An award-winning author takes us into the world of DNA, exploring how it encodes our genes and make us unique. This condensed, updated version of How to Code a Human makes this remarkable history succinct and accessible.

In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick solved one of science’s greatest enigmas—the molecule underlying all life—and changed the face of biology. For the first time, scientists could isolate what makes us human. DNA provides a fascinating guide to the world of the double helix, examining who we are, how we’re wired, and how we repair ourselves. With information on so-called “junk” DNA, how our genes evolved, heritability, the genetics of neuroscience, viruses, disease, and what happens when things go wrong, this takes us on a beautiful, visual journey through the polymer chain.