Genes were unknowingly discovered in the 19th century by Gregor Mendel,
a Czechoslovakian monk. It was later established that genes are made of
DNA, a biological compound found in tiny thread-like structures called
chromosomes that are located in the nuclei of all cells in our bodies.
DNA consists of chains of entities called bases of which there are four
in nature. DNA consists of long chains of bases (sometimes referred to
as DNA sequences) that are joined in any order, but the precise order
and length of which constitute different genes.
Many (but not all) genes carry a code called the genetic code, a code
that instructs the synthesis (manufacture) of the many hundreds of
proteins that we require to survive and execute the many functions of
life. The genetic code was deciphered in relatively recent years and is
considered one of the most significant discoveries in the history of
biology.
Genes that encode instructions for the synthesis of proteins and those
that regulate the manufacture of proteins comprise a mere two percent of
our DNA. Despite our extensive knowledge of biology and the
sub-discipline of molecular biology (the study of biology at the
molecular level), the function (if any) of the rest of the DNA in our
cells is unknown.
Research about genes and DNA has in recent years spawned an endeavor
referred to as the Human Genome Project, an international collaboration
that has successfully determined, stored, and rendered publicly
available the sequences of almost all the genetic content of the
chromosomes of the human organism, otherwise known as the human genome.
DNA sequences that are unique to every person on earth have been
discovered (DNA fingherprints) and are now used for identifying
criminals. The book relates a specific example of identifying a criminal
who murdered two women.
This is the first and only book that we are aware of that educates
non-biologists about genes. It is written in a style and uses a
vocabulary that can be comprehended by the average reader who knows very
little if anything about genes.
