Genome: The Autobiography of a Species

by Matt Ridley

Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060894083

Check price @ amazon.com , amazon.ca , amazon.co.uk

Book Description

The human genome, the complete set of genes housed in twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, is nothing less than an autobiography of our species. Spelled out in a billion three-letter words using the four-letter alphabet of DNA, the genome has been edited, abridged, altered and added to as it has been handed down, generation to generation, over more than three billion years. With the first draft of the human genome due to be published in 2000, we, this lucky generation, are the first beings who are able to read this extraordinary book and to gain hitherto unimaginable insights into what it means to be alive, to be human, to be conscious or to be ill.

By picking one newly discovered gene from each of the twenty-three human chromosomes and telling its story, Matt Ridley recounts the history of our species and its ancestors from the dawn of life to the brink of future medicine. He finds genes that we share with bacteria, genes that distinguish us from chimpanzees, genes that can condemn us to cruel diseases, genes that may influence our intelligence, genes that enable us to use grammatical language, genes that guide the development of our bodies and our brains, genes that allow us to remember, genes that exhibit the strange alchemy of nature and nurture, genes that parasitise us for their own selfish ends, genes that battle with one another and genes that record the history of human migrations. From Huntington's disease to cancer, he explores the applications of genetics: the search for understanding and therapy, the horrors of eugenics and the philosophical implications for understanding the paradox of free will.

Book Info

(Perennial) Text on what the Human Genome Project has found. Tells the story of one gene from each of the 23 human chromosomes, recounting the history of the species from the dawn of life to the brink of medicine. For anyone interested in the subject. Does not discuss mapping and sequencing techniques.

About the Author

Matt Ridley is the author of the national bestseller Genome. His previous books include The Red Queen and The Origins of Virtue. His science writing has appeared in The Economist, Wall Street Journal, Discover, Atlantic Monthly, Natural History, and many other publications. He lives in northern England.

Customer Reviews

I will keep it short. This is a great book. As a physical scientist, genes and DNA have always been a bit of a mystery to myself. This is a wonderful and comprehensive introduction and best yet - easy to read - a page turner. The subject is well presented but sobering - well done. Bought three copies for the family members.

This book contains quite a few interesting chapters.

There are not that many introductory level books about genome available, therefore I would recommend this one. I would mention, though, that the author's way of writing was sometimes irritating with his use of the clumsy expressions such as "thousand millions", "million millennia", etc.. Other than that the book was fun to read.

I'm often disappointed at the end of a great book. I know that when it is finished, and I put it down, that it's the end, no longer can I explore such a wonderful world. That's not the case with Matt Ridley's book, Genome. This world is fabulously rich, and infinitely larger than even his engrossing 22 chapters can create. He has inspired me to do some more digging and look for some other books on the subject.

Ridley's 22 chapters explores the Human Genome, chromosome by chromosome, focusing not only on fascinating details of human genes but also plows on into politics, ethics, history and the people who have made the science such a ground breaking field. Each chapter a fascinating exposé on small but world changing "sentences" of each chromosome.

Matt makes the new world of the human genome a fascinating place. Drawing from so many different inspiring areas makes this book an easy read. Each simple chapter encapsulates a single theme and exposes different parts of humanity. Before the book I never would have thought that a large part of human's evolution was due to a conflict between female X chromosomes and the male Y. Progressing from Dawkins's "Selfish Gene", Ridley explores some of recent breakthroughs in genetics such as the cloning of Dolly the sheep, through to the yet unsolved mystery of CJD, commonly known as "Mad Cow Disease".

Before we are convinced that Genetics will ultimately rule us all, Ridley points out that humans do have some control. His chapters just show how complex we are, and how fascinating the human body really is.

Now, off to read the next book.

And she was very happy with it. She said 5 stars, not me, I haven't read it. It sounds good though :)

One of the best things about being in a book club is that as a member, you read books that you would not have chosen on your own. Genome by Matt Ridley, the second selection of the Dallas/Lakewood Book Club, is a perfect example. Genome is a book about science - it is about DNA and genes, and their effects on human development, health, behavior, and evolution. Many of us were worried that the material would be too technical, too complex - or just too boring.

