The Epigenetics Revolution

by Carey, Nessa

• ISBN13: 9780231161169
• ISBN10: 0231161166
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-03-06
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr

Summary

Epigenetics can potentially revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on Earth. It explains why mapping an organism's genetic code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Surveying the twenty-year history of the field while also highlighting its latest findings and innovations, this volume provides a readily understandable introduction to the foundations of epigenetics. Nessa Carey, a leading epigenetics researcher, connects the field's arguments to such diverse phenomena as how ants and queen bees control their colonies; why tortoiseshell cats are always female; why some plants need cold weather before they can flower; and how our bodies age and develop disease. Reaching beyond biology, epigenetics now informs work on drug addiction, the long-term effects of famine, and the physical and psychological consequences of childhood trauma. Carey concludes with a discussion of the future directions for this research and its ability to improve human health and well-being.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
An Ugly Toad and an Elegant Man	p. 11
How We Learned to Roll Uphill	p. 23
Life As We Knew It	p. 42
Life As We Know It Now	p. 54
Why Aren't Identical Twins Actually Identical?	p. 75
The Sins of the Fathers	p. 97
The Generations Game	p. 115
The Battle of the Sexes	p. 129
Generation X	p. 152
The Message is Not the Medium	p. 178
Fighting the Enemy Within	p. 205
All in the Mind	p. 233
The Downhill Slope	p. 262
Long Live the Queen	p. 282
The Green Revolution	p. 293
The Ways Ahead	p. 304
Notes	p. 313
Glossary	p. 325
Index	p. 329
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