Genome: the Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters - Matt Ridley

Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters is written by Matt Ridley who received his doctorate from Oxford University. As popular science books go, it might seem from its rather dry title to be one to leave on the shelf, but it is, instead, an enjoyable introduction to the subject of genetics. Genetics is a fairly modern field and for many it must seem a mysterious and dangerous one. This book serves as a brief, but insightful introduction to the subject without ever resorting to being patronising. The preface gives the basic information about DNA and genes needed by the completely unitiated, but is short and snappy so as not to overload a complete ...  Read the complete review

When I come to a book like this after reading something like a literary biography or a history of art, I always feel rather as though I’ve walked out of a cold and dusty room into a warm, sun-lit garden. Science is just so much richer than literature and art, and the richest of all sciences is biology. Living organisms are the most complex and beautiful things in the known universe, but they’re also some of the ugliest and most disturbing. This book gives you glimpses of all these facets of life, but then glimpses are all we have at the moment. That is part of the excitement of the book: we don’t know everything yet and Ridley often stresses out how ...  Read the complete review