The genome’s been mapped.

But exactly what does it mean?

Arguably the most significant scientific discovery of the new century, the mapping from the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome raises almost as many questions since it answers. Queries which will profoundly impact just how we think about disease, about longevity, and about free will. Questions that will affect the rest you will ever have.

Genome presents extraordinary insight into the ramifications of this incredible discovery. By picking one newly uncovered gene from each pair of chromosomes and telling its tale, Matt Ridley recounts the annals of our species and its own ancestors from the dawn of existence to the brink of future medicine. From Huntington’s disease to cancer, through the applications of gene therapy to the horrors of eugenics, Matt Ridley probes the medical, philosophical, and moral problems arising due to the mapping from the genome. It will help you understand what this technological milestone means for you, for your children, as well as for humankind.