Herding Hemingway's Cats : Understanding how our genes work

ISBN-13: 9781472910073 / Angielski / Miękka / 2017 / 288 str.

Kat Arney

Opis

The language of genes has become common parlance. We know they make our eyes blue, our hair curly, and they control our risks of cancer, alcoholism, and Alzheimer's. One thousand dollars will buy you your own genome readout, stored on a USB stick. And advances in genetic medicine hold huge promise. We've all heard of genes, but how do they actually work? There are six feet of DNA inside each of your cells; this encodes 20,000 or so genes, tangled into a mass of molecular spaghetti. This is the text of the cookbook of life, and hidden within these strands are the instructions that tell cells when and where to turn genes on or off. In 1935, Ernest Hemingway was supposedly given Snow White, a six-toed cat who went on to father a line of similar offspring that still roam the writer's Florida estate. Scientists now know that the fault driving this profusion of digits lies in a tiny genetic control switch, miles away (in molecular terms) from the gene that makes toes. Researchers are discovering more about the myriad molecular switches that make sure genes are turned on at the right time and in the right place, and what happens when they don't work properly. This is allowing a four-dimensional picture of DNA to be built--a dynamic biological library, rather than static strings of code. Geneticist Kat Arney explores the intricacies of how, out of this seeming genetic chaos, life is created."

Recenzje

A witty, clued-up report from the front lines of genetics ... Kat Arney unravels the intricacies of the discipline with a romp through 'thumbed' cats, hipped fish and frank interviews with scientists. Nature

Spis treści

Introduction: It's All About that Base1. It's Not What You've Got, It's What You Do With It That Counts2. Taking Out the Garbage3. A Bit of Dogma4. Throwing the Switch5. The Secret's in the Blend6. Cats with Thumbs7. Fish with Hips8. Mice and Men and Mole Rats, Oh My!9. Party Town10. Pimp My Genome11. Cut and Paste12. Nature's Red Pen13. Ever Increasing Circles14. Silence of the Genes15. Night of the Living Dead16. On the Hop17. Opening a Can of Wobbly Worms18. Everyone's a Little Bit Mutant19. Opening the Black Box20. Blame the Parents21. Meet the Mickey Mouse Mice22. In Search of the 21st-Century GeneGlossaryI'd like to thank .ReferencesIndex

O autorze

Following a doctorate and subsequent research career in genetics, Kat Arney went on to become Science Communications Manager for Cancer Research UK, where she translated science into plain English to help people understand more about the disease. Now a freelance science writer and broadcaster, Kat's writing has appeared in the Guardian, Science, New Scientist, BBC Online and Al-Jazeera Online.Kat regularly appears on national TV and radio shows, including Today, BBC Breakfast and GMTV, talking about the latest cancer research. She has presented several BBC Radio 4 science documentaries and programmes in the Costing the Earth series, is a regular presenter with the Naked Scientists, and presents and produces the Naked Genetics monthly podcast.