Table Of ContentD A
AUTHORITATIVE AND UP TO DATE, this wry and N
easy-to-understand book offers an accessible and A GRAPHIC
entertaining look at the history, science, and intrigue A
G GUIDE
behind DNA, the molecule that shook the world. R
A
P to the
H
“A UNIQUE, RICHLY DETAILED, and fun biography of DNA grounded IC
in deep historical and philosophical knowledge. Israel Rosenfield, G
U
I
Edward Ziff, and Borin Van Loon give us everything we need to D MOLECULE SHOOK WORLD
E that the
know about biology’s most important molecule.” t
o
t
—OLIVER SACKS, Columbia University, author of The Mind’s Eye and The Man h
e
Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat M
O
L
E
C
“THIS IS A REMARKABLE BOOK on DNA, the molecule that lies U
L
at the core of genetics. The book is novel, easy to read, and fun E
t
and combines excellent cartoons with good personal vignettes and h
a
t
history. It can be read on its own or as a supplement to a
S
H
conventional textbook. I spent many years mastering genetics O
O
yet learned new and valuable things from this book. Take a look; K
t
you will not be disappointed.” h
e
W
—ROBERT TRIVERS, Rutgers University, winner of the Crafoord Prize in O
R
Biosciences L
D
Israel Rosenfield, professor at the City University of New York, Guggenheim Fellow, and
longtime contributor to the New York Review of Books, has written extensively about evolution,
genetics, artificial intelligence, the brain, and memory. Ro
se
n
Edward Ziff, professor of biochemistry and neural science at the New York University fi
e
School of Medicine, was a collaborator of DNA pioneer Fred Sanger and has researched gene ld
structure, transcription, oncogenes, and the brain. , Z
i
f
f
Rosenfield and Ziff met while students at Princeton University and have collaborated on essays , &
centering on evolution and neuroscience. V
a
n
L
Borin Van Loon has been a leading freelance illustrator since 1977. He has designed and o
o
illustrated fifteen documentary comic books on subjects from Darwin to psychotherapy and n
from the Buddha to statistics. He lives and works near London.
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
Cover image: Borin Van Loon
Cover design: Milenda Nan Ok Lee C
o
lu
m
Columbia University Press / New York
b
www.cup.columbia.edu ia Israel Rosenfield, Edward Ziff, & Borin Van Loon
A GRAPHIC GUIDE
to the
MolECUlE that
SHook the WoRlD
ii
ii
Columbia u niversity Press n ew york
A GRAPHIC GUIDE to the
MolECUlE that SHook the WoRlD
Israel Rosenfield, Edward Ziff, & Borin Van Loon
Columbia u niversity Press n ew york
Columbia university Press
Publishers Since 1893
new york Chichester, west sussex
Copyright © 2011 Columbia university Press
all rights reserved
library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
rosenfield, israel, 1939–
ir: to Catherine
Dna : a graphic guide to the molecule that shook the world / israel rosenfield,
edward Ziff, and borin van loon.
p. cm. eZ: to sue, sara, and ben
includes bibliographical references.
isbn 978-0-231-14270-0 (cloth : alk. paper) bvl: to mandy, simon, Jim, and louisa
isbn 978-0-231-14271-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-231-51231-2 (e-book)
1. Dna—Popular works. 2. Graphic novels. i. Ziff, edward. ii. van loon, borin, 1951–
iii. title.
QP624.r67 2011
572.8’6—dc22
2010020889
Columbia university Press books are printed on permanent and
durable acid-free paper.
this book is printed on paper with recycled content.
Printed in the united states of america
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
some of this material has appeared in a different form
in the New York Review of Books.
image on p. ii: Ladder of Ascent / art resource.
Columbia university Press
Publishers Since 1893
new york Chichester, west sussex
Copyright © 2011 Columbia university Press
all rights reserved
library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
rosenfield, israel, 1939–
ir: to Catherine
Dna : a graphic guide to the molecule that shook the world / israel rosenfield,
edward Ziff, and borin van loon.
p. cm. eZ: to sue, sara, and ben
includes bibliographical references.
isbn 978-0-231-14270-0 (cloth : alk. paper) bvl: to mandy, simon, Jim, and louisa
isbn 978-0-231-14271-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-231-51231-2 (e-book)
1. Dna—Popular works. 2. Graphic novels. i. Ziff, edward. ii. van loon, borin, 1951–
iii. title.
QP624.r67 2011
572.8’6—dc22
2010020889
Columbia university Press books are printed on permanent and
durable acid-free paper.
this book is printed on paper with recycled content.
Printed in the united states of america
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
some of this material has appeared in a different form
in the New York Review of Books.
image on p. ii: Ladder of Ascent / art resource.
Contents
Contents
Preface xi
Introduction 1
A Brief History of Genetics 5
What Is DNA? 28
The New Biology 34
DNA Replication 58
What Information Is Stored in a Gene? 60
Where Did the Notion of Messenger RNA Come From? 67
Transcription 70
Translation 75
Genetic Code 85
PaJaMo and the Operon 88
The Diversity of Gene Expression 95
A Brief Reminder of Relative Size 102
A Brief Reminder of Genes in Humans 104
Prokaryotes versus Eukaryotes 105
Restriction Enzymes and Genetic Engineering 114
Cloning and Sequencing Genes 124
Exons, Introns, and Splicing 136
Chromatin and Histones 143
Gene Families 144
Controlling Genes for Antibodies 146
Chromosomes 154
Telomeres 155
Imprinting and Micro RNAs:
“Hidden” Layers of Gene Regulation 156
Epigenetics 157
Prions 159
The Human Genome Project 161
The Human Genome Unveiled 163
High Throughput Sequencing 165
