The Impact of the Gene: From Mendel's Peas to Designer Babies
With the unveiling of a rough draft of the human genome last
January, genetic determinism is being floated more than ever to
explain human behavior and disease. Medical reporters gush about
unraveling the human DNA code to find new cures and create
designer babies. Of course, smart journalists point out why
there are no single genes responsible for intelligence or
violence. Still, even the most thoughtful genetics coverage
carries the hidden wish to explain why we do what we do largely
in terms of our genetic heritage--as we do ourselves in everyday
conversation. When was the last time you shrugged off some bad
habit by saying, "It's in the genes"? Colin Tudge's The Impact
of the Gene is the latest book attempting to explain the hubbub
over genetics. A British science writer of some renown, Tudge
takes the unique tack of explaining these issues through Gregor
Mendel's groundbreaking studies in plant breeding. The 19th-
century monk carefully bred pe