The Science Times Book of Genetics

Science Times Books

by Nicholas Wade (Editor)

Essays by experts in the field explore the history, research, processes, and ethical concerns of genetic research, including the role of genes in cancer and treatment, life extension, and cloning

Genres: Science, Genetics

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[隻眼簽到 · Rating 3 out of 5]

中譯本(簡體)：破譯生命的密碼：基因。 「用熔合和基因交換而將原有文字拭去的羊皮紙」。這種不直接的文筆就是我給三星的原因。本書和之前看的《紐約時報化石篇》都談到了生物的共同祖先。並且和我一樣，都覺得演化出生命的時間太短，他甚至把這點說成是「進化論的要害」。以基因科學發展之迅速，本書資訊自然是有些落後了。例如他說Y染色體上只有20個基因，而且Y染色體在持續萎縮中。但據查Y染色體上的基因已達45個，而且還有非編碼RNA基因約600個。至於萎縮論，Y染色體確曾經歷過急劇縮小退化的時期，但目前主流觀點認為，Y染色體已觸底反彈，不再退化了。此外，在〈基因與壽命〉一節，本書提到一個「進化論生物學家」的觀點說，自然選擇並不青睞長命的軀體。邏輯很簡單，因為自然選擇的焦點是基因傳承。所以，用投資策略說，生一堆後代永遠比個體長命重要。另外，〈基因與疾病〉一節提到了抑鬱症、精神病等。我本來不相信，但查了一下，才知道抑鬱症基因已經發現了。不談原理，大致就是說，短等位基因較易患抑鬱症，但多出現在東亞集體主義地區，所以可護得集體保護。長等位基因不易患抑鬱症，但多出現在西方個體主義地區。總之，文筆雖然不滿，但收穫也算不少了。

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 3 out of 5]

An in depth look at the science of genetics through articles published in The New York Times.

I found this book to be easy to read and at times entertaining. The articles provided a wealth of information without the technical jargon that weighs down the writing in the science journals. Because The Times has to service a wider more mainstream audience the writing is concise and enjoyable to read.

The latest article in this book is from 2000 so naturally it feels a bit dated. Though anyone looking to catch up on Genetic breakthroughs in the last thirty years will find that much this information is not completely out of date.