"Gene sharing" means that the different functions of a protein may share the same gene--that is, a protein produced by a gene evolved to fulfill a specialized function for one biological role may also perform alternate functions for other biological roles.In the 1980s and early 1990s, Joram Piatigorsky and colleagues coined the term "gene sharing" to describe the use of multifunctional proteins as crystallins in the eye lens. In Gene Sharing and Evolution Piatigorsky explores the generality and implications of gene sharing throughout evolution and argues that most if not all proteins perform a variety of functions in the same and in different species, and that this is a fundamental necessity for evolution. How is a gene identified, by its structure or its function? Do the boundaries of a gene include its regulatory elements? What is the influence of gene expression on natural selection of protein functions, and how is variation in gene expression selected in evolution? These are neither new nor resolved questions. Piatigorsky shows us that the extensiveness of gene sharing and protein multifunctionality offers a way of responding to these questions that sheds light on the complex interrelationships among genes, proteins, and evolution.

Gene Sharing and Evolution: The Diversity of Protein Functions

Science & Math

Piatigorsky, Joram

Biological Sciences

Harvard University Press

The Speed of Dark: A memoir

The Speed of Dark reveals how the author, his mother the daughter of the French Rothschild banking dynasty and his father a world-renowned cellist, broke the chain of his lineage of art, music and banking to establish an important career in science. Born in the rural Adirondacks as an American citizen after his European parents and sister narrowly escaped Nazi Germany, he spoke French before English, was raised with financial security, was exposed to Rothschild palaces visiting his French grandparents, felt as a foreigner with his Russian family in Moscow, and often felt French in his native America. As a child, he felt simultaneously as his father’s son, yet a guest in the audience when listening to the pinnacle of music played in his home by the greatest artists. As a developing scientist, he benefited by his charismatic father’s influence who asked such an original, imaginative question, “What about the speed of dark?” Unlike other memoirs about rising from adversity to success, the author brings the reader into the privilege of having a unique family in which the extraordinary is ordinary, and the challenge of being asked, “Are you a failure like the sons of all great men?” The Speed of Dark will resonate with musicians, those interested in art, music and history, and those who seek to carve their own path in a world filled with high expectations and seemingly unlimited resources.” (Sel Kardan, President, Colburn School of Performing Arts, LA) “The clear and elegant prose on the theme of collecting reveals a dedication and self-understanding that is rare.” (Michael Hall, PhD, Curator of the Rothschild family collections, Exbury Estate, Hampshire, GB) “Piatigorsky’s memoir will provide particular interest to students, scholars, and fellow collectors knowledgeable in the creative traditions of Native North American artists.” (Bernadette Driscoll Engelstad, Independent Curator, Inuit Art) “Piatigorsky’s memoir demonstrates that artistry can be found in science.” (Joseph Horwitz, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology/Biophysics, Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA) “Piatigorsky’s unique story will receive a wide audience: professional and lay scientists, art collectors, musicians, historians, writers and those who have struggled to find their identity.” (Hamid Shams, BBP Films Producer and Cinematographer) “This memoir is not just worth reading, it is worth remembering!” (James Mathews, Author of Last Known Position) “This fascinating account of his journey becomes a meditation on art, wonder, and creativity, of bucking the status quo and following one's heart. “ (Barbara Esstman, Author of The Other Anna, Night Ride Home, and A More Perfect Union)

The Speed of Dark: A Memoir

Biographies & Memoirs

Memoirs

Adelaide Books

"An eminent scientist and well-respected art collector, Dr. Joram Piatigorsky's memoir is an inspiring reflection on the creative passion that infuses a life devoted to scientific experimentation and a profound appreciation of the arts. He contrasts ancestral family traditions with his own life journey, discovering unexpected similarities and differences in the process - from the notable accomplishments of 19th century horticulturalists to his own distinguished career as a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health; and from the deliberate and secure investment in Old Master paintings to an innovative, pioneering, and masterful collection of contemporary Inuit sculpture.
"Dr. Piatigorsky's memoir is sure to engage the broad interest of readers and critics fascinated by the author's intimate knowledge of Rothschild family history and its influence throughout the generations, particularly on his own family, as well as by his insightful reflection on the joy of scientific and artistic discovery and the challenge (and necessity) of charting an autonomous path to a unique and rewarding life. As a prominent collector of contemporary Inuit art, Dr. Piatigorsky's memoir will provide particular interest to students, scholars, and fellow collectors knowledgeable in the creative traditions of Native North American artists."

