Siddhartha Mukherjee is the author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer and The Gene: An Intimate History, winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction, and The Laws of Medicine. In Lifespan, geneticist David Sinclair explains his theory that these long-term changes in gene function are the reason why we age. Inside this Instaread Summary of The Gene. Conversely, people who live far from the Earths equatorespecially people in the northern hemispheretend to have pale skin so they can more efficiently absorb energy from the limited amount of sunlight they get.). Furthermore, scientists now believe that the first humans left Africa less than 100,000 years ago. However, Mukherjee describes the process in two broad steps: 1. The Gene is an important guide to that future. The Guardian Reading The Gene is like taking a course from a brilliant and passionate professor who is just sure he can make you understand what hes talking about. Other enzymes read instructions encoded in the RNA molecule, retrieve the needed amino acids (simple organic compounds that make up proteins) from the blood, and assemble them into proteins. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience. An improved method called next-generation sequencing (NGS) can sequence millions of those fragments simultaneously, making it much more suitable for large-scale projects. Spam Free: Your email is never shared with anyone; opt out any time. Therefore, in a very real sense, our genes determine who we are. Siddhartha Mukherjee Talks About 'The Gene' A council of 12 advisers, chaired by American geneticist Norton Zinder, led the effort. Genre: Science, Health and the Environment - Publishers Weekly Summary and Analysis of The Gene: An Intimate History - Apple Books . PLEASE NOTE: This is a summary, analysis and review of the book and not the original book. ", Bryan Appleyard of The Sunday Times called it "Dramatic and precise thrilling and comprehensive account of what seems certain to be the most radical, controversial and, to borrow from the subtitle, intimate science of our time. In fact, in Behave, Robert Sapolskya professor of biology and neurologyexplains that there are actually three different types of environment that interact with our genetics to determine how we act in any given moment: Physical environment. One interviewee in the 1970s wondered if recombinant DNA experiments could produce "Frankensteins.". ET. Shortform has the worlds best guides to 1000+ nonfiction books and articles. [1] The book chronicles the history of the gene and genetic research, all the way from Aristotle to Crick, Watson and Franklin and then the 21st century scientists who mapped the human genome. However, progress is slow due to ethical and legal concerns, especially when it comes to modifying human genes. By 1934, they were forcibly sterilizing some 5,000 people every month, and by the time of Hitlers death in 1945, the Nazis had killed an estimated 11 million people in pursuit of Hitlers ideal human race. To test his theory, Goodfellow genetically altered female mice to carry a copy of the SRY gene. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. However, it is also a cautionary message toward not letting genetic predispositions define a person or their fate, a mentality that the author says led to the rise of eugenics in history. David Baltimore pontificates that it wasn't "medically necessary." He had performed pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). 1 review "The gene is, and is not, the determiner of our identity. Even more astoundingly, Sinclair believes that its possible to undo these changes with genetic engineeringto remove the methyl tags and return cells to their original functions. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7e3893e97dedb987 Mukherjee also discusses CRISPRs: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeatsin simple terms, repetitive and easily identifiable sequences of nucleotides. But his sober warning about the future might be the books most important contribution. San Francisco Chronicle The Gene boats an even more ambitious sweep of human endeavor than its predecessor, The Emperor of All Maladies. In the late 1970s, Frederick Sanger and Walter Gilbert had pioneered DNA sequencing. The researcher could also use that sample to test experimental treatments without putting the patients health at risk.). Read the full comprehensive summary at Shortform. The Gene: An Intimate History is a book written by Siddhartha Mukherjee, an Indian-born American physician and oncologist. Not 100% precise. Completing the project would take an estimated 50,000 person-years and cost three billion dollarsabout a dollar per base pair. Later, Danish researcher Wilhelm Johannsen called the sites of heredity on chromosomes "genes.". The fact that we have a common ancestor, especially such a recent one (by evolutionary standards), also suggests that were much more alike than people think. "This is perhaps the greatest detective story ever tolda millennia-long search, led by a thousand explorers, from Aristotle to Mendel to Francis Collins, for the question marks at the center of every living cellIf you're interested in what it means to be human, today and in the tomorrows to come, you must read this book." Mukherjee punctuates his encyclopedic investigations of collective and individual heritability, and our closing in on the genetic technologies that will transform how we will shape our own genome, with evocative personal anecdotes, deft literary allusions, wonderfully