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Title: The Century of the Gene by Evelyn Fox Keller, L. L. Winship ISBN: 0-674-00825-1 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: April, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.83 (6 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Interesting historical review of the gene concept
Comment: This is a very concise and readable historical review of the gene concept from its origins in the nineteenth century to the live debate which is taking place now due to some fascinating work done by cutting edge contemporary researchers. Keller is an excellent writer and a thought provoking thinker. Her analysis is thorough but easily accessible by anyone with a high school knowledge of the biological sciences. It's not ground breaking philosophy of science but it's a refreshing change from the kind of superficial analysis of this trendy issue provided by the mass media. An excellent weekend read for the thirsty mind.
Rating: 5
Summary: What is a gene, anyway?
Comment: An excellent introduction to its subject. The book provides a clear explanation of the idea of the gene and how genes "work". I particularly like the focus on the history of genetics, showing how the research inspired by the fruitful idea of the 'gene' leads us to the conclusion that the very concept has outlived its time. The importance of issues involving genetics--biotechnology, explanations of 'genetic' differences among people, patents on life forms, etc.--require the average citizen to make a little effort to understand the science involved. This book provides a good introduction to those issues and to some of the complexities. For example, if genes don't exist, then what are private companies trying to patent? The book is a short, accessible window on some of these questions.
Rating: 5
Summary: Rethinking the Dominance of Genes
Comment: It is quite telling that shortly after this book's release, the scientific community was humbled by the relevation that the human genome is made up of about 1/3 the number of genes previously thought. Keller deconstructs the very notion of a thing called a gene, and instead presents to us a molecular world where vast networks of processs interact to produce the phenomena convenionally attributed to genes.
Even better, she presents her critique within a historical context that allows the reader to see how the current myopic model of gene primacy came to be, and how information conflicting with that model has very gradually moved from the periphery toward the center of mainstream genetics research.
Overall, I found the book to be well-written and sobering with respect to the parade of biological and behavioral attributes and conditions attributed to these things called genes.
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Title: Making Sense of Life: Explaining Biological Development With Models, Metaphors, and Machines by Evelyn Fox Keller ISBN: 0674007468 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: April, 2002 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: The Triple Helix: Gene, Organism, and Environment by Richard C. Lewontin ISBN: 0674006771 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: November, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Who Wrote the Book of Life: A History of the Genetic Code by Lily E. Kay ISBN: 0804734178 Publisher: Stanford Univ Pr Pub. Date: June, 2000 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: The Ontogeny of Information: Developmental Systems and Evolution by Susan Oyama, Richard C. Lewontin ISBN: 0822324660 Publisher: Duke Univ Pr (Txt) Pub. Date: May, 2000 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: What It Means to Be 98 Percent Chimpanzee: Apes, People, and Their Genes by Jonathan Marks ISBN: 0520226151 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: April, 2002 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
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