Epigenetics: The Ultimate Mystery of Inheritance
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The potential is staggering... The age of epigenetics has arrived. --Time, January 2010
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It is time to worry again-our lifestyle choices do impact our genetic code and that of our children (and even grandchildren). Epigenetic means "on the gene" and the term refers to the recent discovery that stress can impact an individual's physiology so deeply that those biological scars are actually inherited by the next several generations. For instance, a recent study has shown that men who started smoking before puberty caused their sons to have significantly higher rates of obesity. And obesity is just the tip of the iceberg-many researchers believe that epigenetics holds the key to understanding cancer, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism and diabetes. Driven by stories such as the Dutch Hongerwinter of the Second World War, Jose Canseco and steroids, the breeding of mules and hinnies, Tazmanian devils and contagious cancer, and more, Epigenetics is the first book for general readers on this fascinating and important topic.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you are interested in medicine and science you will probably have noticed by now that even though for 20 years or more you have been reading about genes for cancer, genes for diabetes and how the discovery of the latest one will soon lead to new cures or new ways of preventing disease, so far nothing very impressive has turned up. Epigenetics is part of the reason. It's the study of a level of switches on top of genes that can be affected by the environment and the implications are revolutionary, quite possibly terminal for the "gene for...." school of research. They put an end to the idea that all genes are hard impervious entities concerned only to pass themselves unchanged into the next generation. Instead they - or at least a proportion of them - are responsive to the world around you and can be changed by food, by exercise, by stress, by a good relationship. It's a perspective that throws up the possibility of doing gene engineering on the kitchen table. If you know a bit about the field this is a good solid introduction though it can sometimes be a little bit heavy going; someone new to the field with no biology might find it themselves getting a bit lost in places, but this is the gateway to a much more sophisticated view of genetics that still hasn't had the impact it should, quite possibly because getting patented new pharmaceutical drugs out of genes research - what has been driving this area so far - is not so easy when something like vitamin D can change the expression (essentially how strongly a gene behaves) of several hundred of them. Worth persevering with
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have been away from genetics for over 40 years though I have read casually about developments. This book eased me back up to date to the point that I am ready to take on heavier tomes now. It is a bit tedious in explaining the basics of genetics for people like me, but I think an intelligent newcomer to the subject would find that a good thing and could cope. I would have preferred the notes to have been in small print at the bottom of each relevant page rather than in a separate section. I really couldn't cope with the heavy use of abbrevions throughout the text. Correctly upon the first mention, the phrase is explained and the abbreviation given, but much later in the text, it will crop up again, necessitating a break in thought as one has to search to be reminded what the abbreviation means, either in previous text or the index. After a break of some pages in the use of a term, it should be reintroduced. Nevertheless this was a useful book for me.
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16 reviews
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful
High hopes, but was disappointed
26 July 2011
Format:Hardcover
There is definitely a market for a good popular science book about epigenetics, and I eagerly awaited this one. But it fell short of my expectations. It simply is too short, and too lacking in depth. For the epigenetics of inheritance and evolution, there already is an excellent book out there: Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life (Life and Mind: Philosophical Issues in Biology and Psychology) . However, the book by Jablonka & Lamb is getting a little old (in this field, things sure develop rapidly), and it lacks the issues that I was most interested in - the effects of epigenetic change on health. However, I'll restate, for the evolutionary side, the Jablonka & Lamb book is great.
Back to the book by Francis, 160 pages is just too short. I will acknowledge the great many notes and large bibliography included, but the first 160 pages are so superficial, I doubt the author finds the right audience for the notes/bibliography.
The author's writing style and explanations are fine, so if you want a quick overview on a topic of which you have zero knowledge before, this book will serve you well.
However, for many of us, we must wait for a book with more depth, or a vastly expanded second edition.
For an example of excellent and in depth popular science writing, try Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life.
Back to the book by Francis, 160 pages is just too short. I will acknowledge the great many notes and large bibliography included, but the first 160 pages are so superficial, I doubt the author finds the right audience for the notes/bibliography.
The author's writing style and explanations are fine, so if you want a quick overview on a topic of which you have zero knowledge before, this book will serve you well.
However, for many of us, we must wait for a book with more depth, or a vastly expanded second edition.
For an example of excellent and in depth popular science writing, try Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life.
29 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Engaging epigenetics
21 Jun 2011
Format:Hardcover
This is a fascinating introduction to the new field of Epigenetics - a word to which most people react blankly. Most have no idea what how epigenetics changes the way that we conceptualize human development and inheritance, as well as conditions ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's disease.
Francis starts each chapter with a well-chosen, true story or observation that serves to illustrate the main points of that chapter. Frequently he circles back to the information presented in earlier chapters and it is clear that he is slowly building, in completely understandable terms, the reader's ability to understand the implications and intricacies of this burgeoning field of study, culminating in an outstanding discussion of stem cells.
From the Dutch famine of World War II to the growing obesity crisis to the fact that the experience of past generations can influence the current one - and the scary thought that what we do and experience will also have ramifications for future generations - the book is well-written, witty, and very timely. Don't be surprised if you start to read and can't stop until you are done!
Francis starts each chapter with a well-chosen, true story or observation that serves to illustrate the main points of that chapter. Frequently he circles back to the information presented in earlier chapters and it is clear that he is slowly building, in completely understandable terms, the reader's ability to understand the implications and intricacies of this burgeoning field of study, culminating in an outstanding discussion of stem cells.
From the Dutch famine of World War II to the growing obesity crisis to the fact that the experience of past generations can influence the current one - and the scary thought that what we do and experience will also have ramifications for future generations - the book is well-written, witty, and very timely. Don't be surprised if you start to read and can't stop until you are done!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Readable epigenesis
6 Oct 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a pretty accessible treatment of a somewhat arcane topic for non-biologists. It is probably too advanced for the totally lay reader, but for a person willing to make the effort to understand what is being said, it is really important. Epigenetics is one of the most important avenues for understanding many of our modern maladies (e.g. diabetes, cancer), and will eventually lead to new and more effective treatment regimens for many conditions. This work presents the basic ideas of epigenesis pretty clearly. In my mind it doesn't go far enough to detail what the processes are that result in its implications. However, it is a start.
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