The human genome project, DNA testing, gene therapy, and genetic engineering … there is no shortage of news about the gene revolution. This book aims to take you behind the headlines and explore the fast-moving and fascinating world of molecular biology.

In the first part of the book, I have tried to convey the power and uniqueness of the DNA molecule: how it was discovered, what it does, and where it came from. This leads into genetic engineering and its potential. In a very real sense, there is nothing special about gene transfer – it has been going on for billions of years. Its potential comes from humans, rather than the blind forces of evolution, being at the controls. The applications of genetic engineering and related technology that have attracted the most publicity – gene testing and therapy, and transgenic animals – are considered next.

But genetic engineering is just one aspect of biotechnology (although the two terms are often used synonymously); in the third part of the book I try to look at the wider world of biotechnology, as well as that of genetic engineering – as applied to plants and the environment.

Critics say that there is an overemphasis on DNA in biology, leading to a kind of reductionism, which has alienated the public, and some scientists, from its benefits. In the last part, I have tried to put DNA in context by looking at some other new ideas that have emerged in biology over the last 20 years or so.