The hypocritical chapter on eugenics, which decries the practice despite being sandwiched between two chapters implicitly defending it, is likely to annoy even people who don't particularly care about gender issues, and any remaining patience I had for Ridley he lost when he quoted Gould on IQ. Ridley chooses the gene D4DR which codes for the manufacture of dopamine and is located on the short arm of chromosome 11. The theory of genetic conflict and evolution is debated using the rhetorical question, are we bodies containing genes, or genes in bodies? But, I was amazed to read that humans share exactly the same number and types of bones with chimpanzees, the same chemicals in our brains.

Ridley says none of the studies supporting this have controlled for genetic influences, that the child of an abuser would have the same genetic disposition to be an abuser. I really enjoyed this book, and appreciated it, because it explained basic genetics better than anything else I've ever read. If it says “CAG” 39 times or more, “you will in mid-life slowly start to lose your balance, grow steadily more incapable of looking after yourself and die prematurely.Most of the sources are academic papers or articles, and the popular books and textbooks referenced are mostly outdated. However for me it laid the groundwork and primed me to want to know more, so I'm now looking for the next step in reading about this important and interesting topic. Ridley discusses the arguments in such an interesting way that I couldn’t help but read more about it. I appreciate that it's trying to be generalist, but it's generalist to the point of failing to convey ideas. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

I wanted a basic intro to genome stuff and from my reading this does the trick for me although the experts and some purists out there may argue otherwise.One specific item he mentions is a study that found heart disease is not a function of diet or exercise as much as it is of stress, and particularly the stress related to your status or lack there of. If a gene gives us an unhealthy craving for sweets we can still choose to overcome it, perhaps with the help of another gene that makes us want to look good or enjoy good health.

There is no evidence showing the difference is due to heritability and in fact blacks raised among whites perform just as well as whites on IQ tests.By picking one newly discovered gene from each of the 23 human chromosomes and telling its story, Matt Ridley traces the history of our species and its ancestors. Evolutionary theory, biology’s great triumph, is put across very effectively alongside good background material on genetics, and of the many books around the human genome, this has to be one of the best. The mother may build up an immune response to the antigens increasing with each successive male child. Ridley also emphasises that there is a lot we don't know, for example about the mysterious "prions" which had a role to play in mad cow disease.