Nessa Carey

For decades after identifying the structure of DNA, scientists focused only on genes, the regions of the genome that contain codes for the production of proteins. Other regions that make up 98% of the human genome were dismissed as "junk," sequences that serve no purpose.

Epigenetics has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on earth. It explains why mapping an organism's DNA code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Conducting a survey of the twenty-year history of the field while also showcasing its latest findings, this volume provides a solid introduction for grasping the foundations of epigenetics, the field's recent discoveries and innovations, and its practical and theoretical applications.