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The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another (Mit Press),New
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A timely, informative, and fascinating study of 8 inventionsand how they shaped our worldwith totally compelling insights on littleknown inventors throughout history (Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of The Sixth Extinction)In The Alchemy of Us, scientist and science writer Ainissa Ramirez examines 8 inventions and reveals how they shaped the human experience: Clocks Steel rails Copper communication cables Photographic film Light bulbs Hard disks Scientific labware Silicon chipsRamirez tells the stories of the woman who sold time, the inventor who inspired Edison, and the hotheaded undertaker whose invention pointed the way to the computer. She describes how our pursuit of precision in timepieces changed how we sleep; how the railroad helped commercialize Christmas; how the necessary brevity of the telegram influenced Hemingways writing style; and how a young chemist exposed the use of Polaroids cameras to create passbooks to track black citizens in apartheid South Africa. These fascinating and inspiring stories offer new perspectives on our relationships with technologies.Ramirez shows not only how materials were shaped by inventors but also how those materials shaped culture, chronicling each invention and its consequencesintended and unintended. Filling in the gaps left by other books about technology, Ramirez showcases littleknown inventorsparticularly people of color and womenwho had a significant impact but whose accomplishments have been hidden by mythmaking, bias, and convention. Doing so, she shows us the power of telling inclusive stories about technology. She also shows that innovation is universalwhether it's splicing beats with two turntables and a microphone or splicing genes with two test tubes and CRISPR.
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