It is amazing to look back at the amount of human knowledge gained over the past 50 years. One area of development is genetics, including the understanding of DNA in our evolution, and the inheritance of specific traits. Written in 1966 by George Beadle and his wife Muriel Beadle is ‘The Language of Life: An Introduction to the Science of Genetics’. Their book introduces the role of genetics in human reproduction and development, and the history of how we have arrived to where we are today.
The Beadles start their book with a history of genetic inheritance from our ancestors and how homo sapiens came to be. These chapters reminded me of the book ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Hariri, but with deeper scientific explanations to support the content. It is intriguing to see how these theories were perceived in the 60s, influenced by the work of Charles Darwin.
Throughout the book are history lessons on the development of genetics, from the 18th century until the book was published. It is interesting to see the shifts in research on human genetics and how the importance of bacteria and viruses within DNA has decreased over time. It is evident that we have come a long way in understanding viruses and bacteria since the book was published.
A large portion of the book explains the physiology and chemistry behind DNA and our chemical make-up, emphasising the roles of enzymes and amino acids. The authors made great simple analogies to enhance our understanding, but there were many moments where I got lost in specific details. Relatively new at the time was DNA’s double helix structure as proposed by Watson and Crick in the 1950s. While the authors have included this theory in their explanations, its importance as we know it today isn’t as prominent in this book.
The Beadles conclude with questions about the future and the impacts of technological advancements on genetic mutations. Given the rise of nuclear weapons during this period, the authors raised concern for the effects of radioactivity on future generations. They also question the theories of evolution, referring to Charles Darwin, God and the Bible, and how it ties into science.
Reading a book written over 50 years ago provides insight into how the world was understood at the time, and an appreciation for the rapid development of our civilization. Despite getting lost in the biochemistry, this book provided a thorough insight into the history of genetic research. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a different perspective on these topics.
Books for Thought 