Genes provide the blueprint from which we, and the plants we grow and the animals we raise, are built. They influence but do not necessarily determine our mental and physical characteristics, including our propensity to disease. Up until recently, our ability to manipulate our genes and those of other living organisms was very limited. But this is changing, with significant moral, political and economic implications.
Summary: The Gene is a summary of The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee. It chronicles the history of genetics, and discusses some of the potential applications of our ever-increasing understanding of the science, in particular for tackling disease.