Understanding Genes

My husband had asked what I wanted for one of my milestone birthdays. I thought for a second and told him I’d always wanted my DNA sequenced so I could find out something about my ethnic background. He purchased two kits from 23andMe, we spit into individual tubes and waited for the results. As I recall, my initial ancestry report showed that I was almost 50-50 African and European. But as more and more people have their DNA analyzed and added to the pool of information for 23andMe, my results have changed over the years as it now shows that I am 56.2% Sub-Saharan African.

With the advent of commercial direct to consumer DNA tests such as 23andMe, genes are all over the news. Whether it is an in-depth discussion of the COVID-19 vaccine or caveats about the commercial direct to consumer DNA tests, the media is there to report on it.

And therein lies the problem: many writers overly simplify complex subjects like DNA and genes as they distill it for the lay public.

In “Understanding Genes” author Kostas Kampourakis not only tackles the question of what a gene is (or isn’t) but takes the reader through a historical journey through the discovery of genetics, emphasizing how science has to modify its models and explanations as more and more is discovered, whether proved or disproved.

As a medical historian, I really enjoyed the historical journey, once again meeting the major players and learning something new. If I had any quibble with this trip through scientific progress, I wish the author had taken the reader through the terminology etymology as so much can be gained by understanding why a scientist chooses a term over another.

This is not a book for the casual reader but a reader who I believe has a solid scientific background and who is not intimidated with complex scientific theories and explanations. There are a number of illustrations and charts that help explain the concepts being presented in the book and I really welcomed them as I am a visual learner who appreciates a well-done graphic.

I think it is safe to say that the more we think we know about genes, the less we really know -- but we will get there eventually.