As a biochemist with a PhD in protein biochemistry applied to cancer biology, I hesitate about diagnosing this book bold, or not yet fully baked. Mind you, I'm not a developmental biologist, which would make me better equipped to critique (and citicize?) this book. Overall, I'm uncertain if this was a 2 star, or 3 star read. Because while the author advanced some really good points about cells being 'the master builders' he also ignored important feedback loops, redefined the 'genome' according to his own preference, and switched terms around probably in an effort to simplify the story for the lay reader to the detriment of current scientific knowledge. And speaking of the lay reader: I doubt they can easily follow this book; I definitely struggled to follow the author's point at times, and that was after 10 years of education in biology and 14 years of lab work.
The thesis of the book is that our gene-centric view of life is inaccurate, and life should be seen as cell-centric, with genes representing essential tools that cells used to survive and (where appropriate) build an organism. The book is thus a rebuttal of Dawkin's "The Selfish Gene" which I haven't yet read but must. To be fair, the author brings forth some very interesting and compelling arguments: not every physical trait is explained by genes (see fingerprints distinct even between identical twins), traits that are no longer useful and would otherwise be discarded can still be revived (e.g. chicken that can grow teeth like primitive dinosaurs), cell's interaction with the environment and each other is paramount to forming a healthy living individual and the same cell with the same DNA placed in distinct conditions will lead to different structures, and the existence of complex multicellular organisms with protracted or limited reproduction cycles. All these observations fly in the face of the simple "gene is king" hypothesis. The strongest argument is best summarized in the following paragraph:
"the fundamental logic of life defies the selfish gene thesis. If as Dawkin’s suggest, life is a battle between individual genes for the price of replicating themselves into eternity, why bother building contraptions as baroque as a eukariotic cell? Why create the marvelous permutations of a moles foot, a bat's wing, a horse's leg, our own hand? Why create forms that require increasing amounts of energy and other resources, some with long periods between birth and sexual maturity, when they can finally serve their purpose of having offsprings to carry half of their genes to the next generation? I do not like “why" questions; the law of evolution is that if it works, it will be kept. The complexity and beauty of the traits I have mentioned are obvious and the question lurks in the background. According to Dawkin’s hypothesis, genes should stick to simple single celled options, (...) or better yet viruses.(...) Single celled organisms would be far more energy efficient vehicles for time traveling genes.” (...) "while every other type of cell in the body harnesses the genome for further multicellular cooperation, the germ cells and gametes are harnessed by the selfish genome, which uses these special cells as their vehicle for time travel, untouched by the creative processes associated with the generation of the organisms. From the point of view of this cell and the organism, the genome is a toolbox that cells used to make a hen, and the egg is simply the hen’s payment for accessing it."
I expected there would be a discussion on prions--meaning proteins that are deformed and can in turn deform other healthy proteins in a new organism without ever affecting the genome. How that fits into this cell-centric theory (it definitely contradicts the gene-centric one) would have been interesting to discuss, but the author didn't touch it.
However interesting the author's thesis was, it wasn't always supported with proper arguments. He insists that genes are not the master builders, but then brings the story back to genes (like when he discusses about somite formation and the roles gene mutations play in damaging this embryonic step). He talks about the importance of proteins in building a body: "It is proteins not genes that give cells the ability to organize themselves in time and space in new ways.” Agree! But proteins are the products of genes! He also forgets to discuss about how proteins loop back to the DNA and alter it in response to external stimuli, which gives a bit more weight to the selfish gene hypothesis. He equates gene copying into mRNA (transcription) with gene expression, which is wrong. Gene expression starts with transcription, but it also requires splicing regulation, translational control (which affects how the mRNA is turned into a protein), as well as post-translational modifications which alter not only the protein's life, but most importantly its function. He talks about genes from different species executing the same function, which is not always the case. He conflates embryonic stem cells with induced pluripotent stem cells, even though they've been shown to not be identical (and while I understand this may have been done for easier reader comprehension, it came at the cost of overstating a scientific discovery and probably muddled the waters even more for a non-specialist audience). The biggest trespass for me was the way he redefined the genome. Take the example of identical twins Isabella and Olivia who both harbored a genetic mutation that fused two genes together and predisposed them to cancer. Only one of the identical twins got cancer however. "; The zygote that would become Olivia and Isabella had not carried either cancer causing gene mutation. Then at some point shortly after gastrulation while their body plan was being constructed, the two genes fused in a blood stem cell in Isabella. Because the twins had shared circulation that stem cell passed on to Olivia and established itself in her bone marrow, where it underwent the second fatal mutation. Ultimately Olivia's leukemia was caused by the two mutations but they lay not in her genome but in the malfunction of one of her stem cells, which had its origin in her twins sister's body." But the mutation WAS in her genome, it just wasn't in all of her cells! The way this paragraph pretzels logic and current knowledge is very confusing, and also I believe scientifically incorrect. This is on top of already confusing sentences that I had a hard time understanding as a practicing biochemist with a good knowledge of genomics; I don't expect the lay audience will comprehend those points easy (for e.g. when we discuss the autosomes versus the sex chromosomes).
Overall, this is an interesting theory, and it's definitely supported by some strong data. I believe the either/or approach of this books or other science communicators like Richard Dawkins is more narrow than it needs to be, and I expect a more balanced "both cells and genes" are paramount for life hypothesis to be closer to the truth. The author raised some important points on how our over-reliance on genetics is making us overstate the importance of small DNA mutations, and overstate the importance of "nature" in general. This can indeed lead to some dystopic futures, which are already beginning to unfold. But the overall complicated presentation, the occasional incorrect information, and the misuse of scientific terms make me hesitant in recommending this book.
PS: One thing that stuck with me was the way he defined plant versus animal cells, based on whether or not 'they move.' It struck me as highly unscientific, and more appropriate for a middle grade audience (for whom this book is way too advanced). The difference between plant and animal cells lies in their COMPONENTS (plant cells have cell walls made of cellulose, they deposit glucose resources as starch instead of glycogen, they don't make or use cholesterol for cell membrane structuring, and they most often than not have chloroplasts which can turn light into biochemical energy), not in whether or not they move.