Adelaide Books LLC

“Joram Piatigorsky's The Open Door and Other Tales of Love and Yearning are acutely observed stories that often venture into the surreal, the scientific, and the drama of families and their histories. The prose is precise, and the characters surprise with their longing to change their lives, when they struggle to make sense of their histories, and when they find beauty in uncommon places and persons. I found the philosophical musings in these stories fascinating, as well as their implications for our future." - Sergio Troncoso, author of The Last Tortilla and Other Stories, Crossing Borders: Personal Essays, and the novels The Nature of Truth and From This Wicked Patch of Dust 
 “The stories in Joram Piatigorsky’s The Open Door are full of imagination, curiosity, and human longing. A lively, engaging read.” - Elizabeth Poliner, author, As Close to Us as Breathing 
 “Joram Piatigorsky audaciously weaves the fantastic with the familiar to show what love can do to those who yearn for it. Nothing is impossible in the worlds he creates, while the characters who experience the startling transformations that occur could be ourselves. Surprise and recognition are the hallmarks of these utterly original and delightful stories.” - Kate Blackwell, author of You Won't Remember This: Stories
 "The Open Door is a brilliant and vibrant collection of stories that spans the breadth and diversity of literary fiction, from grave to funny to poignant and all points in-between. It's this range of technique and emotional engagement that pulls the readers through each piece and leaves them anticipating what comes next. In a style reminiscent of Carson McCullers, Piatigorsky presents stories that are vivid with imagery while maintaining a dramatic element balanced by compassion for the characters. These characters truly drive each story to the point that you become one with the fictional dream that the author weaves so flawlessly. Even in being comfortably lost in the dream, you'll no doubt recognize upon reflection that you are in the hands of a master story-teller. If you take home only one short story collection this year, let The Open Door be the one!" - James Mathews, Author of Last Known Position; Winner, Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction
 “A beautifully written collection that covers the many territories between the real and the fantastic but that focuses on lives compressed by restraint and left desiring. A rich mix of art and myth, shape-shifting and wide-awake dreaming.” - Barbara Esstman, author of The Other Anna; Night Ride Home; A More Perfect Union
 “Piatigorsky has sculpted a universe of desire, where a chance sighting can alter the course of a man’s life, where even a pinprick of longing blooms into heated obsession. The characters in these stories inhabit a world that looks like ours but feels like a secret, parallel space, one where curiosity and yearning wander and flourish. Inventive, funny, and at times strangely prescient, these stories bring what Robert Bausch called ‘the human news,’ tidings from the heart in all its loving potential.” -Jennifer Buxton, The Writer’s Center, Bethesda, MD
 “Joram Piatigorsky has created an unforgettable mix of stories and colorful characters, including Inuit sculptures that spring to life, offering both surprising wisdom and comfort. The mix of humor and the universal angst of life’s bittersweet passages propels the reader throughout.” - Sally Mott Freeman, author of The Jersey Brothers

