The thesis of this book is that biological systems are not strictly bottom up, with your genes dictating how your cells and bodies work. Denis Noble is a systems biologist. He gives examples in which external conditions can feed down to the genes, changing the way in which a particular gene is expressed (ie how that gene acts in the cell). This is called epigenetics. This is very different to the popular interpretation of Neo-Darwinism put forward by Richard Dawkins in his book "The Selfish Gene" (see previous post). Denis Noble is careful not to rubbish Dawkins but he has his own stance. This book is short and easy to read, and it finishes with a quotation from Wittgenstein. What's not to like?
