1. The Public Image of Genes; 2. The Origin and Evolution of the Gene Concept; 3. The Devolution of the Gene Concept; 4. There are No 'Genes For' Characteristics or Disease; 5. What Genes 'Do'; 6. The Dethronement of Genes.
An accessible but rigorous introduction to genes for non-experts, explaining what genes are and what they can and cannot do.
Kostas Kampourakis is the author and editor of books about evolution, genetics, philosophy, and history of science, and the editor of the Cambridge book series Understanding Life. He is a former Editor-in-Chief of the journal Science & Education, and the book series Science: Philosophy, History and Education. He is currently a researcher at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, where he also teaches at the Section of Biology and the University Institute for Teacher Education (http://kampourakis.com).
'This book was interesting. I appreciate that the preface ties in
science fiction and how it compares to the reality of genetics as
well as how the modern perceptions of genetics is not always the
same as the scientific reality. It was well organized, the charts
and images were well chosen and strategically placed so as to best
support the text. I enjoyed how much of the history of genetics was
woven through the book. The writing was quite good for a science
text, the book is clear and not too heavy.' Jessica Fick, NetGalley
Reader
'In Understanding Genes author Kostas Kampourakis not only tackles
the question of what a gene is (or isn't) but takes the reader
through a historical journey through the discovery of genetics,
emphasizing how science has to modify its models and explanations
as more and more is discovered, whether proved or disproved. As a
medical historian, I really enjoyed the historical journey, once
again meeting the major players and learning something new.'
Allyson Dyar, NetGalley Reader
'Understanding Genes is an essential guide to this important,
complex, and sometimes incendiary topic. In his clear and balanced
discussion, Kostas Kampourakis cuts through all the hype and
misconception that often surround the debate about what genes are
and what they do, and provides the most honest and careful
discussion I have seen of how DNA participates in the processes
that support life. In doing so, he reveals the real promise,
limitations, and dilemmas of the current age of genomics.' Philip
Ball, science writer and author of How to Grow a Human
'Did you know that two blue-eyed people can have a brown-eyed
child? Why calico cats are (almost) always female? It's in the
genes, but it's not all in the genes. Kampourakis shows that, while
genes are unquestionably important, fears of 'designer babies' are
both overblown and misguided. Genes alone do not make you who you
are. They are not the ultimate essence of life. Understanding Genes
is simply the best book out there for students or anyone wanting a
smart, thoughtful introduction to what genes are and do – and what
they aren't and don't.' Nathaniel Comfort,, Professor, Department
of the History of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
'Kampourakis has produced a comprehensive but highly readable
introduction to genetics and genomics. His take on the fallacy of
genetic fatalism is a must-read for both geneticists and the casual
reader … The role of genetics and genomics in society is treated
comprehensively by Kampourakis. He has produced a very readable
book with an important message about genetic fatalism – it doesn't
exist!' Professor Robert DeSalle, American Museum of Natural
History, New York
'… provides a plain, rich, and direct narrative of what a gene is
and is not, with practical examples of how genes relate to our
daily life … clearly identifies controversial views in [the] fields
of genetics, genomics, cell and organismic biology, and clarifies
them for the comprehension of the just initiated as well as the
experienced reader.' Carlos Sonnenschein, MD, Tufts University
School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA, and Centre Cavailles, École
Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
'Understanding Genes is a remarkably clear, rigorous, and yet
accessible review of the biological and social roles of genes.
Building on a wide range of sources including history, biology,
philosophy, and social studies, the book identifies a variety of
gene concepts currently in use, illustrates their significance
through a wealth of concrete examples, and discusses the relations
between these different ways of understanding genes. By deftly
combining conceptual analysis with empirical evidence, the book
succeeds in comprehensively introducing this complex subject
without oversimplifying. It is highly recommended to readers
venturing in this domain for the first time, as well as to experts
wishing to expand their perspective.' Sabina Leonelli, University
of Exeter, UK
'Genes – many people use the word, few understand its many meanings
and how they changed over time: from tools to think with, to tools
to trace ancestors with. This book guides the reader through the
many transformations of this concept from conception to
misconceptions, from Mendel to the media. We learn about genetics,
genomics, and post-genomics, but also about the interactions
between scientific and public understandings and the role of
metaphor in spicing things up. Readers come to realize that genes
are neither essences, nor things, nor actors; genes only work in
context, and in collaboration with each other within an interactive
genome. This makes it difficult to find easy solutions to medical
problems, but it also means that genes don't determine who we are.
