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{{Short description|1999 popular science book by Matt Ridley}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters
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'''''Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters''''' is a 1999 [[popular science]] [[book]] by the science writer [[Matt Ridley]], published by Fourth Estate. The chapters are numbered for the pairs of human [[chromosomes]], one pair being the X and Y [[sex chromosome]]s, so the numbering goes up to 22 with Chapter X and Y couched between Chapters 7 and 8.
The book was welcomed by critics in journals such as ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' and newspapers including ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name=Kealey/><ref name=Silver/> The ''[[London Review of Books]]'' however found the book "at once instructive and infuriating", as "his right-wing politics lead him to slant the implications of the research".<ref name=Coyne/>
==Context==
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;Chapter 2, Species
Ridley discusses the history of human kind as a genetically distinct species. He compares the human genome to [[Common chimpanzee|chimpanzee]]s, and ancestral [[primates]]. He also points out that until the 19th
;Chapter 3, History
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;Chapter 4, Fate
[[Huntington's
;Chapter 5, Environment
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;Chapter 11, Personality
Ridley chooses the gene [[D4DR]] which codes for the manufacture of [[dopamine]] and is located on the short arm of [[chromosome 11]]. Interactions between dopamine, [[serotonin]] and other [[Serotonin|serotonin neurochemistry]] are lightly covered.
;Chapter 12, Self-Assembly
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;Chapter 19, Prevention
It might be possible to prevent or cure [[Alzheimer's disease]] and [[coronary heart disease]]. APO genes like APOE influence fat and cholesterol metabolism. The E4 allele of EPOE contributes to the plaque buildup of Alzheimer's. [[Genetic testing]] may help patients take early preventative action.
;Chapter 20, Politics
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==Reception==
''Genome'' has been reviewed in scientific journals including ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]''<ref name=Kealey>{{cite journal |last1=Kealey |first1=Terence |title=Book Review Genome:The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters |journal=Nature |date=2000 |volume=24 |issue=21 |pages=21 |doi=10.1038/71638 |pmid=10615121 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and in medical journals such as the ''[[New England Journal of Medicine]]'', where Robert Schwartz notes that Ridley speculates, "sometimes wildly".<ref name=Schwartz>{{cite journal |last1=Schwartz|first1=Robert S. |title=Book Review Genome: The autobiography of a species in 23 chapters |journal=New England Journal of Medicine |date=2000 |volume=342 |page=1763 |doi=10.1056/NEJM200006083422321 }}</ref> The book is a "gambol" through the human chromosomes. All the same, Schwartz writes, the book is "instructive, challenging, and fun to read. I envy Ridley's talent for presenting, without condescension, complex sets of facts and ideas in terms comprehensible to outsiders."<ref name=Schwartz/>
Lee M. Silver, reviewing ''Genome'' in ''[[The New York Times]]'', argues that the book's theme is that each individual's genome contains "echoes" (Ridley's word) of their ancestors' lives. Silver calls Ridley "adamant" in believing that the use of "personal genetics" must not be left for doctors or governments to control, following on from the mistakes of [[eugenics]] a century ago, but that it's a fundamental human right to "see and use the messages in their own DNA as they see fit." Silver describes the book as remarkable for focusing on "pure intellectual discovery", providing "delightful stories". He suggests that even practising geneticists will gain a sense of wonder from the "hidden secrets" in the book.<ref name=Silver>{{cite news |last1=Silver |first1=Lee M. |title=Map of Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/00/02/27/reviews/000227.27silvert.html?mcubz=3 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=27 February 2000}}</ref>
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{{reflist|30em}}
[[Category:1999 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Books by Matt Ridley]]
[[Category:Genetics books]]
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