to sexuality to our food selection, peppered with amusing anecdotes. We may know who we are, but we should be more conscious of judging others. This book will provoke a fruitful debate. --Gyoergy Buzsaki, author of The Brain from Inside Out I'm not average, and neither are you. In a fascinating new book, Linden explains how we become our individual selves -- leaving behind the stale concept of 'nature versus nurture' to reveal a recipe based on a broad range of experiences and predispositions, spiced with a dash of just plain luck. Informative and fun to read! --Sandra Aamodt, author of Welcome to Your Brain Bucking the currents of predetermination arising from personal genomics and biomarkers, David Linden examines the most fascinating aspect of biology -- everyone is different. Read Linden's book to learn how and why we are all unique. --R. Douglas Fields, author of Electric Brain A sturdy, scientifically grounded, and anecdotally engaging study of the factors that shape us. --Kirkus Linden takes us on a colorful journey through our dreams, memories, and senses, exploring how social experience and genes interact to shape each of us as individual human beings. Along the way he combines personal stories, real world analogies, current scientific research, and his own insights to confront the challenging topics of race, sex, gender, and intelligence. A thoughtful, fresh and enjoyable look at ourselves. --Robin Lester, professor of neurobiology at University of Alabama at Birmingham Linden neither falters nor apologizes. . . . That's the kind of clarity we need more of in popular science books like this. --New York Times Book Review


A master at explaining tricky concepts, David Linden has pulled together impressive strands of radical research from genetics to sexuality to our food selection, peppered with amusing anecdotes. We may know who we are, but we should be more conscious of judging others. This book will provoke a fruitful debate. --Gyoergy Buzsaki, author of The Brain from Inside Out I'm not average, and neither are you. In a fascinating new book, Linden explains how we become our individual selves -- leaving behind the stale concept of 'nature versus nurture' to reveal a recipe based on a broad range of experiences and predispositions, spiced with a dash of just plain luck. Informative and fun to read! --Sandra Aamodt, author of Welcome to Your Brain Bucking the currents of predetermination arising from personal genomics and biomarkers, David Linden examines the most fascinating aspect of biology -- everyone is different. Read Linden's book to learn how and why we are all unique. --R. Douglas Fields, author of Electric Brain A sturdy, scientifically grounded, and anecdotally engaging study of the factors that shape us. --Kirkus Linden takes us on a colorful journey through our dreams, memories, and senses, exploring how social experience and genes interact to shape each of us as individual human beings. Along the way he combines personal stories, real world analogies, current scientific research, and his own insights to confront the challenging topics of race, sex, gender, and intelligence. A thoughtful, fresh and enjoyable look at ourselves.--Robin Lester, Professor of Neurobiology at University of Alabama at Birmingham


Author Information

David J. Linden is a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where his lab studies memory storage and recovery of function after brain injury. He is the author of three previous books: Touch, The Accidental Mind, and The Compass of Pleasure. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

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