The Year of the Genome: A Diary of the Biological Revolution - Hardcover

Weissmann, Gerald

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805070958 ISBN 13: 9780805070958

Publisher: Times Books, 2002

Synopsis

For twelve months beginning in January 2000, celebrated essayist and research physician Gerald Weissmann carefully documented the modern age of enlightenment, charting its scientific marvels and new plagues. Now, this illuminating diary takes us on a literary exploration of laboratories and beyond to see the impact on human life and culture of headliners such as RU 486, AIDS drugs, and other current developments, including the controversial use of stem cells.

Whether calling on Ralph Waldo Emerson to explain Craig Venter's drive to unravel the genome or tracing the effect of Rachel Carson's legacy on the spread of malaria around the world, Weissmann's lively chronicle captures the greatest genetic revolution of all time.

About this title

About the Author:

A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and two Rockefeller residencies at Belaggio, Gerald Weissmann, M.D., is a professor of medicine and director of the Biotechnology Study Center at New York University School of Medicine. His books include Darwin's Audubon and his essays and reviews have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times Book Review. He lives in New York City and Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

From Library Journal:

The director of the Biotechnology Study Center at the NYU School of Medicine, Weissmann (Democracy and DNA) here gathers 34 of the columns he published between April 2000 and October 2001 in the webzine Praxis Post (www.praxispost.com/ post/). While many of the columns focus on the remarkable genomic milestones reached during that time (e.g., announcement of the draft human sequence in June 2000 and publication of the working draft sequence in February 2001), the essays are thoroughly grounded in medical and biological reality. Weissmann discusses the politics of cloning and contraception and pays welcome attention to public health issues, which will continue to be just as important as molecular biology and biochemistry advances. Juxtaposing true medical progress such as the recent dramatic reductions in deaths from stroke with ongoing struggles against hoof and mouth, mad cow, Ebola, and other diseases, Weissmann's book is erudite, engaging, and accessible. Recommended for public and academic libraries, particularly those with well-thumbed copies of Lewis Thomas's The Lives of a Cell. [See also another recent release, The Human Genome, edited by Carina Dennis & Richard Gallagher. Ed.] Mary Chitty, Cambridge Healthtech, Newton Upper Falls, M.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Times Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0805070958
• ISBN 13: 9780805070958
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288