What are genes? What do genes do? These seemingly simple questions are in fact challenging to answer accurately. As a result, there are widespread misunderstandings and over-simplistic answers, which lead to common conceptions widely portrayed in the media, such as the existence of a gene 'for' a particular characteristic or disease. In reality, the DNA we inherit interacts continuously with the environment and functions differently as we age. What our parents hand down to us is just the beginning of our life story. This comprehensive book analyses and explains the gene concept, combining philosophical, historical, psychological and educational perspectives with current research in genetics and genomics. It summarises what we currently know and do not know about genes and the potential impact of genetics on all our lives. Making Sense of Genes is an accessible but rigorous introduction to contemporary genetics concepts for non-experts, undergraduate students, teachers and healthcare professionals.

Explains challenging and complex concepts in an accessible way to enable the reader to engage critically with current, often inaccurate, representations of what genes are and what they can and cannot do
Provides an inter-disciplinary overview, combining perspectives from a wide range of fields with current genetics and genomics research to provide a pragmatic view of genes
Discusses the uses of metaphors in science and how these should and should not be used