how modern biology is rewriting our understanding of genetics, disease, and inheritance
339 pages
English language
Published Aug. 12, 2013
"Epigenetics can potentially revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on Earth. It explains why mapping an organism's genetic code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Surveying the twenty-year history of the field while also highlighting its latest findings and innovations, this volume provides a readily understandable introduction to the foundations of epigenetics. Nessa Carey, a leading epigenetics researcher, connects the field's arguments to such diverse phenomena as how ants and queen bees control their colonies; why tortoiseshell cats are always female; why some plants need cold weather before they can flower; and how our bodies age and develop disease. Reaching beyond biology, epigenetics now informs work on drug addiction, the long-term effects of famine, and the physical and psychological consequences of childhood trauma. Carey concludes with a discussion of the …
"Epigenetics can potentially revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on Earth. It explains why mapping an organism's genetic code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Surveying the twenty-year history of the field while also highlighting its latest findings and innovations, this volume provides a readily understandable introduction to the foundations of epigenetics. Nessa Carey, a leading epigenetics researcher, connects the field's arguments to such diverse phenomena as how ants and queen bees control their colonies; why tortoiseshell cats are always female; why some plants need cold weather before they can flower; and how our bodies age and develop disease. Reaching beyond biology, epigenetics now informs work on drug addiction, the long-term effects of famine, and the physical and psychological consequences of childhood trauma. Carey concludes with a discussion of the future directions for this research and its ability to improve human health and well-being."--Amazon.com.
This book might be better than I'm giving credit for here, it was so scientific and didn't pander to it's audience by avoiding talking about the complex science of genetics.
Unfortunately I need some pandering to be sure I understand what is going on. Like, I think I get it, but I ain't sure.
The book gives a solid overview over the early history of Epigenetics as well as the known mechanisms, like histone modification and DNA methylation. The phenomenon of Genomic Imprinting also gets its fair share.
Additionally many of the experiments that established our current knowledge on Epigenetics are described, as well as the potential medical applications. Biologists that are already kinda firm with the general topic may not learn that much new stuff, but I discovered some great experiments that epigeneticists have performed.
Non-biologists be warned: The book is quite heavy on genetics in general. Although the book does not require much prior knowledge and everything is explained in detail you may find it to be too much on the technical side.
So if you are interested in getting a deeper understanding of epigenetics and don't mind technical language I'd recommend this book.
