The World's Best Book Summaries
Who is Edward Snowden the whistleblower? What did Snowden share? What resulted from the Snowden whistleblowing event? Edward Snowden is a whistleblower who revealed the existence of STELLARWIND, the US government’s mass surveillance program. Learn more about Edward Snowden, whistleblower and former government employee with a high security clearance.
What happened to the Lacks children after their mother died? Why did Ethel Lacks and Galen Lacks move in? How did their presence change the lives of the Lacks children? Ethel Lacks was the wife of Galen Lacks. The two of them moved in with the Lacks family after Henrietta died. Galen was Henrietta’s cousin. Read more about Ethel Lacks and her husband, including their abuse of the children.
How did HeLa cells become such an important part of scientific development and discoveries? Who was the doctor that turned the tissue from Henrietta Lacks into the HeLa cells? What did Dr. George Gey gain from his efforts? George Otto Gey was a tissue researcher at Johns Hopkins when Henrietta Lacks was a patient. He made a deal with Lacks’ surgeon to use her tissue to make lasting cells. Learn more about Dr. George Gey, HeLa, and how his discovery impacted his life.
How did Edward Snowden start working for the CIA? Was the CIA Snowden’s top choice for government work? How did his time at the CIA influence his future leak? For Edward Snowden, CIA work was another opportunity for public service. At the CIA, Snowden could use his technical skills to help the country. Read more about Edward Snowden, CIA roles, and how the TISO program works.
What was Snowdens plan for after he leaked the secret NSA documents? If What county made the most sense for asylum seekers? For Edward Snowden, Ecuador was the best choice. Ecuador is a nation that does not have the best diplomatic relationship with the US. The country has previously sheltered Julian Assange instead of allowing him to be extradited. Learn more about Edward Snowden, Ecuador as a possible destination, and what went wrong.
How did Edward Snowden start hacking? What skills did the hacker Snowden develop? What is hacker culture like? For Edward Snowden, hacking was a way to assert his independence. As a hacker, Snowden was very skilled. Learn more about Edward Snowden, hacking, and hacker culture.
What do clinical trial regulations say about paying research participants? How do researchers go about protecting human subjects? What bioethical issues arise from the remuneration of research subjects that donate tissues? Rules for protecting human subjects generally prohibit paying research participants to donate their tissues or other body parts. But there are some bioethical issues that arise from profiting from research without paying research participants. Learn more about the issues related to protecting human subjects.
How did Enron get caught? And what happened when they did? The question “how did Enron get caught” is a fraught one, partly because much of what Enron did wasn’t technically illegal. To understand how Enron got caught, you need to consider their market manipulations and the way they prioritized appearances over actual profits.
Who was the middle son of Henrietta Lacks’ children? What was David Lacks, Jr. like after his mother passed? How did the man also known as Sonny Lacks feel about the use of HeLa cells? David Lacks, Jr. is better known as Sonny. He is the third of five children Henrietta Lacks had before she died in 1951. Learn about the life of Sonny Lacks, including why he finally gave in and agreed to meet Rebecca Skloot to talk about his mother.
Who is Christoph Lengauer? How did he use HeLa cells to pain other cells? How did the family of Henrietta Lacks feel about Dr. Lengauer contacting them? Christoph Lengauer is a scientist that created a method that revealed more parts of the DNA in a chromosome. The technique used HeLa cells to “paint” with fluorescent dye. Learn about Christoph Lengauer, Henrietta Lacks’ cells, and the revolutionary technique.