A miracle inside us

The future has already come. Technologies appeared, not only predicted (or rather - ordered) science fiction writers, but also completely incredible, which none of the most perspicacious futurologists managed to describe. The most amazing thing is that we quickly got used to them, perceiving the “miracle” as something natural. Augmented reality, hundreds of gigabytes of data on a key fob, digital video camera on a mobile phone, three-dimensional printing, DNA analysis-even if someone did not encounter these technologies in everyday life, he could hear about them in the news release. And through the chatter of commentators, they influence the culture in general and on our perception of the possibilities of modern civilization in particular.

However, there is a nuance. In his new book, the biologist and journalist Elena Kleshchenko, who is known, among other things with science fiction stories, gives a very indicative example: in December 2002, American Lidia Fairchald passed the DNA test, which showed that she could not be considered the mother of her own children. Probably, it should be thought about how adequate the analysis is and takes into account all possible situations, but instead an investigation that lasted almost a year and a half was immediately started. Lydia was accused of kidnapping newborns with some other woman! She was lucky: the lawyers insisted on a more thorough examination, as a result of which it was found that she is a genetic “chimera”, that is, a person who has living cells of another “individual” - in this case, the unborn sister of Lydia. Of course, the case itself is very rare, but its social framing demonstrates how great trust in the "miracles" of modern science.

No need to blindly trust, says Kleshchenko, much more useful for self -development to understand the essence of the technology, see how it was created, how can be applied and what to expect from it in the future. And then a message that flashed in the news such as “Scientists using the DNA test proved ...” will gain a clear meaning in the context of our time.

I must say that the book “DNA and Her Man” appeared very on time. And quite naturally fell into the long list of the Enlightener Prize. There are plenty of popular works on various genetic studies (here it is worth mentioning the “Genoma: Autobiography of the species in 23 chapters” by Matt Ridley, “My unique genome” of the Lona Frank and “Garbage DNA” Nessa Carey). All of them are interesting, but to one degree or another, they are divorced from household practice. Meanwhile, it is precisely in everyday life that the meaning of a particular discovery for society is revealed, because it is no coincidence that researchers working in the front edge come up with bright illustrations such as Demon Maxwell or Cat (cat) of the Schrödinger. In addition, the “unraveling” of the DNA threads is no less exciting than any judicial detective, which was demonstrated by Elena Kleshchenko in a new book on many spectacular episodes of recent history, including the aforementioned riddle of the children of Lydia Fairchald, which could serve as an excellent basis for the thriller.

The domestic reader will probably be interested in chapters on the study of the remains of the executed family of Tsar Nicholas II and the genetic reconstruction of the pedigree of the first Russian princes. In both cases, a painstaking analysis of DNA made it possible to refute the numerous speculations around acute topics that have a political coloring today. Moreover, it was possible to make several unexpected discoveries: for example, in the genome of Nicholas II, the rare cytoplasmic mutation (heteroplasmia) was revealed, about which scientists did not have sustainable ideas, and the haplogroup N1C1-Y4338, common for the Rurik branch, was discovered not only among “purebred” nobles, but also among ordinary people of “peasant origin”.

On the other hand, the one who does not want to delve into pseudo -historical squabbles, but prefers to learn about the methods used in the allocation, reading and analyzing DNAs will find a sufficiently detailed description of them: from labor -intensive sequencing on Senger to a promising nanoport sequencing, the device for which in appearance and sizes is similar to a large mobile phone. Many pages are devoted to the use of DNA expertise in forensics. By the way, the question with Jack the Ripper has not yet been clarified, despite individual irresponsible allegations: the results of genetic identification, connecting the famous maniac with the Polish Jew Aaron Kosminsky, are great doubts among specialized specialists.

In the course of the story, Elena Kleshchenko repeatedly emphasizes: the genome of the vast majority of people, not to mention other biological species, has not yet been read, therefore, as the methods of deciphering DNA are improved and cheaper, new discoveries should be expected. Mistakes are possible along this path (as in the case of a phantom from Heilbron), but the results, even intermediate ones, are able to revolutionize the entire complex of sciences of life and mind. After all, the main miracle-a book written by nature-is located inside us, and we finally learned to read it.

Anton Pervushin,
Fantast writer, scientific journalist