The Language of Genes - by Steve Jones (Paperback)

About the Book

Displaying a remarkable ability to illustrate complex ideas simply, geneticist Jones takes the reader on a fascinating tour of the world of human genetics, explaining how the field began, the role genes play in shaping who and what we are, and the effects that new genetic discoveries have had on the basic theories of evolution.

Book Synopsis

Did you know that two of every three people reading this book will die for reasons connected with the genes they carry? That our DNA gradually changes with age, which is why older parents are more likely to give birth to children with genetic defects than younger parents? That each individual is a kind of living fossil, carrying within a genetic record that goes back to the beginnings of humanity? In The Language of Genes, renowned geneticist Steve Jones explores the meanings and explodes the myths of human genetics, offering up an extraordinary picture of what we are, what we were, and what we may become.

"An essential book for anyone interested in the development and possible future of our species."--Kirkus Reviews

"This is one of the most insightful books on genetics to date and certainly the most entertaining."--The Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Steve Jones is a great popularizer of the fields of genetics and biology, and in 1996 wrote and presented a hugely successful BBC TV series called In the Blood. His previous books include The Language of the Genes (which won the prestigious Rhône-Poulenc Science Book Prize) and In the Blood (shortlisted for the same prize). In 1997 he won the Royal Society Faraday Medal for the Public Understanding of Science. The British edition of Darwin's Ghost, titled Almost Like a Whale, won the 1999 BP Natural World Book Prize.