The Gene: From Genetics to Postgenomics - Softcover

"Rheinberger and M ller-Wille's insightful historical exploration of the many and changing meanings of the gene concept brings much needed clarification to the ongoing debate about the continuing usefulness of the term."--Soraya de Chadarevian, UCLA "As authors of the definitive history of heredity, Hans-J rg Rheinberger and Staffan M ller-Wille's account of the gene has been eagerly awaited. It will not disappoint. For anyone who wants to understand the various subtly intertwined meanings of the word 'gene' and where these came from, this is the book to read."--John Dupr , University of Exeter "This volume takes readers on a logical progression revealing the evolution of a concept. The authors write at a level that is both understandable to someone outside of the field of genetics and also carries academic weight. They combine a wide-ranging history of genetics with a much more substantial evaluation of our current perspective on the gene."--Quarterly Review of Biology "This slim volume of 147 pages presents a broad historical overview and a tentative diagnosis of the present perplexing situation. . . . As in most other recent analyses of the history of genetics, much attention is paid to Wilhelm Johannsen, in particular his introduction of the term 'gene' and his theory of genotypes. . . . Perhaps this is a road sign for future work in history of genetics, work that will balance the interest in experimentation with attention to the role of traditional natural history, taxonomy, and systematics in creating the fundamental concepts of genetics--that is, Johannsen's concept of the genotype."--Isis "Much ink has been spilled about the gene concept, do we really need more? After reading this book, by Rheinberger and M ller-Willie, the answer is 'yes.' This book covers all you need to know about the gene concept in a very precise and concise way. Their aim is to help us to better understand the changing role of the gene concept by tracking its history. . . . Almost like in a detective history, readers are moved forward, chapter by chapter, by the scientific questions that seek answers. The authors have made an insightful interpretation of the different paths through which the gene concept has traveled during history, which cannot be done without a genuinely vast knowledge of the subject."--Science & Education "The Gene is an erudite and elegant history of a (perhaps the) central concept of twentieth century biology. Rheinberger and M ller-Wille show that the gene's success lay in its plasticity in different experimental registers and its pluralism in connecting divergent theories and scientists. This book is now the definitive synthesis and point of departure for new scholarship."--Angela N. H. Creager, Princeton University