Sam Kean
Books by Sam Kean
The Disappearing Spoon
And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
by Sam Kean
- Paperback, 9 pages
The Violinist's Thumb
And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, As Written by Our Genetic Code
by Sam Kean
- Hardcover, 400 pages
Sam Kean has written books about:
NPR stories about Sam Kean
Krulwich Wonders...
How Human Beings Almost Vanished From Earth In 70,000 B.C.
By some counts of human history, the number of humans on Earth may have skidded so sharply that we were down to just 1,000 reproductive adults. And a supervolcano might have been to blame.
Krulwich Wonders...
The Best College Prank Of The 1790s (With Bats, Poop & Grass)
Benjamin Arthur and Robert Krulwich
When William Buckland was a kid, an undergraduate at Oxford in the late 1790s, he pulled a prank that was so rude, so smart, and so biologically sophisticated for his day, he deserves a crown for The Best Use of Grass Ever.
Author Interviews
Unraveling The Genetic Code That Makes Us Human
In The Violinist's Thumb, writer Sam Kean goes inside our genetic code, looking at the stories written by the fundamental building blocks within us. The book explains things like why some people can't handle drinking coffee and why some human babies are born with tails.
Krulwich Wonders...
If You Are Hit By Two Atomic Bombs, Should You Have Kids?
Tsutomu Yamaguchi was late for work in August 1945, in Hiroshima, Japan, when he saw an airplane drop a silvery speck into the air. He survived the bombing only to make his way to Nagasaki three days later...just as that city was bombed, too.
Book Reviews
A 'Thumb' On The Pulse Of What Makes Us Human
by John Wilwol
Sam Kean's The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code delves into the history of genetics, in the anecdotal and engaging mode of his previous exploration of the periodic table, The Disappearing Spoon.
Critics' Lists: Summer 2012
Literary Look Ahead: 13 Great Books On The Horizon
Critic Michael Schaub offers a sneak peek at some of the most hotly anticipated books of the summer: An Obama bio. A sparkling debut. Thrillers of both the fictional and body-science kind. Even Lincoln is reborn in this season of sun, sand, renewal — and reading.
Books
Fun And Intrigue With The Periodic Table
by NPR Staff
Most people wouldn't describe the periodic table of elements as gripping, but Sam Kean makes it just that in his new book, The Disappearing Spoon.
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