Product Description

In a book that promises to change the way we think and talk about genes and genetic determinism, Evelyn Fox Keller, one of our most gifted historians and philosphers of science, provides a powerful, profound analysis of the achievements of genetics and molecular biology in the 20th century, the century of the gene. Not just a chronicle of biology's progress from gene to genome in 100 years, "The Century of the Gene" also calls attention to the surprising ways these advances challenge the familiar picture of the gene most of us still entertain. Keller shows us that the very successes that have stirred our imagination have also radically undermined the primacy of the gene - word and object - as the core explanatory concept of heredity and development. She argues that we need a new vocabulary that includes concepts such as robustness, fidelity and evolvability. But more than a new vocabulary, a new awareness is absolutely crucial: that understanding the components of a system (be they individual genes, proteins or even molecules) may tell us little about the interactions among these components. With the Human Genome Project nearing it first and most publicized goal, biologists are coming to realize that they have reached not the end of biology but the beginning of a new era. Indeed, Keller predicts that in the new century we will witness another Cambrian era, this time in new forms of biological thought rather than in new forms of biological life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1059762 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-02
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
We've been under the spell of DNA for too long. Science historian and MacArthur Fellow Evelyn Fox Keller makes the case for radically new thinking about the nature of heredity in The Century of the Gene. This short, magisterial treatise examines over 100 years of genetic thinking and finds outdated elements of Victorian beliefs still permeating our scientific writing today. Despite compelling evidence that cytoplasmic and other non-chromosomal factors play important roles in development and even in the inheritance of traits, most discussion still relies on the master/slave (or manager/worker) relationship between the nucleus and the cell. Keller wants to move on; her proximate goal is to proceed from talking about genes to talking about genetic talk, the better to understand our biases. Her excitement at developments such as the Human Genome Project, despite her initial doubts, is only heightened by the prospect of vast new stretches of uncharted intellectual territory. Ultimately, of course, her programme matches that of the scientific enterprise--to more fully understand ourselves and our world. What comes after The Century of the Gene? An excellent question, and one that can only be answered once we leave the past's baggage behind. --Rob Lightner

Review
"The Century of the Gene," by Evelyn Fox Keller, not only provides an insightful overview of the role of a gene in the creation of an organism but also traces the history of our perception of the gene's role in that creationKeller provides several concise figures that allow a person with minimal knowledge of molecular biology to understand the basics of what a gene is and how it functions within the body. This book also captures past and present thought from critical scientists and philosophers who have contributed to our current understanding of molecular biology[The] overall outlook provides a new understanding of the dynamics of gene regulation and predicts that a new era in which we can understand how to control our own evolution is approaching. From a research perspective, we hope to be able to use this knowledge to help correct medical disorders. However, from a moral and religious perspective, many new boundaries are being crossed. Read this book. You will challenge yourself in trying to figure out what the future will be. -- Dr. John J. Nemunaitis "Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings"

Customer Reviews

History of the gene
This book is good as an introduction to the history of the gene. It describes with some detail the transformations of genetics throughout the 20th century. Unfortunately, it's not very well written, as it is a bit boring to read; but, in the end, you get a good overview of the book's subject.