DNA

by Kat Arney

An award-winning author takes us into the world of DNA, exploring how it encodes our genes and make us unique. T his condensed, updated version of How to Code a Human makes this remarkable history succinct and accessible.
 
In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick solved one of science’s greatest enigmas—the molecule underlying all life—and changed the face of biology. For the first time, scientists could isolate what makes us human. DNA provides a fascinating guide to the world of the double helix, examining who we are, how we’re wired, and how we repair ourselves. With information on so-called “junk” DNA, how our genes evolved, heritability, the genetics of neuroscience, viruses, disease, and what happens when things go wrong, this takes us on a beautiful, visual journey through the polymer chain.

Genres: Genetics

160 pages, Paperback

Published February 4, 2020

About the author

Kat Arney is an award-winning science writer, broadcaster and public speaker, and is the founder and Creative Director of science communications and media consultancy First Create The Media. She is the author of 'Rebel Cell: Cancer, evolution and the science of life' (BenBella Books, 2020), 'How to Code a Human' (Andre Deutsch, 2017, republished as 'The Compact Guide: DNA') and the critically acclaimed 'Herding Hemingway's Cats: Understanding how our genes work' (Bloomsbury Sigma, 2016).

Kat holds a bachelor's degree in natural sciences and a PhD in developmental genetics from Cambridge University, and has spent more than 15 years working in science journalism and communication. She was a key part of the science communications team at Cancer Research UK for more than a decade, co-founding the charity's award-winning Science Blog, and acting as a principal national and international media spokesperson.

Her writing has featured in Wired, BBC Online, the Daily Mail, the Times Educational Supplement, The Guardian Online, Nature, Mosaic, the New Scientist and more. Kat presents the popular Genetics Unzipped podcast for The Genetics Society and has fronted several BBC Radio 4 science documentaries, including the recent series 'Ingenious' looking at the stories behind our genes and comedy factual series 'Did the Victorians Ruin the World?' with her sister, comedian Helen Arney. She was a co-host of the Naked Scientists radio show and podcast, and presented the Naked Genetics podcast for many years.