THE OPEN DOOR: And Other Tales of Love and Yearning

Literature & Fiction

Short Stories & Anthologies

Notes Going Underground

Jellyfish Have Eyes

"Creativity is an endless parade of possibilities, it's not a goal, Joram Piatigorsky reflects in this diverse collection of essays. Whether writing about the brain, tennis, a bookstore in Iceland, old friends, marriage, death, snow, movies, or the notion of creativity itself, he joins the parade with enthusiasm and unbounded curiosity."-Bill O'Sullivan, senior managing editor, Washingtonian magazine "Truth and Fantasy hits the mark on so many levels -- whether conveying the wisdom of bees or the meaning of fatherhood or the immense power of silence. With a disarming curiosity and warmth, Piatigorsky's observations always emerge plainly, sometimes starkly, in the distance, leaving the reader with a precise and surprising understanding of what is being seen - and even what is not seen. -James Mathews, author of Last Known Position "In Truth and Fantasy: Essays, Joram Piatigorsky provides widespread insights on numerous topics, always with a nod to imagination...These well-written, concise essays weave together his thoughts on complementary themes from his extraordinary creative life." -Stephen S. Lash, Chairman Emeritus: Christie's "...Piatigorsky is never dogmatic, but rather provides the reader with a passport to consideration of a topic from that individual's personal context. These analyses of life's landscape stay with you long after you put the book down." -Margaret McFall-Ngai, Professor and Director, University of Hawaii at M&#257;noa, member National Academy of Sciences U.S.A. "Through concurrent lifetimes dedicated to athletics, research, collecting Inuit and African art, travel and writing, the scientist facilitates our investigation of a life lived large. Then the writer takes over, proposing ways we can weave the truths we have discovered into the fabrics of our own lives." -John Houston, Inuit art dealer and filmmaker, producer of Atautsikut / Leaving None Behind During his 50-year research career at the National Institutes of Health, Joram Piatigorsky has published some 300 scientific articles and a book, Gene Sharing and Evolution (Harvard University Press, 2007), lectured worldwide, received numerous research awards, including the prestigious Helen Keller Prize for vision research, served on scientific editorial boards, advisory boards and funding panels, and trained a generation of scientists. Presently an emeritus scientist and writer, he collects Inuit art, is Vice-Chairperson on the Board of Directors of The Writer's Center in Bethesda. He blogs at his website (Joramp.com), has published personal essays in Lived Experience and Adelaide Literary Magazine, a novel, Jellyfish Have Eyes (IPBooks, 2014; Adelaide Books, 2020). He has published the following books with the present publisher, Adelaide Books: a memoir, The Speed of Dark (2018), two collections of short stories, The Open Door and Other Tales of Love and Yearning (2019) and Notes Going Underground (2020). He has two sons, five grandchildren, and lives with his wife in Bethesda, Maryland.

Truth and Fantasy

Religion & Spirituality

New Age & Spirituality

"An intriguing...ideas-driven tale of a haunted scientist." -Kirkus Reviews "If you have wondered about the thoughts and goals of a research scientist, read this novel by the distinguished scientist/author, Joram Piatigorsky. Roger's journey through a life of science will give you the insight you seek." -Robert Wurtz, NIH Scientist Emeritus, member National Academy of Sciences U.S.A. "Roger's Thought-Particles enters no-man's land on the frontier between imagination and science. There's nobody better suited to probe this terrain than scientist Joram Piatigorsky."-Roger Herst, Author of The Rabbi Gabrielle Series. "A thoughtful novel about the nature of thinking, Roger's Thought-Particles is by turns philosophical, speculative, and even madcap. Most of all, it's a pleasure to read from start to finish."-Zach Powers, Author of First Cosmic Velocity "In the current era of contagions, pandemics, and the melding of science and suspicions, the living hallucinations and thought particles in this imaginative and colorful work will infect readers with possibility, optimism and creative alternatives to the concept of reality and inoculate against boredom!"-Ronda Beaman, Founder and Executive Director, Dream Makers SLO, Clinical Professor, Orfalea College of Business, and author of My Feats in These Shoes "Reading this novel is a fun, suspenseful adventure." --Douglas Alan Walrath, Author of The Daredancers "Joram Piatigorsky's novel, Roger's Thought Particles, melds storytelling and philosophy in a single work."--Lewis J. Beilman III, author of The Changing Tide "Piatigorsky not only grasps the language of science, he presents a compelling look inside the mind, leaving readers to ponder whether thoughts are our own or transferred from one another by simply being in the same room." --Tara Lynn Marta, Author of Look Back to Yesterday and Dreaming Through the Eyes of God "...we hold on to our hats as Dr. Roger Resin, a respected and award-winning scientist, arrogantly barges his way through the halls of the Vision Science Center on a quest to find a way to associate belief and optimism within the rigorous discipline of the scientific method." - James White, Author of Borders in Paradise and Ransoms Are for Amateurs Joram Piatigorsky is a prominent scientist and writer. To learn more please visit: joramp.com

Roger's Thought-Particles: A novel

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Science Fiction

Science Fantasies: Jellyfish Have Eyes Trilogy

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Books by Piatigorsky, Joram