This book is more than a guide to understanding genes; it is
essential reading for everyone interested in the role that genes
play in science and culture.' Brigitte Nerlich, University of
Nottingham, UK
'In rigorous but uncomplicated prose, Kostas Kampourakis gives us a
present we wish we could have received 100 years ago: a clear
explanation of what genes do, what they do not do, what they are,
and what they are not. In doing so, he teaches us salutary lessons
in both the history and philosophy of science and in human
psychology. At a time when our ability to manipulate nature is
reaching new levels, Kampourakis provides a road map for
understanding the relevance of genetics to our lives. This is a
book everyone should read.' Oren Harman, Senior Research Fellow at
the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and Chair of the Graduate Program
in Science, Technology and Society, Bar Ilan University, and author
of The Man Who Invented the Chromosome, The Price of Altruism, and
Evolutions: Fifteen Myths that Explain Our World
'Understanding Genes is the first book that provides an honest,
nuanced, and full accounting of how genes operate in an organism
that is accessible to a general reader. I have not seen in one
volume such clear analysis of the 'gene' and its deconstruction
from a primary cause to a 'segment of DNA' that is a necessary, but
not sufficient, cause of different types of biochemical events. The
book exhibits the expertise of an author whose breadth of knowledge
of genetics, history and philosophy of science, and science
education makes this book exceptionally valuable as a scientific
antidote to the tide of popular oversimplifications and the trend
in the scientific literature of genetic reductionism.' Sheldon
Krimsky, Lenore Stern Professor of Humanities & Social Sciences,
and Adjunct Professor of Public Health & Community Medicine, Tufts
University
'If you are looking for a concise and up-to-date book on the role
of genes (and the science of genes) in our society, look no
further: Understanding Genes is an accessible, yet nuanced, account
of how the concept of the gene has developed throughout history,
how its cultural and social meanings have changed, and how genetic
factors influence the expression of human behavior and diseases. It
conveys not only the basics of genetic thinking, but also a sense
for how our understanding of what genes are, and what they do, is
always also a response to the big questions that society asks at
any given time. I highly recommend this beautifully written book to
students, journalists, researchers from other disciplines, and in
fact anyone seeking to understand the role of genes – and of
genetics – in our world.' Barbara Prainsack, University of Vienna,
Austria
'In Understanding Genes, Kostas Kampourakis draws on history and
popular culture as well as the latest scientific research to help
the beginning reader to grasp what genes are, why they are
important, and how to give that importance its due without hype or
hysteria. Anyone looking for an introduction to genetics that is
both reliable and readable need look no further.' Gregory Radick,
University of Leeds, UK
'This excellent book is comprehensive, detailed, and amazingly
informative, yet eminently readable; it's a really lovely synthesis
of the past half-century of thought about what genes are, what
genes do, and why they – along with their contexts – are so
extremely important. Kampourakis presents biological facts with a
'systems' perspective that remains unwaveringly attentive to the
fact that genetic information is always embedded in a context, a
context that renders developmental outcomes unpredictable from DNA
sequence information alone. By deploying wonderful new metaphors
and unpacking older and potentially misleading metaphors, he helps
readers avoid many of the misunderstandings that arise from various
sources. Accurate and poised at the cutting edge, Understanding
Genes is lucid enough to be accessible for the general public and
students learning about genetics for the first time, but erudite
enough for scientists interested in what we currently know about
genes.' David S. Moore,
'His approach is methodical, thorough, and buttressed by a number
of illustrations and sidebars that help clarify some difficult
concepts as he, for instance, explains how one gene has multiple
effects; how any process or disease has multiple genes involved;
how genes are part of an ecosystem of interrelated parts such as
proteins, RNA, expression, the environment; how epigenetics has
complicated our view of genes' constancy, etc. Kampourakis shows
the ability to write clearly, especially so in his summaries toward
the end of sections.' Bill Capossere, Fantasyliterature.com
'This book provides a good current primer on the field and can
serve as a starting point for educators in characterizing the
misconceptions that students have and organizing content that
addresses these issues.' John R. True, The Quarterly Review of
Biology
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