The Mysterious World of the Human Genome

by Frank Ryan

Overview

The human genome is indeed a mysterious world, but, as this fascinating book shows, its vital secrets are now being uncovered. The latest studiesare revealing exciting new discoveries, such as how the DNA and related chemical compounds in our cells work together to direct the processes of life. Scientists are not only unraveling how life evolved in the ancient past, but are also finding the keys to creating a healthier future. How does the minuscule chemical cluster in each of our 100 trillion cells accomplish the amazing feat of creating and maintaining our bodies? Frank Ryan, a physician and an evolutionary biologist, describes the complex ways in which the genome operates as a holistic system and not solely through genes coding for proteins-the building blocks of life. Also involved are elaborate switching mechanisms that regulate and control portions of our DNA, as well as the interplay of retroviruses and bacteria. This groundbreaking book explains thatwe are on the cusp of an amazing era of disease treatment and eradication.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633881525
Publisher:	Prometheus Books
Publication date:	02/16/2016
Pages:	351
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Dr. Frank Ryan is the bestselling author of Tuberculosis: The Greatest Story Never Told―a New York Times Book of the Year―and Darwin’s Blind Spot, which was recommended by Charlie Munger at the 2003 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. A consultant physician based in Sheffield, Ryan pioneered the evolutionary concepts of “viral symbiosis” and “genomic creativity” and has contributed to the modern understanding of the evolution of the human genome. He is an honorary Senior Lecturer in the Academic Unit of Medical Education, at the University of Sheffield and a Fellow of The Royal College of Physicians, the Royal Society of Medicine, and the Linnean Society of London.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Who Could Have Guessed It? 5

2 DNA Is Confirmed as the Code 24

3 The Story in the Picture 36

4 A Couple of Misfits 50

5 The Secret of Life 59

6 The Sister Molecule 92

7 The Logical Next Step 112

8 First Draft of the Human Genome 124

9 How Heredity Changes 137

10 The Advantage of Living Together 146

11 The Viruses That Are Part of Us 156

12 Genomic Level Evolution 172

13 The Master Controllers 185

14 Our History Preserved in Our DNA 197

15 Our More Distant Ancestors 210

16 The Great Wilderness of Prehistory 225

17 Our Human Relatives 243

18 The Fate of the Neanderthals 257

19 What Makes You Unique 281

20 The Fifth Element 292

Bibliography 305

Notes 309

Index 321

Acknowledgments 341

Editorial Reviews

"Frank Ryan has written the ultimate DNA memoir. In a lively, entertaining voice, Ryan takes us back to a time when no one knew where our hereditary information was kept, and then he puts us on a rollicking ride to the present. On the way, we learn about the evolution of genomes, the genomes of our ancestors, epigenetics, how DNA works, and how although most DNA doesn’t code for proteins, this does not make it junk DNA. This is a great read for both nonscientists and scientists who had their biology classes more than ten years ago.”  —Marc Zimmer, author of Illuminating Disease: An Introduction to Green Fluorescent Proteins “A first-class introduction to one of the greatest scientific projects and discoveries of our time. On this informative, balanced, and truly exciting journey, we are taken through our inner biology and on to such important topics as our relationship to other members of our family tree. Well worth reading and well worth passing on to students.” —Michael Ruse, PhD, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy and director of the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science, Florida State University, and author of Defining Darwin: Essays on the History and Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology “Frank Ryan’s fascinating book tells the story of our genome in an elegantly straightforward way that anyone can understand. Hop on board the magical train tracks of the chromosomes and enjoy!” —Barbara Oakley, PhD, author of Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend and A Mind for Numbers PRAISE FOR THE UK EDITION: “Ryan’s book should have a great appeal to non-scientists and could become a significant instrument in policy formation… Spellbinding, intellectually adventurous, difficult to put down.”  —Nature “Extremely well written… Frank Ryan has the page-turning and spine-chilling ability of a good novelist.”  —Matt Ridley, Sunday Telegraph “Very good at making technical matters comprehensible to the lay reader but more impressive still is the way he conveys the intellectual excitement and elation of scientific discovery”  —Literary Review “Ryan takes us through the drama of discovery and challenges the notion that certain questions are too appalling to contemplate” —New Scientist “

From the Publisher

02/01/2016
The terms DNA and genetics turn up frequently in the news, books, movies, and TV, but what do we really know about related science? Ryan (Univ. of Sheffield, Tuberculosis: The Greatest Story Never Told) feels that an understanding deeper than the superficial level most of us have is vital. To enlighten lay readers, he relates a story that spans the decades from when scientists first began recognizing that some traits were heritable in living things, through the identification of genetic components, and up to today, when the cutting edge of science finds researchers altering and even attempting to synthesize genomes. Ryan's approach is largely chronological, focusing both on the scientists and on their developing knowledge of the subject. There are entertaining accounts of the human drama that often accompanies scientific progress along with clear explanations of what was being learned. The bibliography provides a solid jumping-off point for those interested in further research. VERDICT Ryan's casual style combined with his distinct grasp of the topics he addresses make this a valuable resource for nonscientists who are trying to gain an understanding of a complex but important discipline.—Richard Maxwell, Porter Adventist Hosp. Lib., Denver

Library Journal

★ 2015-11-19
The information revolution in silicon gets the headlines, but a revolution in genetics has been running in parallel and will soon affect our lives even more profoundly. Plenty of authors are paying attention, but British physician and researcher Ryan (Metamorphosis: Unmasking the Mystery of How Life Transforms, 2011, etc.) delivers an up-to-date history that will be definitive—at least for a few years. After a passing glance at Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin, Ryan explores the work of one of the greatest scientists to never have won a Nobel Prize: Oswald Avery, who led the team that discovered, in the 1940s, that DNA carries genetic information. Until that point, everyone assumed that genes were proteins—extremely complex molecules. However, despite an impressive size, DNA has a simple, repetitious structure. In an act of dazzling creativity (others did the actual research), James Watson and Francis Crick determined the makeup of DNA in 1952. Researchers soon deciphered its code, and the race was on to learn how genes make a living thing. Matters have become complicated in recent years, but we're getting close. Ryan quotes liberally from The Eighth Day of Creation (1979), Horace Freeland Judson's masterpiece on the early decades of DNA research. Like Judson, Ryan conducts thoughtful interviews, describes experiments in precise detail, and takes care to include the inevitable politics, personalities, frustrations, and controversies. He manages to make sense of a relentless stream of discoveries that have already revolutionized our picture of human evolution and which will allow us—not quite yet but any year now—to create life in the lab and cure disease. "In April 2015 the human embryo was deliberately engineered in a scientific experiment for the first time," writes the author. "I believe that this is as great a leap as the discovery of gravity by Newton [and] relativity by Einstein." An enlightening account of past and present knowledge and the future possibilities of human heredity.

Kirkus Reviews