Language of Genes, The - Hardcover

Jones, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385473729 ISBN 13: 9780385473729

Publisher: Doubleday, 1994

Synopsis

Jones (genetics, Galton Laboratory, University College, London) uses literary, political, historical, cultural, and scientific analogies and anecdotes to survey human genetics, explaining how the field began, the darker uses genetics has been put to in history, the role genes play in shaping who and what we are, and the effects that new genetic discoveries have had on our basic theories of evolution. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

About this title

About the Author

Steve Jones is professor of genetics at the Galton Laboratory of University College, London.

Reviews

If the history of life is the history of DNA, then this survey of genetics is an essential book for anyone interested in the development and possible future of our species. Jones (Genetics/University College, London; editor, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution, not reviewed) expands a BBC lecture series on genetics into an accessible and wide- reaching survey of that science and of its actual and potential impact on humanity. In the process, he combines history (the discoveries of Darwin and Mendel), cutting-edge research (genetic engineering and the Human Genome project), and an unusually clear perspective on moral issues (racism, eugenics, human evolution). The human animal is descended from an apelike ancestor, molded early on by changing climatic conditions, winnowed by accident and disease, and finally on the verge of being able to influence the genetic inheritance of future generations. Without subjecting the reader to overly technical language or complex mathematics, Jones gives a clear look at some of the questions that occupy scientists studying human genetics: whether homo sapiens emerged only in Africa or in several places around the world; the inheritance of genetic defects, from sickle cell anemia to Huntington's disease; and the effect of prolonged human life span on natural selection. The book is smoothly written, despite an occasional clich‚ (Jones is overly fond of the expression ``writ large''), and enlivened with an occasional touch of humor. The author does not shy away from controversy--he makes his opinion of anti-evolutionists eminently clear--and draws effectively on common experience (such as the history of surnames) to illustrate his points. An extensive bibliography makes the book especially valuable to readers who want to learn more about the subject. An excellent introduction to one of the most important frontiers of science, by a man who knows it as well as anyone. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

"Two out of every three people reading these words will die for reasons connected with the genes they carry"--so much for the importance of Jones' topic. Three out of every three people reading this book will be clearly and accurately informed and enjoy their progress through it. They will learn, among other things, that 5,000 diseases are the result of genetic mutation and that some genetic defense mechanisms can cause more harm than good. In leading the reader up to the present state of genetic research, Jones spends considerable time with Darwinism and the eugenics movement. He shows that economics, geography, climate, religion, and language can affect various peoples' genetic makeup, that hypotheses are not facts, and that newspaper headlines are not always solid science. Indeed, to emphasize how these frequently misleading items can mislead, Jones describes his own "experiment" proving the connection between hair color and blood pressure! Jones, a British snail scientist, has turned his BBC Reith Lectures into one of the best recent books on a difficult subject. William Beatty

Witty and erudite, but a little unfocused, this title is as much about anthropology and (pre) history as genetics. Jones has produced a thought-provoking and free-wheeling book for the nonspecialist that touches on the genetics of languages, the role of sexual reproduction in genetic mutations, the evolution of farming, and the relationship of surnames to gene pools in various populations. The wide variety of topics considered is refreshing, as is the worldwide focus, but readers looking for a quick overview of genetics should look elsewhere (e.g., Robert Pollack, Signs of Life: The Language of DNA, LJ 1/94). Periodically, the author interjects purely speculative comments, but in general the lessons and conclusions of this book are complex and suitably low-key, given the rapid pace of change in molecular biology today and the difficulty of foreseeing all the future implications of these changes. Not an absolutely essential purchase, but an interesting one.
Mary Chitty, Cambridge Healthtech, Waltham, Mass.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0385473729
• ISBN 13: 9780385473729
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 272