Genome: The Autobiography Of Species In 23 Chapters: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters

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The idea came out of a conversation Ridley had with David Haig, an evolutionary biologist who said that chromosome 15 is his favorite because it has all sorts of “mischievous genes on it. It is only because we know what happens when the gene is missing or mutated that we think of it as a “disease gene. Taking on another controversy, Ridley cites studies indicating sexual orientation is 50% due to genes. Most of the sources are academic papers or articles, and the popular books and textbooks referenced are mostly outdated. Rather than the detached scientist studying life through a microscope, Ridley actively engages with life, challenging and observing and questioning.

For every new discovery, I add it to the latest version of Reunion—an application that keeps track of one’s findings in family history. Dawkins represents, to me, the high point of the scientist end; he does not pepper his books with interesting anecdotes and trivia, but concentrates on real theories and real dilemmas in science.He also puts a lot of the fears of genetic tinkering to rest by showing just how the data is being used. This level of detail may add some texture, but as a generalist I think you only want as much detail as makes the topic fun to learn about, and then to focus on getting the big ideas across. He crafts some of the clearest explanations of complex biological processes that I have encountered. Serotonin is a similar brain chemical that when very low can lead to impulsiveness and when very high lead to OCD. Fortunately his attempts are limited and only slightly distract from an otherwise good introduction to genetics.

At the same time, the female's genes have attacked the poor Y chromosome to such an extent that it has all but shut down, being a tiny little stub of a gene.The relationship between genetic language and health is pretty compelling, and Ridley does a superb job of making it vividly clear. Questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, about longevity, and about free will.

But, I was amazed to read that humans share exactly the same number and types of bones with chimpanzees, the same chemicals in our brains.Ridley concludes that the Human Genome Project is largely based on the inaccurate belief that there is one single human genome. Some genes code for proteins but many are simply switches dictating when another gene will be active.