But we need not have worried, because Matt Ridley did a great job of making a very complex subject accessible. His style was generally well accepted - not too technical, but technical enough to convince the layperson that true science lay behind the conclusions he draws. There were times when he digressed into unnecessary detail, and some of our Club members got mired - but overall he provided sufficient information to let the layperson understand how DNA and genes work and affect all humans, and he did it in an interesting way. Several members were put off by Ridley's frequent, rather patronizing admonitions to not view genes as causes of diseases, and at times found his opinions self-contradicting. He also did not always make note when he was writing his own opinion, as opposed to stating fact, which was at times misleading.

That said, most of our members thoroughly enjoyed the book because of the incredibly thought-provoking implications of Ridley's material. Ridley does not specifically weigh in on the Big Question - whether humans became what they are because of a divine force, or whether we are purely the result of millions of years of mutations and random selection. But the book does provide enough material to generate lively debate on questions of evolution, the proper role of scientific inquiry, and even spirituality. Some members felt Genome's explanations of DNA and chromosomes (or lack thereof) provided a basis to confirm God's hand in the design of people; others felt that the random, mutative nature of genes and the long stretches of 'useless' genetic filler sequences plainly bespeak Darwin's simple descent of man from more primitive species. Ridley does make a strong case that whether or not there are divine forces involved, nature and nurture both play critical roles in making each person unique, and in making humans different from other species. While DNA and genes do "program" humans to behave and develop in certain ways, outside environmental influences play just as important a role.

Overall, our Club recommends Genome; it is a book well worth reading, and a good introduction to the myriad topics and implications of the science of genetics. As befits any good overview, Genome provides an index and extensive bibliography for further reading. We give it 4 stars.

Ridley is a good writer and it's a compelling read. However, his approach is far too similar to the approach taken by others who have a story to tell - and whose story trumps facts. And he is unabashed about this endeavor. He specifically states in the introduction that he took his ideas about human nature and then went looking for genes within each chromosome to support his story. Not exactly the ideal of the scientific method. But at least he's honest about it. Anyway, if you enjoy books like Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" in which nature is brought into conformity with the author's vision, you'll probably like this one.

I loved this book.

It is about a very complex subject but it handles the project very well. I thought it timely and interesting

This book is really a gem. Maybe it is the best science read of the year for me. I bought it thinking that it was basically the history of the genome project. I was wrong and I am glad I was wrong. Ridley uses the mapped Genome as the motif for him to launch into a number of ideas associated with the Genome on every one of the chromosones. Since there are 23 chromosones there are 23 chapters and 23 themes.

Each chapter takes a gene on the chromosone and then links in into a general discussion on a whirlwind of topics in genetic research. He discusses thing like genes and fate. For example if you have the gene for Huntington-Chorea, you will get the disease --- there are no exceptions, you are well buggered in every second generation. But that is not to say that just because some characteristics are inherited that others are determined by genetics as well. Far from it and here Ridley describes how intelligence can and cannot be linked to genes along with other things like turning on and turing off serotonin levels inside onces brain. Nature. nuture? Well it is actually both, there are no easy answers and for every answer a plethora of new questions are raised. That is the beauty and wealth of science and Ridley conveys the love of science magnificently.

Ridley goes the gamut and argues both coherently and with an appreciation for ideas that is seen in first-class science writers (he is really worthy of Sagan and Gould).

He is at his best in juxaposing ideas, describing the current thinking and reasearch, throwing in a cultural observation or historical anecdote and then letting you stew in thought. There are no easy answers for many of the classic questions of biology. One thing that could be said is simply that the old idea that there was on winner in the debate of nature vs. nuture is dead. You would have to be brain dead to 100% argue one over the other.

This is Science writing at its best. Ridley covers a very wide cross-section of research and does it well. This book should be appealing to the general reader with no biological background, but it should also touch topics that even a genetic researcher would not know (his scope is that wide) --- and both would enjoy his excellent prose.

More Ridley books are in the offing for me. I must say that sad though the passing of Gould and Sagan are as great minds of science, Ridley is young and there is a lot more in front of him. If all his books are this good I will be buying every one of them.

As a pre-med student, I found this book to be a fascinating supplement to my dreadfully monotonous genetics textbook. Much more than another genetics research summary, Mr. Ridley broaches a number of provocative issues. Well-written,insightful and fast-paced, it inspired a second (much closer) look at the "boring" stuff.