apt metaphors, and an irrepressible intellectual brio. Elle "[Mukherjee] expresses abstract intellectual ideas through emotional stories . Its difficult to edit DNA in large numbers of cells at once, which severely limits CRISPRs usefulness as a treatment for widespread or systemic issues throughout the body. Book Summary The Gene , by Siddhartha Mukherjee As weve said, our genes contain the blueprints for our bodies. The practice of eugenics became socially abhorrent following World War II and the revelations of genocidal practices in Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. He outlines this book as "the story of the birth, growth, and future of one of the most powerful and dangerous ideas in the history of science: the 'gene'" (9). Publication Information. Therefore, Mukherjee tells us that in order to decode genetic instructions, scientists first had to learn how to sequence genesin other words, to determine exactly which nucleotides are present and in what order. (Shortform note: Environmental effects on genes may be even more widespread and impactful than Mukherjee suggests. in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. For example, in cystic fibrosis, a missing or nonfunctional cell membrane protein prevents moisture from passing through and entering the lungs. Genes are turned on and off in response to these events, as epigenetic marks are gradually layered above genes, etching the genome with its own scars, calluses, and freckles. (Shortform note: Aside from exciting new treatment possibilities, stem cells are also useful to model how diseases progress and to test new drugs. more science, health and the environment Join BookBrowse today to start discovering exceptional books! Nusinersen is a medication used in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee describes the history of genetic research, the impact of genetic inheritance on his family, and the potential for future applications of gene science. Even better, it helps you remember what you read, so you can make your life better. He lives in New York with his wifeand daughters. Mukherjee emphasizes the positives and negatives of these scenarios, writing "it inspires both wonder and a certain moral queasiness" (491). Then, in 2003, the HGPs chair officially declared it complete: Every human gene had been accurately sequenced and mapped. - Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See Mukherjee says that, if any good can be said to have come from the Holocaust, it came from making eugenics taboo. For example, someone whos genetically predisposed to alcoholism could go his or her entire life without ever drinking, and therefore without becoming addicted to alcohol. Shortform: The World's Best Book Summaries, Shortform Blog: Free Guides and Excerpts of Books, The Gene Book Summary, by Siddhartha Mukherjee, Peak Performance Book Summary, by Brad Stulberg, Steve Magness. The idea that in each sperm or egg is a tiny person is known as pre-formationism. He also speculates about the ethics of developing genetic technologies and invites readers to consider the potential future directions of the field. They discuss the idea of genes and the history of mental illness in the family as "a flaw in identity, a genetic illness, a blemish that cannot be separated from the self" (91). He lives in New York with his wife and daughters. The Gene: An Intimate History "Chance eventsinjuries, infections, infatuations; the haunting trill of that particular nocturneimpinge on one twin and not on the other. 'I sincerely thought that I had done it justice.' . It behooves us to accept this paradox and understand it. Takeaways from Mark Zuckerberg: How to Build the Future (YCs The Macro), The Best Things I Learned from Ashton Kutcher, Tech Investor, Best Summary + PDF: The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg, The Best Things I Learned from Sara Blakely, Spanx Founder, Best Summary + PDF: How Not to Die, by Michael Greger, The Professor And The Madman Book Summary, by Simon Winchester, Then She Was Gone Book Summary, by Lisa Jewell, Becoming Supernatural Book Summary, by Dr. Joe Dispenza, Interactive exercises that teach you to apply what you've learned. Powerful. The Economist As compelling and revealing as [The Emperor of All Maladies]. Book summary #2 The Gene: An Intimate History - Medium "The Key Reporter - Siddhartha Mukherjee". Summary of The Gene: by Siddhartha Mukherjee | Includes Analysis BookBrowse LLC 1997-2023. You want different levels of detail at different times. Harris believes that someday the arguments against germline editing will prove to be just as unfounded as those against IVF were. Every part of our bodies, from toenails to hair and everything in between, is built based on the instructions coded into our genes. What's special about Shortform: Sound like what you've been looking for? . He is the editor of Best Science Writing 2013. Mukherjee is an Associate professor of medicine at Columbia University and a cancer physician and researcher. However, Sangers method isnt efficient or cost-effective for large projects like whole genome sequencing. See for yourself. Soon Well Cure Diseases With A Cell, Not A Pill. Excellent. Seattle Times A fascinating and often sobering history of how humans came to understand the roles of genes in making us who we areand what our manipulation of those genes might mean for our future. This information about The Gene was first featured [PDF] [EPUB] The Gene: An Intimate History Download - OceanofPDF Siddhartha Mukherjee has a written a biography of the gene as deft, brilliant, and illuminating as his extraordinarily successful biography of cancer. "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee is a truly fascinating and remarkable work of scientific literature that explores the history, science, and implications of genetics. . Siddhartha Mukherjee's bestselling book, The Gene: An Intimate History is an epic and exhaustive work on the history, impact, and story of the most groundbreaking human discovery in generations--the gene. 1970) Publisher: Scribner (New York). The Gene: An Intimate History Highly recommended." The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee describes the history of genetic research, the impact of genetic inheritance on his family, and the potential for future applications of gene science. