Right hand, left hand: the origin of asymmetry in the brain, body, atom, and culture

Author: (English) McManus
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Why are most people right-handed? Why is the heart located on the left side of the body? Why do one-third of countries or regions in the world drive on the left, while the other two-thirds drive on the right? Why do Europeans write from left to right, while Arabs write from right to left? Why do clocks move clockwise? Why are male testicles asymmetrical? Why is a mirror image reversed left to right, rather than top to bottom? Why are marionettes always left-handed? The Right Hand, the Left Hand draws on a wide range of materials, from Rembrandt's paintings and Leonardo da Vinci's sketches to the origins of medieval portrait painting, from the history of medicine to modern cognitive science, molecular biology, particle physics, and sports, to explain the various aspects of the left-right symbolic system that permeates our daily lives. In the end, the author concludes that the universe, the human body, and our society and culture are filled with differences between left and right, and many of these differences have a single and ultimate cause—a fundamental asymmetry that can be traced back to the depths of space very, very far back in time. This book covers a broad range of topics, and readers from various disciplines, including physics, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and psychology, will find it fascinating from their own perspectives. The author has done an outstanding job of summarizing and integrating the rich findings from different disciplines to argue for the essence of left and right. This book is a brilliant combination of rigorous scientific arguments with engaging games and tricks, as well as a treasure trove of anecdotes, filled with fun and pleasure. It is sure to appeal to both the scientific community and the general public, making it a must-read for all. Due to its exceptional quality, the book has won the Wellcome Trust Prize and the highest honor in popular science books, the Aventis Science Book Prize. As Margaret Drabble, chair of the Aventis Science Book Prize, said, "(The Right Hand, the Left Hand is) a fascinating study of asymmetry, destined to become a classic in popular science.")