What’s in Your Genes? is delightfully fun.
By Jeffrey M. Perkel
 

I know scientific non-fiction rarely tops the best-seller lists, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to read. Case in point: What’s in Your Genes?

I read the book this past weekend while returning from ScienceOnline 2014, a get-together of exceptionally creative science communicators — bloggers and podcasters, videographers and artists — held annually in Raleigh, NC. One of the attendees was Katie McKissick, an artist and writer who goes by the nom de plume, Beatrice the Biologist. McKissick draws the most delightfully wacky science-y cartoons — e.g., here and here — and compiled several in a small book called Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense.

What’s in Your Genes? is McKissick’s first full-length book, published just this year. I was able to score a copy at ScienceOnline and read it on the way home. At a shade under 250 pages, I finished it in under a day.

So what’s in What’s in Your Genes? Well, I’ll tell you what’s not in it: The book is not an in-depth treatise on genetics. There are, as McKissick points out, plenty of textbooks available on the subject if that’s your thing. Instead, it’s an easy, breezy, witty take on some seriously deep topics, from epigenetics and comparative genomics to the genetics of ear wax and eye color. The chapters are short and to the point — few are above 5 pages, if that — and written in the conversational style of a grade school biology teacher, which is precisely what McKissick used to be.

Here she is describing the difference between mitosis (cell division) and meiosis (gamete development):

Mitosis happens all the time all over the place — on your face, in your stomach, in your butt. Meiosis, on the other hand, only happens in two spots: in the testes for dudes and in the ovaries for the ladies. Meiosis is only for making baby ingredients. (p. 72)

I don’t know if it’s the audience McKissick was aiming for, but I’d say the book is perfect for middle- and high-school kids interested in science, and in fact I gave my copy to my 7th-grade daughter to read.

That’s not to say she doesn’t touch on some complex subjects. McKissick talks about breast cancer susceptibility, gene therapy, and gene patents. Here she is on the evolutionary history inscribed in our DNA:

One type of viral marker is 100 million years old, and is found across thirty-eight different types of mammals — from humans to mice, elephants, and dolphins. That means that it was a common ancestor of all of us that was infected with it. That grandmother that you and I and Flipper share must have had a wicked cold. (p. 225)

Interspersed throughout are McKissick’s whimsical illustrations, a few of which I reproduce below (with the author’s permission). This one explains why mitochondrial DNA is always inherited via the mother: Because a zygote gets its mitochondria from the egg and not the sperm.

And this one illustrates that “alleles” — such as the “normal” beta-globin and the “sickle-cell” beta-globin — are essentially “flavors” of genes.

What’s in Your Genes? isn’t going to turn you into a genetics expert. Not by a long shot. But if you’re looking for a quick intro to the world of genes and heredity, or know someone who’s intimidated by science, I recommend picking up a copy. It’s a delight. And it’ll put a smile on your face.  

All images courtesy of Katie McKissick/Beatrice the Biologist. Home page image available here.