The Book Prize Index

The Proteus Effect: Stem Cells and Their Promise for Medicine

Ann Parson

"The story of stem cell technologies is at once compelling, controversial, and remarkable. Part detective story, part medical history, The Proteus Effect describes early scientific discoveries that date back as far as 1740 before proceeding into the present to recount the incredible events leading to the discovery of stem cells in animal tumors, in the blood of mice, in the brains of canaries, in human embryos, and then in the skin, liver, and other organs of grown humans. It looks at the explosive potential of these special cells for the future of medicine." "Ann B. Parson chronicles a scientific discovery in progress, exploring the ethical debates, describing the current research, and hinting at a spectacular new era in medicine."--BOOK JACKET.

ScienceScience · high confidenceScience81 signalsLlm Classifier: Science -> ScienceOpen Library: Medical research -> Medicine & Public HealthOpen Library: Medical / Nursing -> Medicine & Public HealthScience & DiscoveryMedicine, Health & the BodyEnvironment, Conservation & Pollution

Award History

0 wins · 1 total

AwardYearResultCategory / Notes
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science and TechnologyMajor2004FinalistSecondary source
View all award history (1)
Experimental book profileGenerated by GPT-5.4 nano · may contain inaccuracies

This is an unverified interpretation of the catalog description, offered as an opt-in discovery experiment—not as bibliographic fact.

  1. 01 Central figures

    None extracted with sufficient confidence.

  2. 02 Central places

    None extracted with sufficient confidence.

  3. 03 Suggested argument

    No argument inferred with sufficient confidence.

    This suggestion did not meet the normal display threshold and is more likely to be wrong.

    The book argues that discoveries about stem cells in diverse organisms lead to an explosive future potential for medicine, even amid ethical controversy.

    Model confidence 55%

  4. 04 Reading orientation

    45 / 100 academic

    Trade / academic crossover

    An estimate of intended readership and scholarly apparatus—not quality or importance.

Confidence percentages are the model's own estimates. Profile confidence: 52%.