Though the gene has long been the central organizing theme of biology, both conceptually and as an object of study, Rheinberger and Müller-Wille conclude that we have never even had a universally accepted, stable definition of it. It is that very openness to change and manipulation, the authors argue, that made it so useful: its very mutability enabled it to be useful while the technologies and approaches used to study and theorize about it changed dramatically. "The authors have made an insightful interpretation of the different paths through which the gene concept has traveled during history, which cannot be done without a genuinely vast knowledge of the subject." ― Science & Education |