Dealing with genes

Two eminent researchers in molecular biology, who also have a gift for clear writing, make the ideas of modern genetics accessible to a general audience--aided by a great number of particularly lucid color illustrations. Those of us who read a daily newspaper or scan a weekly magazine have grown accustomed to being told that the science of genetics influences countless aspects of our existence, from human development, health, and disease to the ecological balance of our planet. We accept this, and yet most of us have only the faintest idea of what a gene really is or how it functions. This…