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Mysterious World of the Human Genome
The human genome is indeed a mysterious world, but, as this fascinating book shows, its vital secrets are now being uncovered. The latest studiesare revealing exciting new discoveries, such as how the DNA and related chemical compounds in our cells work together to direct the processes of life. Scientists are not only unraveling how life evolved in the ancient past, but are also finding the keys to creating a healthier future. How does the minuscule chemical cluster in each of our 100 trillion cells accomplish the amazing feat of creating and maintaining our bodies? Frank Ryan, a physician and an evolutionary biologist, describes the complex ways in which the genome operates as a holistic system and not solely through genes coding for proteins-the building blocks of life. Also involved are elaborate switching mechanisms that regulate and control portions of our DNA, as well as the interplay of retroviruses and bacteria.This groundbreaking book explains thatwe are on the cusp of an amazing era of disease treatment and eradication.
351 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2015
41 people are currently reading
769 people want to read
About the author
Frank Ryan
14 books76 followersFrank Ryan is a consultant physician in the UK as well as being an innovative evolutionary biologist, who has introduced the concepts of aggressive symbiosis to virology, and the concepts of genomic creativity and the holobiontic human genome to the story of human evolution. His major scientific interest has been the pioneering and development of the concept of viruses as symbionts, thus bringing together the disciplines of evolutionary virology and symbiology. He has a major interest in the evolution of the human genome and the implications this has for medicine.
BOOKS
Frank's books include the recently published "The Mysterious World of the Human Genome", Virolution, Metamorphosis, Darwin's Blind Spot, Virus X, and The Forgotten Plague. World in Action and Horizon based programs on Frank's books. The Forgotten Plague was a non-fiction book of the year for the New York Times. Virus X also received outstanding reviews in the New York Times and The Washington Post's Bookworld, and Darwin's Blind Spot was the book of choice for Charlie Munger in 2003.
Frank's books have also been the subject of TV and radio documentaries and have been translated into many languages. He is also an occasional reviewer of books for the New York Times.
SOCIAL LIFE
Frank is married with two children. He is an entertaining speaker, which has helped to make him popular with the live media, professional colleagues and lay audiences alike.
BOOKS
Frank's books include the recently published "The Mysterious World of the Human Genome", Virolution, Metamorphosis, Darwin's Blind Spot, Virus X, and The Forgotten Plague. World in Action and Horizon based programs on Frank's books. The Forgotten Plague was a non-fiction book of the year for the New York Times. Virus X also received outstanding reviews in the New York Times and The Washington Post's Bookworld, and Darwin's Blind Spot was the book of choice for Charlie Munger in 2003.
Frank's books have also been the subject of TV and radio documentaries and have been translated into many languages. He is also an occasional reviewer of books for the New York Times.
SOCIAL LIFE
Frank is married with two children. He is an entertaining speaker, which has helped to make him popular with the live media, professional colleagues and lay audiences alike.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 28, 2019
Deep, thorough, and a bit overwhelming
One of the things that becomes clear in reading this fascinating book is that sequencing the human genome in 2001 was really just a small step toward understanding the human genome. Another bit of sobering clarity presented here (and perhaps of even more importance) concerns how we as a species are going to use that knowledge for good or ill as we genetically engineer (or not) the human genome.
The central theme of the book concerns two highly significant and somewhat amazing discoveries that are leading us to the modern understanding of how biological inheritance really works and how complex it is. The role of epigenetics (one of Dr. Ryan’s favorite subjects) and the significance of symbiosis in human heredity are highlighted and placed under careful scrutiny. Ryan in part sees epigenetics as “software” to the “hardware” of the genes.
And this brings me to a wider theme, that of living things working together symbiotically as they form an ever evolving ecology. When I first began to study evolution many years ago the idea of cooperation—symbiosis—among microbes, plants and animals was thought to be just a minor part of the overall picture of evolution. We now know that cooperation among species is much more important than a superficial notion of a “selfish gene.” Instead of calling the gene “selfish” better would be to recognize that the gene has a quality of enlightened self-interest and can turn its enemies into friends. Would that our phenotypes were always so clever!
