Written
by Steve Jones, Illustrated / designed by
Borin Van Loon
Genetics is the newest of all sciences. Nothing useful was known about
inheritance
until just over a century ago and what Mendel learned then was used to
justify
eugenics and racism. Now genetics is exploding and we have discovered
the
complete sequence of the DNA letters of the 60,000 working genes needed
to make a human being. Introducing
Genetics takes us from
Mendel
to the human gene map and the treatment of inborn disease. It shows how
DNA was discovered and explains how some genes may act in their own
interests
as much as in the interests of those who carry them. No one can afford
to
be ignorant of genetics and, like it or not, many of us will have to
make
moral decisions in which genetics play a part. This book gives us the
information
needed to do so.
Changing
the diet migh avert bowel cancer...
A companion to Jonathan Miller's Introducing
Darwin and
once again
a chance to work with a high profile science populariser. It so happens
that Steve Jones (like Jonathan Miller) is a nice bloke, too. This
stands
in for the long lost 'DNA for Beginners' and covers the social and
political
repercussions of genetic advances as much as the science. Steve
provided
his text already split into bite-size pages, with accompanying briefs
for
virtually every illustration. While I can't claim to have followed
every
one of his suggestions, they certainly acted as a springboard for my
visual
input. A selection from the book featured with other Van Loon
DNA-related
work in an exhibition called 'Representations of DNA' at the Whipple
Museum, Cambridge, U.K. from
January, 2003. For more on DNA, see
Borin's mural in the Science Museum's Health
Matters Gallery.
DNA
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Reviews
A
profusely and surrealistically illustrated
introduction for lay
people.
Covers the scene from before Mendel to present day ethical concerns and
dilemmas. I thank Dr S.Bapiraju for drawing my attention to this book
in
the British Library, Hyderabad. (202.41.85.102/kvsm/biojottings.html
(Biojottings))
(5 stars) Genetics is a
difficult subject. This book makes it
simple!
Genetics is an area of science that seems to be advancing at a
breathtaking
rate. Every week there seems to be some new disease which genetics has
found
the cause of, or some new procedure - such as genetically modifying
crops
- which generates hysteria in the popular press.
Introducing Genetics provides the reader with a good grounding in this
increasingly
important discipline of science. By separating fact from myth, this
informative
book shows the reader how this science has evolved, from its earliest
routes
in the writings of such renowned scientists as Charles Darwin, to the
groundbreaking
work on heredity that was conducted by Gregor Mendel.
This book also explains how the revolutionary work of twentieth century
scientists, such as James Watson and Francis Crick (amongst others) has
led to the opening of a Pandora's box of possibilities, that has the
potential
to affect all of mankind.
Subjects discussed in this concise and fully illustrated introductory
text,
include topics as varied as Eugenics, Genetic Engineering, and the
genetic
testing of unborn babies for inherited diseases. All of which allow the
reader to develop a good overall understanding of this increasingly
relevant
area of science. (sharmean69@lineone.net from Manchester)
Borin van Loon?
This talented and incisive illustrator is
featured
in many of the books in the "Introducing ..." series. In this
book, collage and illustration are used with short, pithy text to
introduce
the concepts of heredity and some of the major figures in the
development
of genetics -- and eugenics. This book may be more appealing to people
who
already know the material and can appreciate the deftness of Jones and
van
Loon's touch. It is certainly recommended for anyone who's having
trouble
wrapping his head around genetics material in a basic biology setting,
and
will entertain and inform readers from high-school age up. Recommended? Yes. Caveats?
High-school students might go easy on quoting Mr.
Jones's
unsentimental remarks about the personalities of major figures in the
history
of genetics. Also, not all titles in the "Introducing ..." series
are available in the US. See the Icon Books list of US titles for more
information.
(Marmoset Media)
(4 stars) easy to read
The Author explains the basics of genetics via cartoons. This is an
amusing
book and very useful as an introduction. It is however very superficial
and therefore only really for newcomers to genetics or those who want
an
easy read with some humour. (A readerfrom Wilts UK)
Introducing Genetics
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