Conversations About Biology

This compendium includes the following 5 complete books featuring renowned researchers Jay Gargus, Alcino Silva, Nick Lane, Stephen Scherer and Matthew Walker, providing fully accessible insights into cutting-edge academic research while revealing the inspirations and personal journeys behind their research. A detailed preface highlights the connections between the different books and all five books are broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:

I. Autism: A Genetic Perspective - A conversation with Jay Gargus, Director of the Center for Autism Research and Translation, UC Irvine. This conversation examines the recent explosion in our genetic understanding of autism and its implications for the future of medicine, together with the importance of understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms in order to successfully treat a wide range of genetic disorders. Gargus discusses his extensive research on autism, dispelling myths associated with the condition, advocating why a treatment should be actively pursued, and illustrating what we can learn from the recent breakthrough in cystic fibrosis research.

II. Learning and Memory - A conversation with Alcino Silva, Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology, Psychiatry and Psychology, UCLA. Silva runs a learning and memory lab that is focused on a vast number of research areas, from schizophrenia and autism to learning and memory. Topics covered include how Silva and his colleagues focus on understanding the specific molecular mechanisms of neurobiology with the goal of being able to intervene and repair these mechanisms when they go awry.

III. A Matter of Energy: Biology From First Principles - A conversation with Nick Lane, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry, UCL. After an inspiring story of Nick Lane's career path, this conversation explores in detail Lane's research in biochemistry and his bioenergetic view of early, evolutionary history, the origin of life and how all complex life is composed of a very particular cell type that we all share.

IV. Our Human Variability - A conversation with Stephen Scherer, Research Chair in Genome Sciences at the Hospital for Sick Children. Scherer discusses his lifelong passion for science that culminated in his groundbreaking discovery of copy-number variation. Further topics include a detailed exploration of his work in autism research and how copy number variation brings us a deeper understanding of both human variability and disease.

V. Sleep Insights - A conversation with Matthew Walker, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science, UC Berkeley. This conversation provides a detailed exploration of Walker's research on the purposes and effects of sleep and gives a clear and compelling picture of our recent understanding of sleep's essential role in our daily lives, from reinforcing learning and memory to regulating emotion.

Howard Burton is the host and editor of all Ideas Roadshow conversations and was the Founding Executive Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy. Ideas Roadshow offers a series of 20 Collections, including Conversations About Neuroscience, Conversations About Psychology, Volumes 1 and 2, and Conversations About Social Psychology.