Thinking meat gift ideas
In case you’re doing some last-minute holiday shopping, here are some things I’ve run across that seem like good gift ideas for Thinking Meat types:
The Genographic Project is making a genetic map of the human family tree, and it’s inviting public participation. For $100, you can get a kit that includes cheek swabs for collecting a DNA sample that you send in for analysis. The results will tell you about the migratory path taken by your deep ancestors (i.e., thousands or tens of thousands of years ago). The kit comes with a DVD that explains the project and presents what we now know about how humans emerged from Africa and covered the planet. (I ordered one of these for my younger son, and I just got one for myself.)
The Anatomical Chart Company’s brain/head section has an interesting range of brain products, including charts, brain models, a CD-ROM neuroanatomy atlas, and even a gelatin mold for an “anatomically correct” gelatin brain.
Made with Molecules sells jewelry, greeting cards, and a few items of clothing based on the shapes of various interesting molecules (e.g., estrogen, serotonin, dopamine, and theobromine).
And if you are buying for a bookish geek, consider the Thinking Meat reading list. (This last is the only item in which I have any financial interest, by the way; I partner with Amazon to sell some of the books on the list.)