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. He first became interested in genes in 1947, when he found that a certain disease (now called Peutz-Jeghers syndrome) ran in families and concluded that it must be the result of a defective gene. This is the most crucial science of our time, intimately explained by a master. A SuperSummary Study Guide a modern alternative to Sparknotes & CliffsNotes provides so much more, including chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and important quotes. The girls are safe, healthy." Also, Mukherjee says that genes often create tendencies or predispositions toward certain kinds of behavior, but those behaviors still wont appear unless the environment draws them out. While that should be possiblestem cells should be able to turn into any type of cellthe technique is still unproven. Summary & Study Guide - The Gene: An Intimate History: In other words, theyre essential parts of our diet, because the only way we can get those amino acids is by breaking down proteins from other organisms that produce them. Request a complete Study Guide for this title! He offers insight into both the scientific process and the sociology of science [an] excellent narrative." Most notably, by altering plant genomes, scientists can create crops that resist diseases, require less water or less fertilizer, and have greater yields than their unaltered counterparts.). KIF1A is a gene that make motor protein in the body. Like this summary? In 2013, Lettie Lassiter was diagnosed with stage 4 gallbladder cancer. Mukherjee deftly relates the basic scientific facts about the way genes are believed to function, while making clear the aspects of genetics that remain unknown. The extraordinary Siddhartha Mukherjee has a written a biography of the gene as deft, brilliant, and illuminating as his extraordinarily successful biography of cancer. Unlock the full book summary of The Gene by signing up for Shortform. . He Jiankui, who is interviewed in this documentary, vouches that his sole objective "was to prevent HIV infection. . We also re-organize books for clarity, putting the most important principles first, so you can learn faster. Together, Parts Three and Four outline the science and potential ramificationspositive and negativeof mapping and modifying genes. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Summary and reviews of The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee From there, the cells can grow into whatevers needed. Want to learn more from books than ever? He served a three-year prison sentence for violating medical regulations, which ended in April of 2022.). It was published on 17 May 2016 by Scribner. . The following summary of the Nazi and Soviets genetic programs during WWII shows how things can go astray when genetics is made to fit political dogma. A doctor of internal medicine named Victor McKusick led the charge to bring genetics to medicine. 'The Gene,' by Siddhartha Mukherjee - The New York Times Every part of our bodies, from toenails to hair and everything in between, is built based on the instructions coded into our genes. 1-Page PDF Summary of The Gene. The Gene Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to About Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Gene: From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies, The Gene is a rigorously scientific, broadly historical, and candidly personal account of the development of the science of genetics, the dramatic ways genes can affect us, and the enormous moral questions posed by our ability to . "Starred Review. Galtons ideas reached their terrifying conclusion decades later. THE GENE: An Intimate History, Siddhartha Mukherjee's follow-up to the bestselling, Pulitzer-winning The Emperor of All Maladies, is the story of the quest to decipher the master-code of instructions that makes and defines humans, that governs our form, function, and fate and determines the future of our children. Summary of The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee by Instaread is an analysis of a history of genetic research and the impact genetic inheritance had on the author's family, as well as the potential for the application of genetic science. The next step for geneticists was to figure out how to read and write in that language. This section focuses on the ramifications of genetic science, with an emphasis on "the genetics of identity and 'normalcy'" (327). Editing genes this way could potentially cure a wide range of genetic diseases, correct harmful mutations, and possibly even treat cancer. The noncoding DNA regulates genesthe extra space helps control when theyre activated and deactivated. Also, people tend to be more likely to put themselves in danger if others are aroundperhaps because