Guide to Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Gene

By . IRB Media

PLEASE NOTE: This is a companion to Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Gene and NOT the original book.

Preview:

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. Mukherjee’s father and uncles struggled with disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, both of which are linked to genetic mutations.

Inside this companion:

• Overview of the book

• Important People

• Key Insights

• Analysis of Key Insights

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• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781683783701

. IRB Media

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Book preview

Overview

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. Mukherjee’s father and uncles struggled with disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, both of which are linked to genetic mutations.

After centuries of conjecture about the nature of familial inheritance, naturalist Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution in 1859. 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. Thereafter, eugenics gradually became socially accepted and programs to sterilize the disabled and deviant were established in the United States. The practice of eugenics became socially abhorrent following World War II and the revelations of genocidal practices in Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia.

Between 1908 and 1963, scientists continued studying genetic material and discovered that genes can transfer between bacteria, that genetic information is carried in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), that DNA takes the shape of a double helix, and that DNA encodes genetic information through groups of three of the four possible base pairs.

After a group of scientists succeeded in creating edited, or recombinant, DNA in 1970, leaders in the field voted unanimously to restrict recombinant DNA