Ryan defines “symbiosis” in the broadest sense of the term to include the early parasitic relationships that are unstable to relationships that neither harm nor help the partners to mutualism in which one or both partners benefit. Perhaps the most important example of mutualism is the relationship between plants and their fungal partners. Ryan calls this an “intimate symbiosis, with the plant supplying the fungus with carbohydrates for energy and the fungus supplying the plant with water and minerals.” (p. 148)
But before the central theme comes a little history. Ryan begins with Oswald T. Avery to whom the book is dedicated and others as he recalls their early work toward discovering the means through which biological characteristics are inherited. They discovered DNA. He follows this up with a very readable account of how James Watson, Francis Crick and Rosaline Franklin discovered the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953 (with a little (perhaps inadvertent) help from, among others, Linus Pauling!). Ryan makes the people come to life and provides some detail not given in Watson’s famous book The Double Helix.
Ryan then recounts the race to the actual sequencing of the human genome, a race that ended in something like a dead heat between entrepreneur J. Craig Venter’s Celera Genomics and the National Institutes of Health’s Human Genome Project led by James Watson.
The middle part of the book gets more technical as Ryan attempts a crash course in genetics for the layman along with an update on the latest findings and understandings. I found this part of the book challenging to say the least, and a bit amazing. The fact “that roughly 9 per cent of our human genome is now made up of retroviral DNA” (p. 162) gives one pause. As Ryan explains, an analysis of viral coding in our DNA allows us to look back in time and gain insights into “the great wilderness of the prehistory” while telling us about ancient invasions from viruses that infected our ancestors. The earliest known of these human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) entered the human genome “somewhere around 30 million years ago.” (p. 222)
In some way our defense mechanisms were able to take in the viral code and turn it into something positive or at least neutralize it. And now like fossils in our genes the code remains, although in some cases it has been put to positive use. Strange. Ryan sees this as “powerful supportive evidence for virus-human symbiosis at genomic level.” (p. 169) It reminds me of the famous discovery by Lynn Margulis that the mitochondria that power our cells were once invaders that we somehow came to terms with by forming a mutually beneficial symbiosis.
Not so technical and very enlightening is Ryan’s concept of “genomic creativity.” He uses the acronym “MESH” for what he sees as the four distinct mechanisms of evolutionary change. They are “mutation, epigenetics, symbiosis and hybridisation.” (p. 145) Thus our idea of how evolution works has been greatly augmented since the time of Darwin or even from a couple of decades ago.
The next part of the book is about the prehistory and how we evolved from Homo erectus along with three other now extinct humans: Homo neanderthalensis, Homo floresiensis, and the most recently discovered “mysterious species,” Denisova hominins. I read with great interest about the latest discoveries via DNA analysis and other evidence (“archaeogenetic calculations”—see p. 219) on how the Neanderthal went extinct and especially what we now know about what the Neanderthal looked like (light skin, probably blond or reddish hair, blue or otherwise light-colored eyes), cogitated (brain bigger than ours with verbal modules), and lived (made thatched huts, made water craft, displayed symbolic ability etc.). Incidentally according to Ryan the Neanderthal is not extinct “but live[s] on as an integral part of our own hereditary pedigree.” (p. 272) In other words we mated with the Neanderthal and our greater numbers absorbed them, and now thirty or forty thousand years later their characteristics have been reduced to about four percent of our genome. In particular I am proud to know (thanks to 23 and Me) that my genome is 3.1% Neanderthal. That’s the 99th percentile!
This part of the book was of particular interest to me as Ryan goes back into the human prehistory and shows us what we have learned due to genetic analysis. The past is literally coded in our genes. Genomic analysis is shedding light on the discussion about how and when we came out of Africa. Also very interesting is the possibility of “a near-extinction event” that reduced the human “population to less than 10,000 individuals, and some think it may have been as few as 1,000.” (See pages 221-222.)
The final part of the book is about how our knowledge and understanding of our genome will change us, our societies and our evolutionary trajectory. Ryan touches on the controversies to come concerning genetic engineering of the human genome as he reveals that the first artificial genome (bacterial) has already been constructed, and that the first human embryo engineered. (See the final chapter, “The Fifth Element.”)