theres the chance that theyll help, or maybe simply for the chance to be seen as a hero. Reviews | Proteins with missense mutations are often less effective or efficient in carrying out their tasks, if they can perform them at all. David Botstein sought to trace the gene causing Huntington's disease. In the epilogue, Mukherjee invites readers to imagine a future in which genetic technologies have changed many aspects of society. Similarly, Taleb believes that events ranging from wars to climate change are the result of people forcing their will upon the world when it isnt needed or wanted. We still have a lot to learn about genes and how they work, but we know that as our knowledge grows and we push deeper into ways to modify them, these discoveries will have significant consequences for human life. An Intimate History By Siddhartha Mukherjee 592 pp. He discovered that they are accidental and essentially freaks of nature. "[14] In response, Mukherjee did admit "he now realizes that he erred by omitting key areas of the science, but that he didnt mean to mislead. Performance & security by Cloudflare. (Shortform note: Safe and effective gene therapy is still a work in progress. In 2014, He Jiankui had intentionally altered the gene in the embryo of twin girls in the People's Republic of China. How Do You Build One? When a persons brain and biological sex dont match, it can result in a condition called gender dysphoria, where the person feels trapped in the wrong body.). Siddhartha Mukherjee wrote The Gene to give the average reader a basic grounding in the history and the science of genetics. According to Mukherjee, each of us has crucial elements of who well becomeour ability to learn, to use language, and even our physical appearanceencoded in our DNA. Molecules called methyl tags attach themselves to genes during this process, and enough methyl tags on a gene can affect how it works. The Gene : by Siddhartha Mukherjee | Summary & Analysis Mukherjee points out that Galtons ideas were deeply immoral from the start, and implementing them would severely infringe on peoples reproductive freedoms. The must-read summary of "The Gene: An Intimate History" by Siddhartha Mukherjee. For example, the shape and size of someones nose isnt just influenced by genetics; it can also be affected by external factors such as their environment (for example: getting punched in the face). The Gene captures the scientific methodquestioning, researching, hypothesizing, experimenting, analyzingin all its messy, fumbling glory, corkscrewing its way to deeper understanding and new questions. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Dr Mukherjee uses personal experience to particularly good effect. De Vries pushed Mendels theories further, explaining why genetic differences occur. When a tall plant is crossed with a dwarf plant, the offspring will all be tall. Click here and be the first to review this book! The term iatrogenics comes from medicine. Jesse Gelsinger who was going to die because of a liver disease known as OTC (Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency) agreed to receive gene therapy from James Wilson. However, genes also switch on and off throughout our lives in response to environmental factors. "The Gene is a magnificent synthesis of the science of life, and forces all to confront the essence of that science as well as the ethical and philosophical challenges to our conception of what constitutes being human." The Gene: An Intimate History Siddhartha Mukherjee Talks About 'The Gene' The oncologist and Pulitzer-winning science writer discusses his 2016 book about the history of genetics, and the novelist Kate Atkinson talks about . The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee | Summary & Analysis. Counterpoint: In Support of Germline Editing. Amazon.com: Summary and Analysis of The Gene: An Intimate History: Based on the Book by Siddhartha Mukherjee (Smart Summaries): 9781504046695: Worth Books: Books Well also examine advancements in genetics since The Genes publication in 2016. The remainder of this guide will focus on the current state of genetics, how genes impact us personally, and what the future might hold for both the field of genetics and the human race. The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee | Goodreads Over time, some offspring survive while others die out because of their unique features. He has published articles in Nature, The New England Journal of Medicine, The New York Times, and Cell. Think of gene expression like pixels on your smartphone screen. Part Five spans the years 2001-2015, bringing the reader up to the contemporary period of the book's publication. . Article Currently, germline modificationschanges that will be passed on to future generationsare illegal, and Mukherjee says thats a wise policy for several reasons. Summary In Calcutta, Siddhartha Mukherjee and his father visit the house where his father grew up. Throughout the narrative, the story of Mukherjee's own family - with its tragic and bewildering history of mental illness - cuts like a bright, red line, reminding us of the many questions that hang over our ability to translate the science of genetics from the laboratory to the real world. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. only a small part of your genome gets transcribed into RNA at a time, supposedly responsible for the post-Thanksgiving drowsiness, isnt efficient or cost-effective for large projects, try to improve on what nature has created, model how diseases progress and to test new drugs, not only the right, but the moral responsibility, cant adequately explain how germline engineering will infringe on any of those things. Once the existence of genes was identified in the previous section, the next task for scientists was to deduce how genes function on a mechanistic level. 