Herding Hemingway's Cats: Understanding how our genes work - Softcover

Arney, Kat

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1472910052 ISBN 13: 9781472910059

Publisher: Bloomsbury Sigma, 2016

Synopsis

The language of genes has become common parlance. We know they make your eyes blue, your hair curly or your nose straight. The media tells us that our genes control the risk of cancer, heart disease, alcoholism or Alzheimer's. The cost of DNA sequencing has plummeted from billions of pounds to a few hundred, and gene-based advances in medicine hold huge promise. So we've all heard of genes, but how do they actually work? According to legend, Ernest Hemingway was once given a six-toed cat by an old sea captain, and her distinctive descendants still roam the writer's Florida estate today. Scientists now know that the fault driving this profusion of digits lies in a tiny genetic control switch, miles away (in molecular terms) from the gene that 'makes' toes. And it's the same mistake that gives rise to multi-toed humans too. There are 2.2 metres of DNA inside every one of your cells, encoding roughly 20,000 genes. These are the 'recipes' that tell our cells how to make the building blocks of life, along with myriad control switches ensuring they're turned on and off at the right time and in the right place. But rather than a static string of genetic code, this is a dynamic, writhing biological library. And figuring out how it all works - how your genes make you, you - is a major challenge for researchers around the world. Drawing on stories ranging from six-toed cats and stickleback hips to wobbly worms and zombie genes, geneticist Kat Arney explores the how our genes work, creating a companion reader to the book of life itself.

About this title

Review:

A witty, clued-up report from the front lines of genetics ... Kat Arney unravels the intricacies of the discipline with a romp through 'thumbed' cats, hipped fish and frank interviews with scientists. (Nature)

Arney's chirpy tour through the mysteries of modern genetics is engrossing and fun ... a lively update on the phenomenal complexity of the molecular inheritance that make us us. (Stephen Curry The Guardian)

Arney's delightful book is accessible to those without a scientific background and its breezy anecdotal style makes for entertaining reading. (Mark Pagel BBC Focus)

...a gorgeously written, surprisingly gripping introduction to everything we've learned about genes since the famous Human Genome Project several years ago. (Robert Krulwich National Geographic)

A sprightly, energetic tour through the minds of those trying to understand genes. each snappy chapter is a remarkable feat of information and fascination. (Robin Ince, comedian, writer and co-presenter of The Infinite Monkey Cage and The Quest for Wonder)

Kay Arney explores the mysteries of the genome, shedding light on the complex and ever-changing world of genetics. (Science Focus)

If you want to find out for whom the cell mutates, then Herding Hemingway's Cats is for you . Kat Arney decodes the greatest works of nature, written in the language of the genes. (Roger Highfield, author, science journalist and museum executive)

A great addition to the rapidly growing field of books giving us an insight into just how complex biology is at the molecular level ... a great piece of popular science. (Brian Clegg Popular Science)

Kat is one of the world's finest science communicators and enthusiasts. Herding Hemingway's Cats will instantly turn you into the most interesting guest at any party - it's a joy to read and a masterclass in making the complex story of life accessible, entertaining and relevant. (Mark Stevenson, author of An Optimist's Tour of the Future)

Injecting personality, enthusiasm and humour into the topic, geneticist Kat Arney uses bizarre stories ... to show how genes give our cells the recipe for life. (How It Works)

Book Description:

How DNA is packed, unpacked and read - a companion reader to the book of life itself.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Sigma
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1472910052
• ISBN 13: 9781472910059
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288