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
One of the things that becomes clear in reading this fascinating book is that sequencing the human genome in 2001 was really just a small step toward understanding the human genome. Another bit of sobering clarity presented here (and perhaps of even more importance) concerns how we as a species are going to use that knowledge for good or ill as we genetically engineer (or not) the human genome.
The central theme of the book concerns two highly significant and somewhat amazing discoveries that are leading us to the modern understanding of how biological inheritance really works and how complex it is. The role of epigenetics (one of Dr. Ryan’s favorite subjects) and the significance of symbiosis in human heredity are highlighted and placed under careful scrutiny. Ryan in part sees epigenetics as “software” to the “hardware” of the genes.
And this brings me to a wider theme, that of living things working together symbiotically as they form an ever evolving ecology. When I first began to study evolution many years ago the idea of cooperation—symbiosis—among microbes, plants and animals was thought to be just a minor part of the overall picture of evolution. We now know that cooperation among species is much more important than a superficial notion of a “selfish gene.” Instead of calling the gene “selfish” better would be to recognize that the gene has a quality of enlightened self-interest and can turn its enemies into friends. Would that our phenotypes were always so clever!
Ryan defines “symbiosis” in the broadest sense of the term to include the early parasitic relationships that are unstable to relationships that neither harm nor help the partners to mutualism in which one or both partners benefit. Perhaps the most important example of mutualism is the relationship between plants and their fungal partners. Ryan calls this an “intimate symbiosis, with the plant supplying the fungus with carbohydrates for energy and the fungus supplying the plant with water and minerals.” (p. 148)
But before the central theme comes a little history. Ryan begins with Oswald T. Avery to whom the book is dedicated and others as he recalls their early work toward discovering the means through which biological characteristics are inherited. They discovered DNA. He follows this up with a very readable account of how James Watson, Francis Crick and Rosaline Franklin discovered the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953 (with a little (perhaps inadvertent) help from, among others, Linus Pauling!). Ryan makes the people come to life and provides some detail not given in Watson’s famous book The Double Helix.
Ryan then recounts the race to the actual sequencing of the human genome, a race that ended in something like a dead heat between entrepreneur J. Craig Venter’s Celera Genomics and the National Institutes of Health’s Human Genome Project led by James Watson.
The middle part of the book gets more technical as Ryan attempts a crash course in genetics for the layman along with an update on the latest findings and understandings. I found this part of the book challenging to say the least, and a bit amazing. The fact “that roughly 9 per cent of our human genome is now made up of retroviral DNA” (p. 162) gives one pause. As Ryan explains, an analysis of viral coding in our DNA allows us to look back in time and gain insights into “the great wilderness of the prehistory” while telling us about ancient invasions from viruses that infected our ancestors. The earliest known of these human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) entered the human genome “somewhere around 30 million years ago.” (p. 222)
In some way our defense mechanisms were able to take in the viral code and turn it into something positive or at least neutralize it. And now like fossils in our genes the code remains, although in some cases it has been put to positive use. Strange. Ryan sees this as “powerful supportive evidence for virus-human symbiosis at genomic level.” (p. 169) It reminds me of the famous discovery by Lynn Margulis that the mitochondria that power our cells were once invaders that we somehow came to terms with by forming a mutually beneficial symbiosis.
Not so technical and very enlightening is Ryan’s concept of “genomic creativity.” He uses the acronym “MESH” for what he sees as the four distinct mechanisms of evolutionary change. They are “mutation, epigenetics, symbiosis and hybridisation.” (p. 145) Thus our idea of how evolution works has been greatly augmented since the time of Darwin or even from a couple of decades ago.
