Sergio Pistoi began his career as a molecular biologist before a radiation accident turned him into an evil science-writing superhero. He was an intern at Scientific American and a stringer for Reuters Health. His credits include Scientific American, New Scientist, Nature, and various Italian print and radio outlets and publishes multilingual videos on his YouTube channel Rockscience. He works as a communication and science consultant for research for companies, research organizations, and EU projects. He is also the author of DNA Nation, a popular science book about the rise of DNA social networks and home genomics. He hides in Tuscany, Italy, with a fake identity.
I wrote...
DNA Nation: How the Internet of Genes is Changing Your Life
By
Sergio Pistoi
What is my book about?
Millions of people have done it: with a few clicks and some spit, and at less than the cost of a fancy dinner, you can buy a reading of your DNA online. With this in hand, you can find out where you came from, trace relatives around the world and find new friends on a genetic social network. You can learn about your predisposition to disease, get a genetically tailored diet, understand the sports to which you or your children might be more suited, and even find a date. It’s the dawn of consumer genomics, where the progress of biology meets the power of the Internet and big data.
Sergio Pistoi, a journalist and a DNA scientist, investigated this brave new world first-hand by interrogating his own genes, and has provided a practical, informative, and thought-provoking survival guide to home genetic testing. From medicine to food, from social networking to genealogy and advertising, this book will show you how the DNA revolution is beginning to have such a profound impact on our daily lives and privacy and why it will influence the choices we make.
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The Books I Picked & Why
Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters
By
Matt Ridley
Why this book?
This book comes from an era when the map of the human genome was yet to come but it is still a reference and a great read for its gripping narrative and scientific accuracy. Every chapter (one for each human chromosome) tells the story of a significant human gene. Although outdated by the incredible progress of genomics, I think Genome is a must-read and an inspiring account.
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
By
Rebecca Skloot
Why this book?
The story of Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman who died of cervical cancer in the 1950s and whose cells, named HeLa are still used in research, is both an epic family recount and a reflection on the evolution and dilemmas of Bioethics. Skloot’s gripping first-person narrative and solid journalistic style made this book a bestseller, and the subject of a movie. I loved the way it humanized science through the perspective and extraordinary stories of ordinary people.
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The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome
By
Alondra Nelson
Why this book?
The book explores the impact of home DNA testing for ancestry in the Afro-American community. One of the best and focused essays on the social consequences of DNA technology, rich with telling examples.
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The Selfish Gene
By
Richard Dawkins
Why this book?
An all-time classic in popular science, the reference for approaching evolution and (bonus point) the first book to introduce the term “meme”. The Selfish Gene comes from the late 1970s but has many hints to understand contemporary biology, epidemics, and even, well, memes.
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Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
By
David Quammen
Why this book?
Sweat, dirty jobs, genetics, viruses, and outstanding journalism are the ingredients of this wonderful, gripping book that anticipated the coronavirus pandemic. The starting point to understand where the recent pandemics came from, and where to expect the next ones.
