Stephen Curry
Professor of Structural Biology at the Imperial College of London
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Stephen Curry
“@cshperspectives @MHendr1cks David Goodsell’s book, The Machinery of Life, is great for showing molecular crowding. https://t.co/s7h7Yx2MIk” (from X)
by David S. Goodsell·You?
Recommended by Stephen Curry
“Not for the first time, a man who once aspired to the board of the Office for Students pontificates on a book he hasn’t read. Allow me to recommend that you read @angela_saini’s Superior and draw your own conclusions. I think it is smart, courageous, insightful and necessary. https://t.co/Kwci1DMMPL” (from X)
by Angela Saini·You?
by Angela Saini·You?
A powerful look at the non-scientific history of "race science," and the assumptions, prejudices, and incentives that have allowed it to reemerge in contemporary science Superior tells the disturbing story of the persistent thread of belief in biological racial differences in the world of science. After the horrors of the Nazi regime in WWII, the mainstream scientific world turned its back on eugenics and the study of racial difference. But a worldwide network of unrepentant eugenicists quietly founded journals and funded research, providing the kind of shoddy studies that were ultimately cited in Richard Hernstein's and Charles Murray's 1994 title, The Bell Curve, which purported to show differences in intelligence among races. If the vast majority of scientists and scholars disavowed these ideas, and considered race a social construct, it was still an idea that managed to somehow make its way into the research into the human genome that began in earnest in the mid-1990s and continues today. Dissecting the statements and work of contemporary scientists studying human biodiversity, most of whom claim to be just following the data, Saini shows us how, again and again, science is retrofitted to accommodate race. Even as our understanding of highly complex traits like intelligence, and the complicated effect of environmental influences on human beings, from the molecular level on up, grows, the hope of finding simple genetic differences between "races"--to explain differing rates of disease, to explain poverty or test scores or to justify cultural assumptions--stubbornly persists. At a time when racialized nationalisms are a resurgent threat throughout the world, Superior is a powerful reminder that biologically, we are all far more alike than different.
Recommended by Stephen Curry
“@SellaTheChemist She’s an excellent speaker. Wrote a great book (A Bigger Prize) - very glad to have got her for this event.” (from X)
by Margaret Heffernan·You?
by Margaret Heffernan·You?
Co-winner of the 2015 Salon London Transmission Prize Get into the best schools. Land your next big promotion. Dress for success. Run faster. Play tougher. Work harder. Keep score. And whatever you do -- make sure you win. Competition runs through every aspect of our lives today. From the cubicle to the race track, in business and love, religion and science, what matters now is to be the biggest, fastest, meanest, toughest, richest. The upshot of all these contests? As Margaret Heffernan shows in this eye-opening book, competition regularly backfires, producing an explosion of cheating, corruption, inequality, and risk. The demolition derby of modern life has damaged our ability to work together. But it doesn't have to be this way. CEOs, scientists, engineers, investors, and inventors around the world are pioneering better ways to create great products, build enduring businesses, and grow relationships. Their secret? Generosity. Trust. Time. Theater. From the cranberry bogs of Massachusetts to the classrooms of Singapore and Finland, from tiny start-ups to global engineering firms and beloved American organizations -- like Ocean Spray, Eileen Fisher, Gore, and Boston Scientific -- Heffernan discovers ways of living and working that foster creativity, spark innovation, reinforce our social fabric, and feel so much better than winning.
Recommended by Stephen Curry
“Great book - a wonderful insight into the Apollo project! https://t.co/YqwB72E3Uc” (from X)
by Michael Collins·You?
by Michael Collins·You?
Reissued with a new preface by the author on the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 journey to the moon The years that have passed since Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins piloted the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the moon in July 1969 have done nothing to alter the fundamental wonder of the event: man reaching the moon remains one of the great events―technical and spiritual―of our lifetime. In Carrying the Fire, Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humor of that adventure. He also traces his development from his first flight experiences in the Air Force, through his days as a test pilot, to his Apollo 11 space walk, presenting an evocative picture of the joys of flight as well as a new perspective on time, light, and movement from someone who has seen the fragile earth from the other side of the moon.
Recommended by Stephen Curry
“Great, impassioned talk tonight at the RI by @alomshaha on science and teaching. You should definitely buy his book! Sorry I couldn’t stick around to say hello to people. https://t.co/wKQRrDs4dQ” (from X)
Why does the …? What is …? How does …? Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers, you soon will! Every child can be a scientist with the help of Mr Shaha and his recipes for wonder! Turn a rainy day at home or a walk in the park into a chance to experiment. All you need are a few simple items from your kitchen cupboards ― and the power of curiosity! Learn about sound by making wine glasses sing, investigate chemical reactions with vitamin-powered rockets, and explore Newton’s Third Law by making balloon-driven cars. Written by a science teacher and dad, Mr Shaha’s Recipes for Wonder gives clear, step-by-step instructions for over 15 experiments. Whether you’re a science star or just starting out, it will help you inspire young people to learn. Get the whole family joining in around the table, as you transform your kitchen into a laboratory!