summary ofThe GeneBook by Siddhartha Mukherjee

first KEY POINT

The origins of the gene were enshrouded in grand confusion and theories but these early theories of the concept helped shaped the future of genetics

Early on, it was believed that the male was solely responsible for the genetic data of the offspring, according to Pythagoras in 530BC; this was known as “spermism”. It argued that men brought the sperm and the woman’s role was to house, nurture, and supply enough nutrition for the fetus to develop in her uterus. This formed the earliest idea of heredity and inherited traits in the study of genetics.The notion formed then that inherited genes were based on the triangle theorem, a kind of blueprint for perfect pairing and that there was a way to hack it — this law of birth. Plato is responsible for this conclusion and it would have held sway among the elite if Aristotle didn’t rise to debunk it. He posits that an offspring can inherit traits from both his parents and their parents as well, and not just their fathers and grandfathers.He went further to dissect spermism by presenting various examples where certain prominent traits were from the mother’s side and the father’s traits skipped a generation. He finally argued that the idea that the man alone was responsible for the formation of a child was flawed since a female cannot be formed with the genetic data of a man. He postulated that genetic matter was contributed by both parents and that was what formed the finished product in the form of “information”.Further theories stemmed about thisuntilone scientist was able to decipher the code for all this and form a theory to explain fully, heredity.Charles Darwin, through his many travels, inquisitive mind, and extensive research, was able to determine that organisms were able to propagate their own essence by sharing genetic material and that these traits were passed down or weaned off, depending on what he called “natural selection”. His theory changed how mankind would approach the issue of heredity from then on. He argued that each species is a descendant of a much older variant, one who through birth adapted itself to continue to exist but itself died off.The origin and survival of a species is greatly dependent on its genes and the physical interaction with the environmental triggers around it.Scientist George Mendelargued that as species mate and prepare their offspring for survival through evolution, certain traits from both parents are either dominant or recessive. Meaning that in order to survive, certain traits will be relegated to the background, whilst others will be noticeable for generations. In essence, the theories of Pythagoras, Aristotle, Plato and all the great minds before had simply funneled into one solid conclusion: as a species wishes to prolong its existence, it must first share traits with the opposite sex during mating and then must promote only the features that would be instrumental in its survival whilst inhibiting the ones that would endanger it.The revelation took a dark turn as it paved the way for more critical thinkers to venture into a theory known as“eugenics.” This simply meant killing off the weaker variants of the human species and promoting the superior ones. According to Francis Galton, a cousin to Darwin, this was the normal progression of the species and he was merely helping it along quicker. This theory would influence many horrid events over the course of history including the Holocaust.