Written for anyone wondering why we are the way we are, "The Genomic Revolution" is a timely and important collection that spans the science, the promise, and the potential pitfalls of a field moving so quickly that its achievements may alternately delight and trouble us, but almost always surprise us.
From the discoveries of Watson and Crick to the appearance of Dolly the Sheep, the last fifty years have ushered in a revolution of knowledge in how organisms develop, function, and replicate.
Reilly has assembled an enjoyable series of vignettes that are understandable to the novice but contain lessons for the professional geneticist.
Reilly is trained in both genetics and law, and these advances are marvels that offer unprecedented investigative powers both for the scientist and for the police detective. At the same time, we are faced with disquieting challenges to our privacy.
Do these scientific capabilities mean that the banking of DNA samples from every citizen is inevitable? You will be convinced by Reilly's arguments that we are moving rapidly in that direction unless we educate ourselves and choose to object.
This book presents a vivid picture of how one man, by force of rigorous analysis and clear writing, taught a generation of biologists how to think about evolution.
