Exons, Introns and Talking Genes : The Science Behind the Human Genome Project

The inside story of the multimillion dollar Human Genome Project describes the scientists involved, the biomedical breakthroughs that led to the project, and how the information it generates will change the way we treat cancer and understand birth, aging, and more

Wills (Biology/Univ. of Cal. at San Diego) serves up a full platter in this insider's view of biology's ``Big Science'' project. While the subtitle suggests that his aim is to educate the reader about the science, he has a lot to say about the politics and personalities as well. The text begins with a vision of the brave new world ahead with its myriad genetic manipulations and therapies and their sociopolitical implications. Then it's on to the origins of the Human Genome Project. Wills credits Nobelist Renato Dulbecco with having proposed the concept. What got a reluctant biomedical community on board was a concatenation of events: News that the Department of Energy was moving full steam ahead on technology for DNA sequencing; Congressional prodding; conversion of a few key players; and appointment of James D. Watson himself to lead the effort for the National Institutes of Health. Wills does a fine job of putting the reader in the technological picture, including a marvelous tour ``through the genome with gun and camera'' in which even savvy readers may be startled to find how rapidly DNA is copied, moved to the cell body, and processed into proteins. Major milestones such as the discovery of the genes for muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis are described in detail, with no sparing of the inside dope on who did what to whom in the race to be first. In contrast to other recent historians of genome research, Wills makes it clear that all that so-called junk DNA between the ``exons'' that are the ``real'' genes may not be junk after all; indeed, the message is that nothing is as simple as it seemed at first. Final chapters deal with the challenges posed by cancer, schizophrenia, and the implications of finding genes related to talents/behavior/intelligence. Here, Wills can be faulted for too- summary a treatment of complex issues. Overall, though, a first- rate exposition by someone who must be a super teacher. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

On one hand, it is laudable that such a socially significant scientific undertaking as the human genome project has received intensive reporting in popular media. On the other, with this, the fifth major book on the subject (not to mention numerous articles and media presentations) to appear in the last two years, the market is glutted, for now. This volume does manage to stake out some unique territory in its discussion of genetic diseases, and its author--a biologist--exhibits very good skills as a popularizer. Still, this will likely have a difficult time finding a niche in this crowded field (it compares most closely to Joel Davis's Mapping the Code , LJ 9/15/90). The best titles remain Jerry Bishop and Michael Waldholz's Genome ( LJ 7/90) and Robert Shapiro's The Human Blueprint ( LJ 8/91). However, the story of the human genome project is just beginning and, as science advances, another wave of popularizations might be appropriate in five to ten years.
-Gregg Sapp, Montana State Univ. Libs., Bozeman
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.