592 pages Thomas Morgan discovers that some traits are linked in fruit flies. As weve said, it isnt nucleotides themselves that encode genetic informationfour chemicals arent nearly enough to account for the enormous array of proteins that our bodies producebut rather the order in which those nucleotides are arranged. Want to get smarter, faster? CRISPR is like a "biometric identification system" according to Samuel H. Sternberg. ; The Laws of Medicine, 2015, etc. / The Gene Plot Summary The Gene Siddhartha Mukherjee Nonfiction | Book | Adult Plot Summary Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Gene: An Intimate History (2016) provides a history of the human gene, and what it means for the future of humanity if we can manipulate our own genetic code. In the prologue, author Siddhartha Mukherjee writes about his family history of mental illness and connects this personal story to his larger questions about the nature of genes, genetics, and heredity. Scientists had discovered that the language of biology is encoded in DNA, and it consists of only four letters. By doing so, he was able to match genes with the proteins they createdin essence, he learned how to read the viruss genetic code. A dwarf mother has a "precarious feeling" that CRISPR may be used to produce children with normal heights; she prefers having dwarf children like she is. . In 1865, botanist Gregor Mendel proposed that genetic information is passed down from both the paternal and maternal sides of the family in the form of paired genes. A sweeping debut novel following three generations of Vietnamese American women reeling from the death of their matriarch. A soldier returns home from Vietnam to search for his missing sister in this gripping story of broken lives and a search for happiness. Economic benefits: Every dollar the US government invested in the HGP returned an estimated $141 to the US economy, largely through creating new jobs that only exist because of a mapped human genome. From Siddhartha Mukherjee the Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladiesa magnificent history of the gene and a response to the defining question of the future: What becomes of being human when we learn to read and write our own genetic information? While CRISPR-Cas9 is a powerful gene editing technique, it has several serious limitations that scientists are still working to overcome: Hard to scale. By Siddhartha Mukherjee. Subscribe to get summaries of the best books I'm reading. For example, if we see a child in danger, were likely to jump into action; if we read a story about a child in danger, were more likely to do nothing. The Gene: by Siddhartha Mukherjee | Summary & Analysis - Google Play Very few traits are purely genetic because most of them are also influenced by the environment. Weaving science, social history, and personal narrative to tell us the story of one of the most important conceptual breakthroughs of . Eventually, biologists found the CAG chemical phrase on human Chromosome 4 responsible for Huntington's disease. Mukherjee's father and uncles struggled with disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, both of which are .more Get A Copy Kindle Store $4.99 Amazon Genetics has shaped the way we view medicine and biology. How close we are to a situation, both physically and emotionally, determines how well respond to it. Mukherjee also writes about the science of epigenetics, which begins to account for how environmental factors and external triggers can influence an individual's genome. Therefore, understanding what genes are and how they work is crucial to understanding our bodies, our health, and even our identities. $15 for 3 months. The Gene Summary & Study Guide He also touches on theories of genetics and heredity from Antiquity and the Middle Ages, thus providing a complete overview of historical theories on the nature of inheritance. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added. Thereafter, eugenics gradually became socially accepted and programs to sterilize the disabled and deviant were established in the United States. (Shortform note: While a single gene may explain both sex and behavior in mice, humans are quite a bit more complex. Sign up for a 5-day free trial here. Similarly, if the child is someone we know personally, were much more likely to try to help than if the person is a stranger. Those scientists also argue that the children could suffer unintended side effects, such as harmful mutations or cancer. Part 1: Discovering the Gene Danish botanist Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word "gene" in 1909, but Mukherjee starts The Gene by talking about three scientists who made crucial strides in the field of genetics before that term even existed: Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, and Hugo de Vries. A major part of a persons identity is how he or she acts, but, as Mukherjee says, our traits and behaviors are heavily influenced by our environment. The connection between genes and visible traits isnt always clear-cut because scientists have ignored this link for many years due to outside influences (such as people trying to use science for their own gain).
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the gene by siddhartha mukherjee summary
