The Genome Generation

The year 2001 marked the moment when scientists first read the 3 billion letters of DNA that make up the human genome. This breakthrough begged questions such as What have we learned about evolution? How has it changed the way we practice medicine, grow crops, and breed livestock? and Is the genomic revolution an overhyped flop? Answering these and many other queries, this account covers revolutionary genetic developments in areas as diverse as medicine, agriculture, and evolution. From Botswana to Boston and from Australia to Mexico, the contributors to this work reveal what it means to be part of the genome generation.

Elizabeth Finkel is a journalist, a contributing editor at Cosmos magazine, and a writer at Science magazine. She is the author of Stem Cells and the recipient of a Queensland Premier's Literary Award, as well as a former research scientist with a PhD in Biochemistry and a decade of experience.