The Epigenetics Revolution: How Modern Biology Is Rewriting Our Understanding of Genetics, Disease, and Inheritance
Epigenetics can potentially revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on Earth. It explains why mapping an organism's genetic code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Surveying the twenty-year history of the field while also highlighting its latest findings and innovations, this volume provides a readily understandable introduction to the foundations of epigenetics. Nessa Carey, a leading epigenetics researcher, connects the field's arguments to such diverse phenomena as how ants and queen bees control their colonies; why tortoiseshell cats are always female; why some plants need cold weather before they can flower; and how our bodies age and develop disease. Reaching beyond biology, epigenetics now informs work on drug addiction, the long-term effects of famine, and the physical and psychological consequences of childhood trauma. Carey concludes with a discussion of the future directions for this research and its ability to improve human health and well-being.
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Community Reviews
First half is great and informative. Second half is only informative for people who already know a lot about different genetic mechanisms and their names.
Pro:
A lot of interesting ideas and science. There is a lot to epigenetics that you probably don't know about and it's one of the most interesting scientific fields to follow in our age as new great discoveries are made every year. The main message from this book is: food can change how some specific genes are activated/deactivated. And this effect can be passed on to the next generations via epigenetics and therefore not directly through genes or environment as such.
Con:
Carey is a very knowledgeable person. Anyone with a medical degree will appreciate and love this book. I don't have a medical degree. I have a degree where I learned about genes and evolution and the theoretical aspects of it but all the different genes and mechanisms are not something I know a whole lot about. So for me the last many chapters of this book went over my head. I understood the messages and the ideas. But I have forgotten many specifics effects and names that made up the biggest part of this book. Recommended for someone interested in the mechanisms behind genes and epigenetics. Otherwise the main messages can be written in a much shorter and more accessible book.
Pro:
A lot of interesting ideas and science. There is a lot to epigenetics that you probably don't know about and it's one of the most interesting scientific fields to follow in our age as new great discoveries are made every year. The main message from this book is: food can change how some specific genes are activated/deactivated. And this effect can be passed on to the next generations via epigenetics and therefore not directly through genes or environment as such.
Con:
Carey is a very knowledgeable person. Anyone with a medical degree will appreciate and love this book. I don't have a medical degree. I have a degree where I learned about genes and evolution and the theoretical aspects of it but all the different genes and mechanisms are not something I know a whole lot about. So for me the last many chapters of this book went over my head. I understood the messages and the ideas. But I have forgotten many specifics effects and names that made up the biggest part of this book. Recommended for someone interested in the mechanisms behind genes and epigenetics. Otherwise the main messages can be written in a much shorter and more accessible book.
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