Thierry Bardini
Junkware
- ISBN 13:
- 9780816667512
- author:
- Thierry Bardini
- format:
- Paperback
- publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- language:
- English
- Publication Year:
- 2011
- Pages:
- 328
- Dimensions:
- 21.3 x 13.7 x 2.3 cm
- Genre:
- Science & Nature
- Condition:
- New
- Availability:
- Item usually sent within 20 working days
Description
Thierry Bardini explores an intriguing idea: that much of culture and nature is composed primarily of "junk" - material that is useless but potentially recyclable. He examines the intersection of science fiction and popular culture, tracing the concept of junk DNA back to its roots in molecular biology and genetics. Bardini draws on a wide range of sources, including literary works by Philip K. Dick and William S. Burroughs, as well as interviews with scientists and "crackpots". He argues that junk DNA represents a blind spot in our understanding of life, but also contends that the essential "junkiness" of this subject is both its symptom and potential cure. This thought-provoking book delves into the cultural history behind the encoding and decoding of life, and how these codes have become a commodity.