View source for The Language of the Genes

{{italic title}}{{Short description|Popular science book by Steve Jones}}{{Infobox book
| image             = LanguageGenes.jpg
| author            = [[Steve Jones (biologist) | Steve Jones]]
| isbn              = 0-00-255020-2
| pub_date          = 1993
| caption           = First edition
| genre             = Non-fiction
| language          = English
| subject           = [[Genetics]], [[Evolution]]
}}
'''''The Language of the Genes''''' ([[HarperCollins]], {{ISBN|0-00-255020-2}}) is a [[popular science]] [[book]] by [[Steve Jones (biologist)|Steve Jones]] about [[genetics]] and [[evolution]].  It followed a 1991 series of [[Reith Lectures]] by Jones with the same title.<ref name=Reith>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith/historic_audio/reith_historic.shtml BBC website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222084446/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith/historic_audio/reith_historic.shtml |date=2008-12-22 }} Historic Reith Lectures</ref> The book introduces all different aspects of genetics and [[molecular biology]], and the new editions contain information about the frontiers of the field, such as the [[Human Genome Project]].  The first edition was published in 1993 and won the [[Rhône-Poulenc Prize]] (now known as the [[Royal Society Prizes for Science Books]]).<ref>[http://royalsociety.org/bookspage.asp?id=6372 Prizes for Science Books previous winners and shortlists], [[The Royal Society]] website</ref>

The title of the book is partly the result of Jones' regular use of a [[metaphor]] of [[nucleotide]]s as [[Letter (alphabet)|letters]], [[codon]]s as [[word]]s and [[gene]]s as [[Sentence (linguistics)|sentence]]s, but also reflecting Jones' short explanation of [[language]]'s role in [[human]] evolution.

A second revised and expanded edition ({{ISBN|0-006-55243-9}}) was published by [[Flamingo (imprint)|Flamingo]] on 18 September 2000.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Language Of The Genes}}
[[Category:1993 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Books by Steve Jones (biologist)]]
[[Category:Genetics books]]
[[Category:Genetics in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:HarperCollins books]]
[[Category:Popular science books]]