Author(s): Kat Arney

Science & Natural History

An award-winning author takes us into the world of DNA, exploring how it encodes our genes and make us unique. This condensed, updated version of How to Code a Human makes this remarkable history succinct and accessible.

In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick solved one of science's greatest enigmas--the molecule underlying all life--and changed the face of biology. For the first time, scientists could isolate what makes us human. DNA provides a fascinating guide to the world of the double helix, examining who we are, how we're wired, and how we repair ourselves. With information on so-called "junk" DNA, how our genes evolved, heritability, the genetics of neuroscience, viruses, disease, and what happens when things go wrong, this takes us on a beautiful, visual journey through the polymer chain.