02/09/2015
Carey (The Epigenetics Revolution), a visiting professor at Imperial College, London, explores the latest in genomics research and describes, in prose that is for the most part accessible to nonscientists, the complexities of how scientists currently believe the genome works. Two surprising outcomes of the Human Genome Project were the discoveries that humans have only approximately 24,000 functional genes, “pretty much the same quantity as simple microscopic worms,” and that over 98% of the DNA in human cells is “junk,” long stretches that can’t be translated into any proteins. Only recently have scientists began to study this junk, but even at this early stage of understanding, Carey demonstrates that we now know some of the junk DNA may well be partly responsible for terribly debilitating and, to date, intractable disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, various cancers, and Alzheimer’s disease. She also discusses potential breakthrough drug therapies designed to make use of our growing knowledge of junk DNA to ameliorate or cure some of these devastating conditions. Carey makes two points very clearly: that our understanding is tentative and evolving, and that chromosomal functioning is far more intricate than anyone ever hypothesized. Agent: Andrew Lownie, Andrew Lownie Literary Agency. (Apr.)
Junk DNA: A Journey Through the Dark Matter of the Genome
Narrated by Cat Gould
Nessa CareyUnabridged — 10 hours, 16 minutes
Junk DNA: A Journey Through the Dark Matter of the Genome
Narrated by Cat Gould
Nessa CareyUnabridged — 10 hours, 16 minutes
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Overview
For decades after the identification of the structure of DNA, scientists focused only on genes, the regions of the genome that contain codes for the production of proteins. Other regions that make up 98 percent of the human genome were dismissed as "junk," sequences that serve no purpose. But researchers have recently discovered variations and modulations in this junk DNA that are involved with a number of intractable diseases.
Junk DNA can play vital and unanticipated roles in the control of gene expression, from fine-tuning individual genes to switching off entire chromosomes. These functions have forced scientists to revisit the very meaning of the word "gene" and have engendered a spirited scientific battle over whether or not this genomic "nonsense" is the source of human biological complexity. Drawing on her experience with leading scientific investigators in Europe and North America, Nessa Carey provides a clear and compelling introduction to junk DNA and its critical involvement in phenomena as diverse as genetic diseases, viral infections, sex determination in mammals, and evolution. Nessa Carey's book is an essential resource for navigating the history and controversies of this fast-growing, hotly disputed field.
Editorial Reviews
Junk DNA makes informative and enjoyable reading for lovers of science at all levels.
Carey's enthusiasm for her subject is infectious.... An excellent introduction to a subject that we are certain to be hearing a lot more about in the near future.
Engaging, informative, and humorous, Nessa Carey's Junk DNA will be of interest to many readers.
The first popular overview of this field.... [Carey] has an excellent grasp of the history of junk DNA and its implications for both basic and applied science. She has a gift for analogies and converts complex biochemistry into imagery that brings it to a level nonspecialists can grasp.
Junk DNA serves as a nice primer.
Junk DNA provides a cutting-edge, exhaustive guide to the rapidly changing, ever-more mysterious genome.
Combines an easy style with a textbook's thoroughness.
A must-read for every intelligent person who likes to know what is going on in modern science.
A clear and very readable survey of current research in epigenetics.
Nessa Carey offers an enlightening introduction to what scientists have learned in the past decade ……. she writes clearly and compellingly.
Carey's book is the first to set out the epigenetics stall for the general reader, and anyone seriously interested in who we are and how we function should read this book.
Praise for The Epigenetics Revolution:
Carey's book is the first to set out the epigenetics stall for the general reader, and anyone seriously interested in who we are and how we function should read this book.-Peter Forbes, The Guardian Nessa Carey offers an enlightening introduction to what scientists have learned in the past decade ……. she writes clearly and compellingly.-Carl Zimmer, The Wall Street Journal A clear and very readable survey of current research in epigenetics.-Jonathan Hodgkin, The Times Literary Supplement A must-read for every intelligent person who likes to know what is going on in modern science.-Graham Storrs, New York Journal of Books Combines an easy style with a textbook's thoroughness.-Joanthan Weitzman, Nature
Engaging, informative, and humorous, Dr. Carey's appealing book will be of interest to many readers.
02/15/2015
In referring to junk DNA as the genome's "dark matter," Carey (genetics, Imperial Coll. London; The Epigenetics Revolution) is comparing parallel mysteries facing geneticists and astrophysicists. "Junk," or noncoding, DNA and dark matter/energy comprise more than 95 percent of their environments. The material was once thought to merely take up space, but junk DNA is now viewed very differently. The author describes the many functions of it that have been identified as well as the controversies, contradictions, questions, and possibilities that are arising from ongoing research. She makes extensive use of graphics and especially of analogies, both of which serve to clarify the potentially dense subject matter. Mutations in gene sequences are compared with mistakes in a knitting pattern, for example, and the film Trading Places with its nature vs. nurture theme illustrates what can happen when a well-functioning gene finds itself in a "new neighborhood." Controversies include the dispute over the ENCODE (Encylopedia of DNA Elements) project's data. Does it show clearly that around 80 percent of junk DNA has a function, or does it only suggest potential? VERDICT While not for the casual reader, the book, which is frequently humorous and well documented, does a fine job of explaining a complex subject for lay readers who are willing to put in some effort.—Richard Maxwell, Porter Adventist Hosp. Lib., Denver
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940172989407 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tantor Audio |
| Publication date: | 06/23/2020 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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