DNA and Your Body : What You Need to Know About Biotechnology

Addresses the flood of new DNA-related information that has flowed from the recent revolution in biotechnology: information that is transforming the food we eat; the way medicine is practised, and even changing the ways in which crimes are solved.

Most people know very little about DNA, the molecule that programs our human potential. This book explains what DNA is and then identifies its central role in so many everyday human experiences, including growth and development, ageing, individuality and degenerative diseases. All discussion is in the context of the human body. The book then addresses the flood of new DNA-related information that has flowed from the recent revolution in biotechnology: information that is transforming the food we eat; the way medicine is practised, and even changing the ways in which crimes are solved. To be informed on all these topics of the moment requires an understanding of the basic principles of DNA biology. The book discusses many controversial issues relating to applications of biotechnology, including cloning, tissue culture, the human genome project, hormone treatment and IV fertilisation. ""DNA and Your Body"" is written for a general audience, using non-technical language. All chapters begin with a boxed chapter summary and a list of Frequently Asked Questions, and there is a comprehensive glossary of terms. Each chapter ends with a discussion of the ethical considerations of some advances in DNA technology. The work contains some 14 explanatory black-line drawings.