|
Each and every one of us began as a single cell, a fertilized
egg. We are accustomed to this idea, and yet it continues to induce in us a sense
of awe. How can it be that this single cell gives rise to the complete forms that
make up the adult? How does one cell give rise to millions of cells, many of very
different specialized functions, in just the right proportions? How do they come
to be organized into complete structures such as limbs, faces, hearts, or brains?
How is it that the patterns are so stable and repeatable generation after generation?
Where in the egg is all this information encoded or embedded? In
The Triumph of the Embryo, Lewis Wolpert offers the non-specialist reader
insights into this most fundamental and important biological question. His writing
is rich in metaphor and description, drawing examples from studies on the development
of many animal species. We encounter the conveniently transparent sea-urchin embryo,
the zebra-striped mouse, newts and birds, and a fruit-fly whose confused developmental
programme causes it to grow a leg out of its head. The narrative takes us from
the earliest history of the field to the forefront of modern embryology: the way
genes control development, how cells know their position in the embryo, and the
exciting discovery of homeobox genes which have been highly conserved over millions
of years of evolution. Professor Wolpert introduces us to the development of the
brain, the processes of regeneration, growth, and ageing, and he looks at cancer
as an aberration from the normal controls on development. Finally, we encounter
evolution, which has achieved so much by 'tinkering' with the developmental programme.
Professor Wolpert's enthusiasm for his subject is fired by his
belief that the process of development is governed by a few inherently simple
and elegant rules, universal rules that play a fundamental part in all our lives.
His book has its origins in a desire to share his insights and the excitement
of the science which is illuminating them. This he does triumphantly. Lewis
Wolpert CBE, FRS, is Professor of Biology as Applied to Medicine at University
College London. He was born and trained as an engineer in South Africa before
moving to England where he began research on the mechanical properties of cells.
This work led him into his lifelong fascination with the embryo. As a broadcaster
and distinguished speaker, he is committed to communicating the excitement of
doing and thinking about science to the widest possible audience. This was the
theme of his previous book for Oxford University Press, A Passion for Science.
|
