Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2015] Matt Ridley - Softcover

Matt Ridley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 8172236093 ISBN 13: 9788172236090

Publisher: HarperCollins India, 2005

Synopsis

The most impo’rtant investigation of genetic science since the selfish gene’, from the author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling ‘the red queen’ and ‘the origins of virtue’the genome is our 100,000 or so genes, the collective recipe for the building and running of the human body these 100,000 genes are sited across 23 pairs of chromosomes ‘genome,’ is divided into 23 chapters, a chapter for each chromosomeby looking at our genes we can see the story of our evolution, what makes us individual, how our sexuality is determined, how we acquire language, why we are vulnerable to certain diseases, how the mind has developed ‘genome’ also argues for the genetic foundations of free will while many believe that genetics proves biological determinism, ridley will show that in fact free will is itself is encoded – everything that makes us human can be read in our genes

About this title

Review

Science writer Matt Ridley has found a way to tell someone else's story without being accused of plagiarism. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters delves deep within your body (and, to be fair, Ridley's too) looking for dirt dug up by the Human Genome Project. Each chapter pries one gene out of its chromosome and focuses on its role in our development and adult life, but also goes further, exploring the implications of genetic research and our quickly changing social attitudes toward this information. Genome shies away from the "tedious biochemical middle managers" that only a nerd could love and instead goes for the A-material: genes associated with cancer, intelligence, sex (of course), and more.

Readers unfamiliar with the jargon of genetic research needn't fear; Ridley provides a quick, clear guide to the few words and concepts he must use to translate hard science into English. His writing is informal, relaxed, and playful, guiding the reader so effortlessly through our 23 chromosomes that by the end we wish we had more. He believes that the Human Genome Project will be as world-changing as the splitting of the atom; if so, he is helping us prepare for exciting times--the hope of a cure for cancer contrasts starkly with the horrors of newly empowered eugenicists. Anyone interested in the future of the body should get a head start with the clever, engrossing Genome. --Rob Lightner

About the Author

Matt Ridley received his BA and D Phil at Oxford researching the evolution of behaviour. He has been science editor, Washington correspondent and American editor of The Economist. He has a regular column in the Daily Telegraph. He is also the author of The Red Queen (1993) and The Origins of Virtue (1996). Matt Ridley is currently the chairman of The International Centre for Life.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins India
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 8172236093
• ISBN 13: 9788172236090
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 313