The next part of the book is about the prehistory and how we evolved from Homo erectus along with three other now extinct humans: Homo neanderthalensis, Homo floresiensis, and the most recently discovered “mysterious species,” Denisova hominins. I read with great interest about the latest discoveries via DNA analysis and other evidence (“archaeogenetic calculations”—see p. 219) on how the Neanderthal went extinct and especially what we now know about what the Neanderthal looked like (light skin, probably blond or reddish hair, blue or otherwise light-colored eyes), cogitated (brain bigger than ours with verbal modules), and lived (made thatched huts, made water craft, displayed symbolic ability etc.). Incidentally according to Ryan the Neanderthal is not extinct “but live[s] on as an integral part of our own hereditary pedigree.” (p. 272) In other words we mated with the Neanderthal and our greater numbers absorbed them, and now thirty or forty thousand years later their characteristics have been reduced to about four percent of our genome. In particular I am proud to know (thanks to 23 and Me) that my genome is 3.1% Neanderthal. That’s the 99th percentile!
This part of the book was of particular interest to me as Ryan goes back into the human prehistory and shows us what we have learned due to genetic analysis. The past is literally coded in our genes. Genomic analysis is shedding light on the discussion about how and when we came out of Africa. Also very interesting is the possibility of “a near-extinction event” that reduced the human “population to less than 10,000 individuals, and some think it may have been as few as 1,000.” (See pages 221-222.)
The final part of the book is about how our knowledge and understanding of our genome will change us, our societies and our evolutionary trajectory. Ryan touches on the controversies to come concerning genetic engineering of the human genome as he reveals that the first artificial genome (bacterial) has already been constructed, and that the first human embryo engineered. (See the final chapter, “The Fifth Element.”)
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
February 22, 2018
I have recently been introduced to genetic testing through my son who had testing done leading to my wife and I pursuing testing for ourselves. These life experiences have lead to a desire to develop a basic understanding of the science behind the testing.
The book is meant to be an overview of the subject for non-scientists. I feel that this goal was about 80% realized. At points it felt as though the author was underestimating the comprehensive abilities of a regular person (See other reviewers criticisms of the train analogy). In other segments I found myself YouTubing and Wiki-ing to make sure I was following.
A few highlights for me:
1. I really appreciated the early chapters and their explanations of the basics of DNA/RNA and how it all works to make species.
2. I enjoyed the historical development parts. The key players in the story of genetics are introduced and placed in an overarching timeline.
3. Late in the book he discusses the interplay between archaeology/history and genetics research. This was both interesting and informative. I feel like I understand the evidence behind evolution much more thoroughly thanks to this book.
4. I consumed this book in an audio format. The reader made different accents when quoting different historical figures. This was really entertaining. It also played a functional role as it helped the listener to differentiate voices.
In summary, this was a helpful book that was mostly entertaining as well. I will likely revisit it in the future as I continue to wrap my head around these concepts.
The book is meant to be an overview of the subject for non-scientists. I feel that this goal was about 80% realized. At points it felt as though the author was underestimating the comprehensive abilities of a regular person (See other reviewers criticisms of the train analogy). In other segments I found myself YouTubing and Wiki-ing to make sure I was following.
A few highlights for me:
1. I really appreciated the early chapters and their explanations of the basics of DNA/RNA and how it all works to make species.
2. I enjoyed the historical development parts. The key players in the story of genetics are introduced and placed in an overarching timeline.
3. Late in the book he discusses the interplay between archaeology/history and genetics research. This was both interesting and informative. I feel like I understand the evidence behind evolution much more thoroughly thanks to this book.
4. I consumed this book in an audio format. The reader made different accents when quoting different historical figures. This was really entertaining. It also played a functional role as it helped the listener to differentiate voices.
In summary, this was a helpful book that was mostly entertaining as well. I will likely revisit it in the future as I continue to wrap my head around these concepts.
November 11, 2018
Fiquei bastante desiludido com este livro. Embora o autor tente explicar como é que o genoma humano funciona, em geral parece-me falhar. Mais importante que isso, Frank Ryan é muito parcial na sua abordagem, dando uma visão errada sobre o estado da arte em genética. Como é que é possível não falar de junk DNA num livro sobre genética? A componente histórica, ainda que interessante, padece também de várias falhas que parecem ter propósitos sensacionalistas: muitas das descobertas que são descritas como revolucionárias e surpreendentes para a comunidade científica, foram na verdade incrementais. Em suma, Ryan não deveria ter escrito este livro, porque o mesmo demonstra ou que ele não é honesto e imparcial na sua exposição, ou que não está devidamente informado.
