When a Gene Makes You Smell Like a Fish

The complete genome for humans and over fifty other species have been sequenced. With this data, whole genomes across species have been compared, resulting in new information on the evolution of genes and suites of genes, Chiu, a journalist, presents striking stories that show the role and intrinsic interest of identified genes and suites of genes acting in concert to dictate behaviour, diseases, and the course of an individual's life. A genetic primer provides both background information on genes as well as details about how genes serve as blueprints guiding many aspects of our lives. The rest of the book contains short and engaging stories about many genes and their exhibition in organisms. Most of these stories are about fish, fire and ice, the language gene, fagile x, mightnight'd children, the werewolf gene. A few other stories describe the more common disorders caused by many genes as well as environmental factors.