Curious Tales from the History of Biology

Behind every technique on your bench is a story, and a lot of them are stranger than you’d think. Why is it called a Western blot? How did a humble plasmid get caught up in Cold War politics?

This free ebook is a romp through the history of biology. It’s a collection of the odd moments in biological research that will make you love the field all over again (and give you excellent ammunition for the tearoom).

What’s inside

• The flukes, epiphanies, and sheer weirdness behind how biological research evolved
• How plasmids got embroiled in Soviet ideology during the Cold War
• Where “western blot” got its name and why it shouldn’t be capitalized, while Southern blot should
• Little-known bio-trivia to baffle and delight your lab-mates