June 29, 2022
I largely enjoyed this book and the historical perspective it gave on some of the scientists who made major discoveries in genetics. I also enjoyed the quick look at findings of paleogenetics, and applaud the author for a simple yet important point: “Yet such differences do not feed into the slanted viewpoints of racists. Rather, they confirm and extend what the earliest geneticists, such as Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, were at pains to emphasize and celebrate: our oneness not only as a species but as a human
family.”
family.”
July 18, 2024
Stopped at p26, resuming when I can travel to a lab to study in more detail.
February 16, 2016
The objective of The Mysterious World of the Human Genome is “to provide a non-scientific reader with a basic understanding of how his or her genome works”. To proceed directly to my verdict: Frank Ryan falls short in achieving this goal.
My emotions while reading The Mysterious World of the Human Genome ranged between utter fascination and downright frustration. A key issue with the book is that Ryan appears to confuse accessibility and legibility with childishness. Ryan introduces, admittedly complicated, concepts and theories, and subsequently attempts to ‘dumb down’ these concepts and theories by illustrating them using a ‘magic train’. What Ryan fails to realize here, is that complex concepts and theories in themselves are no issue, as long as the author focusses on the implications of these concepts and theories.
This issue is more pronounced in the middle part of the book. Ryan floods the reader with complexities about the working of cells. However, I never understood why Ryan introduces these. They seem to serve no other purpose than simply conveying the information. My guess is that most layman readers, just like myself, will have forgotten the middle 100-or-so pages of this book right after they have read them.
On the other hand, The Mysterious World of the Human Genome also has chapters that will leave the reader to wonder whether it they are written by the same author. The introduction of the book managed to grip me, and so did the last 100-or-so pages. In the last chapters, Ryan discusses how sequencing of the human genome helps us to understand our ancestry. These chapters left me baffled.
Had the Mysterious World of the Human Genome looked like introductory and last chapters in its entirety, this book would have warranted 4.0-4.5 stars. However, in its current form, I cannot grant it more than 2.5 stars. This is particularly a shame because the structure hold for a fantastic book – it is ‘merely’ its execution that significantly lowers its score.
My emotions while reading The Mysterious World of the Human Genome ranged between utter fascination and downright frustration. A key issue with the book is that Ryan appears to confuse accessibility and legibility with childishness. Ryan introduces, admittedly complicated, concepts and theories, and subsequently attempts to ‘dumb down’ these concepts and theories by illustrating them using a ‘magic train’. What Ryan fails to realize here, is that complex concepts and theories in themselves are no issue, as long as the author focusses on the implications of these concepts and theories.
This issue is more pronounced in the middle part of the book. Ryan floods the reader with complexities about the working of cells. However, I never understood why Ryan introduces these. They seem to serve no other purpose than simply conveying the information. My guess is that most layman readers, just like myself, will have forgotten the middle 100-or-so pages of this book right after they have read them.
On the other hand, The Mysterious World of the Human Genome also has chapters that will leave the reader to wonder whether it they are written by the same author. The introduction of the book managed to grip me, and so did the last 100-or-so pages. In the last chapters, Ryan discusses how sequencing of the human genome helps us to understand our ancestry. These chapters left me baffled.
Had the Mysterious World of the Human Genome looked like introductory and last chapters in its entirety, this book would have warranted 4.0-4.5 stars. However, in its current form, I cannot grant it more than 2.5 stars. This is particularly a shame because the structure hold for a fantastic book – it is ‘merely’ its execution that significantly lowers its score.
