The century of the gene

At the beginning of the 20th century the term gene was introduced. In the middle, the structure of DNA was figured out, and by the end the human genome had been decoded. Thus it was very much the century of the gene. This book serves as a gentle introduction to genetics, including topics such as error correction and the development of an organism. However, its central point is that the concept of the gene has been overused, and in future we won't see it as being so important. It is recommended for readers who want to learn about genetics, but who require a critical view of the concepts which are being introduced.

I have to say that I found someof the arguments in this book lacked substance. For instance Keller says that the term 'genetic switch' is ambiguous, in that it could mean either a gene switching some process on or off or a gene being switched on or off by some external factor. This is true, but we live with such ambiguities all the time, without feeling that we have to abandon important concepts. Now I wouldn't like to predict that the idea of the gene will never fall out of favour - maybe in a century or so we will look at things differently. However, I wasn't persuaded that this will occur any time soon.