Biology All books
Anne Nédélec
The Earth and Life: A 4 billion Year History
The evolution of the Earth and life over 4 billion years.
Kevin Padian
From Darwin to Dinosaurs (Work of the Collège de France) An Essay on the Idea of Evolution
In this book, Kevin Padian, world-renowned expert on dinosaurs, takes a historical approach to evolution and gives his view of some of the key problems of the theory of evolution
Alain Prochiantz
Darwin: 200 Years
More than an homage to a great scientist, this book, written by eminent specialists, is a perfect introduction to understanding the impact of Darwinism on contemporary thinking and science
Alain Prochiantz
Biology in the Bedroom
Inspiring himself from La Philosophie dans le boudoir by Sade and the major philosophical works of the 18th century, Alain Prochiantz, who is a neurobiologist, explains by means of a dialogue, the progress of embryology and neurobiology and gives us the elements so that we can understand and measure the stakes of the recent discovery of the genes of development. Alain Prochiantz heads the Laboratory for the Development and Evolution of the Nervous System at the École normale supérieure. He is notably the author of Strategies of the Embryo, and Claude Bernard, the Physiological Revolution.
Alain Prochiantz
The Anatomies of Thought What do squid think about ?
When we watch a squid facing up to a predator, we see it recoil, agitate the tentacles, spray a jet of ink, and then make use of the temporary blindness of the predator in order to escape to a safe hiding place. Are we able to say what it is thinking ? Evidently, we know that this behaviour is not the result of a reflex unleashed by the sight of an enemy. The mollusc is not however conscious of its acts, at least not in the sense that we, as human beings, understand this term. It is true that we are the product of a evolution of species, and that, although this may not be welcome news for everyone, we share a common ancestry with the octopus, or even the fly. Even if the structure of our cortex, and the invention of language allows us to write about octopuses (or flies), and not the other way round, the fact remains that these evolutive roots, in the same way as other animal species, including invertebrates, have something to teach us about the nature of our thoughts. Alain Prochiantz
Michel Raymond
Why I Didn’t Invent the Wheel
Between nature and culture, a fascinating, widely accessible book about human evolution
Israel Rosenfield, Edward Ziff, Borin Van Loon
DNA for Beginners
The amazing story of DNA is recounted here in an entertaining comic-book form...
Pierre Roubertoux
Existe-t-il des gènes du comportement ?
Recent advances in genetic research have had widespread and far-reaching influences in fields as varied as animal and plant biology and medicine. They have also upset some ethical rules. Genetics today is in a triumphant, seductive phase, but its limits are yet to be defined. In this book, the eminent French geneticist Pierre Roubertoux argues that genetics has strayed too far from its justifiable areas of application. Soon, genetics may even be applied to the mind and to consciousness, just as it is already being applied to behaviour by scientists who contend that each type of conduct has its corresponding gene (this is tantamount to saying a specific gene is responsible for each virtue and each vice). Scientists who defend this theory say that they have discovered genes linked to various degrees of activity in mice and flies. Thus, intemperance and gluttony would be linked to a genetic partiality to alcohol, sugar or fats. Pride could be explained by a gene for dominance which has allegedly been found in mice. Greed, too, could be explained by a gene. The supposed existence of an infidelity gene was much in the news three years ago. This is a sound scientific synthesis which will enable readers to grasp the contribution of genetics to our comprehension of who and what we are. It should also help them resist the temptation of reducing everything to genetics. Pierre Roubertoux is a professor at the University of Aix-Marseille and a research fellow at the Institute of Physiological and Cognitive Neuroscience at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).
Bernard Sablonnière
Hopes For a Long and Good Life
A very accessible, clear book with rigorous scientific explanations, enabling the reader to see the differences between false miraculous recipes and true possibilities to act against aging.
Maxime Schwartz
How the Cows Became Mad
Fear of the condition popularly known as mad cow disease has created a state of collective hysteria: some consumers are so afraid of contracting the disease that they have stopped eating beef; others havent stopped eating beef simply because they believe it is too late to do anything to prevent catching the illness. This book examines the outbreak of this disease and concludes with the reply to the question that is on everyones lips: Should we be afraid? Maxime Schwartz teaches at the Institut Pasteur, in Paris.
Annick Perrot, Maxime Schwartz
The Genius of Pasteur: Saving the ‘Poilus’
How Pasteur and his followers saved lives and changed the course of the war in 1914-1918
Christine Tardieu
How We Become Bipeds The Wolf-Child Myth
A history of how and why humans are the only mammals that permanently adopted bipedalism.
Jacques Tassin
Think like a Tree
The French author who preceded Wohlleben and his best-seller, pursues his reflection. A small, light, yet profound book for thinking and living better.
Jacques Tassin
What Do Plants Think About?
There are so many plant lovers out there. This book is the perfect opportunity for them to discover the hidden side of plant life. A concise, well-informed and up-to-date overview of recent botanical research.
Jean-Didier Vincent
The Biology of Passions
What is it to love? Can one explain the love of Romeo for Juliet? What are desire, pleasure and pain, the taste for power and domination? Moving beyond the traditional split between body and mind, Jean-Didier Vincent proposes a new theory of emotions which brings harmony to our concept of mankind. Jean-Didier Vincent is a neurobiologist and director of the Alfred Fessard Institute of CNRS at Gif-sur-Yvette.
Jean-Didier Vincent
The Biology of Passions (New Edition)
"A fascinating book, which demonstrates that the ensemble of the brain, neurons, and synapses is literally immersed in a chemical sea. We must rid ourselves of the notion that the brain is a supercomputer." Le Figaro
Francis Waldvogel
A Tableau of Life Exchanges, Emergences, Complexity
A strong thesis that is applied to the entire visible and invisible world: the exchange that is the essence of the living being.
James Watson
A Passion for DNA Genes, Genomes and Society
In 1953, two young scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick, began a scientific revolution when they discovered the double helix structure of the DNA molecule, the substance that is the basis of heredity. James Watson, who won Nobel Prize in 1962 at the age of 34, has continued to play a central role in the field of genetics. Throughout his long scientific career, he has constantly sought to explain the latest developments and findings. The present volume is a collection of articles and lectures reflecting his views during the past fifty years on such subjects as GM foods, cancer, the sequencing of the human genome, and the ethical and social consequences of biology. This is a thought-provoking, often optimistic and always spirited book, reflecting the life and work of one of the great minds of the twentieth century.