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How is a tiny fertilised egg able to turn
itself into a human being? How can an acorn transform itself
into an oak tree? Over the past twenty years there has been
a revolution in biology. For the first time we have begun
to understand how organisms make themselves: the mechanisms
by which a fertilised egg develops into an adult can now
be grasped in a way that was unimaginable a few decades
ago. The Art of Genes is the first account of these
new and exciting findings, and of their border significance
for how we view ourselves.
Through a highly original synthesis of science
and art, Enrico Coen vividly describes this revolution in
our understanding of how plants and animals develop. Drawing
on a wide range of material -- from flowers growing petals
instead of sex organs, and flies that develop an extra pair
of wings, to works of art by Leonardo and Magritte -- he
explains in lively, accessible prose the language and meaning
of genes. Coen draws parallels between the way genes respond
to the developing pattern of an organism and the way an
artist responds to a painting being created on canvas, using
this memorable analogy to show how the organism develops
through an interactive dialogue in which there is no clear
separation between plan and execution. By explaining how
this process has arisen, he arrives at fresh and exciting
insights into the nature of evolution, development, and
human creativity.
This lucid, authoritative and entertaining
account of plant and animal biology will appeal to any general
reader with a curiosity about science, as it will to students,
teachers, and professional biologists.
Enrico Coen was born in Liverpool in
1957 and studied genetics at the University of Cambridge.
In 1984 he joined the Genetics Department at the John Innes
Centre, Norwich, where he is today, working on the genetic
control of flower development in Antirrhinum (snapdragon).
His awards include the Science for Art Prize (1996), the
EMBO Medal (1996), and the Linnean Gold Medal (1997). In
1997 he was made honorary Professor in Biology at the University
of East Anglia, Professor Coen was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society in 1998.
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