Stem cells in the pituitary gland

Book review: 50 Genetics Ideas You Really Need to Know

Frank Norman

Mark Henderson is the science correspondent of The Times and one of the most respected science journalists. Though not himself a scientist he has taken a particular interest in biomedical topics and especially genetics. He is therefore well qualified to explain the field to a general audience. Early on he explains why we should be interested: “The double helix…was the harbinger of a new genetic age in which it was to become possible to use DNA to diagnose disease, to develop drugs, to catch criminals and even to modify life.” Genetics is a relatively young science but it is changing the way that we understand life and, to an extent, the way we live.

The book is arranged in 50 four-page chapters, each a pithy and lucid explanation of one topic. Henderson does not take a narrow view of genetics. His topics range from evolution and classical genetics through molecular biology, genomics, genetic technology, sex, genetic modification (GM), forensic science, stem cells, ethics, patents, science fiction, evo-devo and synthetic biology. The chapters are carefully ordered; several times I reached the end of a chapter and found a question forming in my mind “what about …?” only to discover that the next chapter was devoted to answering that question.

There is a liberal use of quotations from leading scientists such as Francis Crick, John Sulston and Alex Jeffreys, as well as quotations from figures outside science, such as Bill Clinton, Virginia Woolf, Karl Marx and Christopher Reeve. I liked the use of different typefaces and of boxes for related points. Some may find this visual diversity a distraction. It can make it hard to read through everything in sequence, but it makes the book easy to dip into and browse through. Occasional illustrations are included where this aids understanding. Each chapter also has a timeline, giving the dates of major developments for that topic, and a final summary of the topic in three to seven words, “the condensed idea”. The book also includes a short glossary and an index.

I think the book works well on many levels and provides a very readable introduction to this topic.

50 Genetics Ideas You Really Need to Know by Mark Henderson is published by Quercus, 2008.

This essay was published in the Mill Hill Essays 2010

ISBN: 978-0-9546302-8-9

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