The Discovery of Insulin
Michael Bliss
The definitive history of how insulin, the most famous peptide medicine, was found and turned into a treatment.
View on AmazonThe reading list
Books we recommend for understanding biochemistry, longevity research and how to judge the evidence.
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Peptide history
Breakthrough
Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsberg
The race to discover insulin, told through one of the first patients whose life it saved.
View on AmazonMagic Pill
Johann Hari
A journalist investigates the GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic: what they do, their risks and what they mean for society.
View on AmazonTextbooks
Molecular Biology of the Cell
Bruce Alberts et al.
The standard reference on how cells work, from proteins and signaling to the machinery that builds them.
View on AmazonLehninger Principles of Biochemistry
David L. Nelson and Michael M. Cox
The classic biochemistry text, with thorough chapters on amino acids, peptides and protein structure.
View on AmazonBiochemistry
Berg, Tymoczko, Gatto and Stryer
"Stryer," the other standard biochemistry text, known for clear explanations of protein structure and metabolism.
View on AmazonIntroduction to Protein Structure
Carl Brändén and John Tooze
A classic, well-illustrated guide to how chains of amino acids fold into working proteins.
View on AmazonEvidence and research literacy
How to Read a Paper
Trisha Greenhalgh
The clearest guide to judging medical research: study designs, statistics and the questions to ask before trusting a result.
View on AmazonBad Science
Ben Goldacre
A sharp, funny guide to how health claims mislead, and how to spot it.
View on AmazonScience Fictions
Stuart Ritchie
How bias, fraud and bad incentives distort scientific research, and how to read studies more critically.
View on AmazonStatistics Done Wrong
Alex Reinhart
A short, readable guide to the most common statistical mistakes in research.
View on AmazonCells, genes and medicine
The Gene: An Intimate History
Siddhartha Mukherjee
A readable history of genetics, from the first ideas of heredity to modern gene editing.
View on AmazonThe Code Breaker
Walter Isaacson
The story of CRISPR and the scientists behind it, and a window into how biotechnology advances.
View on AmazonThe Song of the Cell
Siddhartha Mukherjee
An accessible tour of cell biology and how understanding cells transformed medicine.
View on AmazonThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
The story behind HeLa cells, one of the most important tools in biology, and the ethics of research.
View on AmazonLongevity
Ageless
Andrew Steele
A biologist explains the science of aging and which approaches to slowing it have real evidence.
View on AmazonOutlive
Peter Attia with Bill Gifford
A physician's framework for long-term health, focused on exercise, nutrition, sleep and prevention.
View on AmazonJellyfish Age Backwards
Nicklas Brendborg
A biologist's engaging, grounded tour of what nature and science reveal about aging.
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