Overview

""Ridley leaps from chromosome to chromosome in a handy summation of our ever increasing understanding of the roles that genes play in disease, behavior, sexual differences, and even intelligence. . . . . He addresses not only the ethical quandaries faced by contemporary scientists but the reductionist danger in equating inheritability with inevitability."" -- The New YorkerThe genomes been mapped. But what does it mean? Matt Ridleys Genome is the book that explains it all: what it is, how it works, and what it portends for the futureArguably the most significant scientific discovery of the new century, the mapping of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome raises almost as many questions as it answers. Questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, about longevity, and about free will. Questions that will affect the rest of your life.Genome offers extraordinary insight into the ramifications of this incredible breakthrough. By picking one newly discovered gen

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9780060894085

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<quote> <blockquote><remark>?Remarkable. . . . Hops from one human chromosome to the next in search of the most delightful stories.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- New York Times Book Review</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?A fascinating tour of the human genome. . . . If you want to catch a glimpse of the biotech century that is now dawning, and how it will make life better for us all, Genome is an excellent place to start.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Wall Street Journal</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?A superb writer whose exquisite, often moving descriptions of life's designs remind me of the best work of the late Lewis Thomas. . . . He crafts some of the clearest explanations of complex biological processes that I have encountered. What's more, he captures their slippery beauty.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Susan Okie, Washington Post Book World</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Ridley is a lucid, engaging and enthusiastic guide to the double-helical DNA that comprises our inheritable human essence.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Los Angeles Times Book Review</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Ridley can explain with equal verve difficult moral issues, philosophical quandaries and technical biochemistry; he distinguishes facts from opinions well, and he's not shy about offering either. Among many recent books on genes, behavior and evolution, Ridley's is one of the most informative. It's also the most fun to read.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Publishers Weekly </i>(starredreview)</by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Superb popular science writing and cogent public affairs argumentation.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Booklist</i> (starred review)</by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?An engrossing account of the genetic history of our species. . . . This book will be particularly relevant to lay readers, providing insight into how far we have come and where we are heading in the understanding of our genetic heritage.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Library Journal</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Ridley . . . deftly takes up the story of the genome in 23 chapters in clear entertaining prose. Eminently readable, compelling and important.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Kirkus Reviews</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?A lucid and exhilarating romp through our 23 human chromosomes that lets us see how nature and nature combine to make us human.?</remark><div align=right><by>--James Watson</by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?With riveting anecdotes, clever analogies and compelling writing, Matt Ridley makes the human genome come alive for us. I was left in awe at the wonder of the human body, and the scientists who unravel its mysteries.?</remark><div align=right><by>--Abraham Verghese, author of The Tennis Partner</i> </by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Clever, up-to-the-minute informative, and an altogether spellbinding read. Ridley does just what a first-rate journalist should do: get it right, make in interesting, then wisely put it all in perspective.? </remark><div align=right><by>--SarahHardy, author of Mother Nature</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>? Genome</i> is a tour de force: clear, witty, timely and informed by an intelligence that sees new knowledge as a blessing and not a curse. . . . A cracking read.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Times</i> (of London)</by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Matt Ridley's brilliant new book is eloquent and up-to-date. . . . A much needed breath of fresh air.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Daily Telegraph</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Compelling. . . . Spectacular. . . . This is one of those rare books in which the intellectual excitement continues to rise from what already seems an almost impossibly high plateau. . . . Not even the scientifically purblind will fail to perceive the momentous nature of the issues he raises.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Spectator</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>? A dazzling work of popular science, offering clarity and inspiration. . . . Witty erudition.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Guardian</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Erudition, intriguing sequences of anecdotes and . . . stylish prose. The combination has resulted in the best popular science book I have read this year, a worthy autobiography of mankind.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Observer</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?An exciting voyage . . . very much up-to-date . . . Ridley includes just the right amount of history and personal anecdote to spice up science. He's a good storyteller.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- ScientificAmerican</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?An extraordinarily nimble synthesist, Ridley leaps from chromosome to chromosome in a handy summation of our ever increasing understanding of the roles that genes play in disease, behavior, sexual differences, and even intelligence. More important, though, he addresses not only the ethical quandaries faced by contemporary scientists but the reductionist danger in equating inheritability with inevitability.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- The New Yorker</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Matt Ridley [writes] with a combination of biblical awe, scientific curiosity and wit about what many consider the greatest scientific breakthrough of the 20th century and the greatest technological challenge of the 21st: the discovery of the molecular basis of life and its many applications in medicine, law, and commerce.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Dallas Morning News</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Thoroughly fascinating. . . . A sophisticated blending of science and public policy certain to educate, entertain, challenge and stimulate even the least technologically inclined reader.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Philadephia Inquirer</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?Lively phrasing and vivid analogies . . . I gained an appreciation for the incredible complexity of human beings.?</remark><div align=right><by>-- Minneapolis Star-Tribune</i></by></div> </blockquote></quote> <quote><blockquote> <remark>?With skillful writing and masterful knowledge of his subject matter, Ridley conveys a wealth of information about what we currentlyknow, or think we know, about the human genome?No well-educated person can afford to remain ignorant of this advancing science. GENOME provides a sound and engaging introduction.?</remark><div align=right><by>--Austin American-Statesman</by></div> </blockquote></quote>

Author Information

Matt Ridley's books--including The Red Queen, Genome, The Rational Optimist, The Evolution of Everything, How Innovation Works, and most recently, Viral: the Search for the Origin of Covid-19 (with Alina Chan)--have sold over a million copies, been translated into 31 languages, and won several awards. He sat in the House of Lords from 2013 and 2021, and was founding chairman of the International Centre for Life in Newcastle. He created the ""Mind and Matter"" column in the Wall Street Journal in 2010, and was a columnist for the Times. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He lives in Northumberland.

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