Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters

Genetics is developing rapidly. Its progress is often compared to a revolution. Keeping up with how our understanding of life and heredity changes is hard not only for the general public, but even for specialists. This breeds a mass of rumors and speculation about terrible mutants that crafty scientists churn out in their laboratories, while astonishing breakthroughs in new diagnostic and treatment methods for genetic diseases—including cancer—go unnoticed or misunderstood. Matt Ridley’s book is extremely timely. In a simple and accessible way, the author presents the history of genetics—from the earliest guesses to a staggering breakthrough beginning with the discovery of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick.