Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters

In a helpful summary of our growing knowledge of the roles that genes play in behavior, sickness, sexual variations, and even IQ, Riley hops from chromosome to chromosome. In addition to discussing the moral conundrums that modern scientists confront, he also discusses the reductionist risk that arises from confusing inheritability with inevitability. — New York Times There is a map of the genome. What does that signify, though? The book that describes it, how it works, and what it means for the future is Matt Ridley's Genome. The mapping of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome is perhaps the most important scientific discovery of the new century, but it also presents nearly as many questions as it does answers. Questions that will have a significant influence on our understanding of illness, life expectancy, and free will. Lifelong questions that will impact you. The genome provides amazing insight into the implications of this amazing discovery. Matt Ridley tells the narrative of a newly found gene from each pair of chromosomes, tracing the evolutionary history of our species and its progenitors from the beginning of existence to the edge of future medical research. Ridley explores the scientific, philosophical, and moral questions raised by the mapping of the genome, covering topics ranging from cancer to Huntington's illness, from gene therapy applications to the horrors of eugenics. It will assist you in comprehending the significance of this scientific achievement for humanity, for yourself, and for your offspring.