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For example, by isolating and identifying the composition of the gene that codes for the production of insulin in the human body, scientists were able to produce a synthetic version of insulin. Researchers began to identify genes that produce essential proteins in the human body, and to use that knowledge to develop synthetic proteins to treat diseases. The 70s and 80s became a major turning point, Mukherjee tells us, as researchers moved from describing the gene to learning how to manipulate it to create medicines to treat diseases–something that researchers up to that point hadn’t even really contemplated. This in turn led to greater understanding of the linkages between genes, human physiology and a variety of diseases. This part of the book reads almost like a detective story, as Mukherjee describes how the mysteries of the gene–what exactly it is, where it is in the body, and how it works–were unraveled by researchers one step at a time.Ī century of learning about the gene started with Gregor Mendel and his experiments with pea plants in the 1860s, and culminated in the 1950s when James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin and others finally identified the molecular structure of DNA–the famous double helix.įrom the late 1950s into the 1970s, scientists deepened their understanding of how genes function, learning for example that genes could be turned “on” or “off” by particular cues. Like “Emperor,” “The Gene” beings with a history of sorts of how our knowledge of heredity and the way in which genetic traits are passed from generation to generation has evolved over time. The implications of what has been learned about the gene and what it means for future generations are very personal for Mukherjee, as he reveals in this new book as he shares the stories of several family members who have been affected by mental illness. His Pulitzer prize-winning “The Emperor of All Maladies” is one of the most interesting and informative books about cancer that I’ve read. I’ve been looking forward to reading Siddhartha Mukherjee’s latest book, “The Gene: An Intimate History”, since it was published in 2016.