July 10, 2019
Ryan's book should have been named "The DNA Memoir and It's Existence Inside Our's". It thoroughly covers everything from historical topics to the evolution of our species to the biochemistry of the simple yet elegant design of the molecule of life. Do I think it's easy to read? No. Although the author promises that he'll make this complex environment a preschool for the layman, he certainly doesn't succeed. If he did, he would have covered nothing. And compared to the vast amount of knowledge present in the field, it did cover nothing. But in a few hundred pages, I still think this is as good as it can get for one to explore the genome. The scientific interactions are animated, with Crick and Watson being heros of human medicine, which they certainly are. My favorite aspect of the book is the ability of the author to be a true scientific writer. His analogies are truly priceless. Especially the illusions he created as "we zip through the chromosome together." And Mr. Ryan is very capable of fathoming the exploration of the evolution of humanity, and the discoveries that come along the way. He digs deep into what a small feat means for the scientific community, and why it's just so valuable to this species. Homo Sapiens we are! And the extinct Homo community gets a great shoutout in this book. The transitions and interactions of our relatives and Neanderthals are shown. Denisovans are once again part of the group, with us possibly being closer related than imagines. The entire Hominidae family gathers to celebrate our genetic connection.
September 27, 2025
It IS good, but it was a struggle to get fully into all of this. Definitely interesting for having some introductory look into genomes and biology across multiple areas. However wasn’t my most exciting book of the year. It felt it jumped around a bit? So it would also take some going back a bit to get the full pictures which could make it confusing or not as engaging.
But tbh I could just be fully dumb because this was more about learning off a random one time thought of wanting to know more about this.
kinda between 3-4 stars but idefk
But tbh I could just be fully dumb because this was more about learning off a random one time thought of wanting to know more about this.
kinda between 3-4 stars but idefk
August 21, 2017
A good introduction level book on genomics, but contains enough novel information that it doesn't feel like rereading the same popular book on genetics from 15 years. I like his idea of Genomic Creativity, in which mutation, epigenetics, symbiosis and hybridisation (not mutation alone) create the genomic diversity that natural selection acts upon.
Good discussions on endogenous retroviruses, both their role in gene regulation and their history, as the tame ghosts of plagues. Inevitably superficial treatment of epigenetics, RNA interference is mentioned briefly for instance, and it could be made clearer and more understandable if a little more information was given, but what do you expect from a popular book with such a wide scope.
Good discussions on endogenous retroviruses, both their role in gene regulation and their history, as the tame ghosts of plagues. Inevitably superficial treatment of epigenetics, RNA interference is mentioned briefly for instance, and it could be made clearer and more understandable if a little more information was given, but what do you expect from a popular book with such a wide scope.
December 3, 2016
I finally finished the book. I found the material interesting, but a bit hard for me to stay focused on, as it jumped back and forth quite a bit trying to show what was going on in each phase and connected person. A bit daunting and only really showing one side/perspective, however isn't that expected with books that cover recent history. I got this book in a Goodreads contest but that does not affect my rating. No, I did not completely understand everything I read, but it was interesting enough I ran out and had my DNA tested via National Geographic Geno 2.0 program. So it does spark interest.
January 18, 2016
Goodreads win. Will review once received.
An interesting book dealing with science. I will admit I am not the biggest fan about reading about these sorts of things. It was a good read and I found it to be pretty captivating. This book really showed me that I should be open more to other kinds of books. A good read I would recommend.
An interesting book dealing with science. I will admit I am not the biggest fan about reading about these sorts of things. It was a good read and I found it to be pretty captivating. This book really showed me that I should be open more to other kinds of books. A good read I would recommend.
August 5, 2016
a good overview. the information was good and presented in a fairly comprehensible way for non-scientists. The train motif really began to grate on me after a while though, wish it had stayed in the station.
May 9, 2019
Половина книги введение в генетику, где первая четверть вообще больше похожа на художественную литературу с героями и событиями.
Вторая половина уже о последних открытиях и о том, что ждет нас впереди. Хочется еще больше почитать по теме сразу после окончания
Вторая половина уже о последних открытиях и о том, что ждет нас впереди. Хочется еще больше почитать по теме сразу после окончания
October 3, 2015
Highly recommended!
April 3, 2016
A good book on WTF DNA is exactly. The second half of the book is about the 2001 Human Genome Project, and the ramifications thereof -- very handy if the last time you studied this stuff was 1998.
May 25, 2017
довольно понятно
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July 29, 2016611.01816 R9885 2016
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews