Episode 2
Darwin's theory of evolution unlocked a world of understanding, but without a theory of heredity, it was incomplete. A monk in a garden with some pea plants might have the answer.
An intimate history of the gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee.
In 1859 Darwin published his famous book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. During the years before and after its publication, Gregor Mendel, a young Silesian monk, had been busy breeding peas and carefully logging his results. He was on the way towards a theory of heredity - to identifying the existence of genes.
Siddhartha Mukherjee is a cancer physician and researcher, a stem cell biologist and cancer geneticist. He is also author of The Emperor of All Maladies, a biography of cancer which won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction, and the Guardian first book award.
He is assistant professor of Medicine at Columbia University.
Written by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Read by Raj Ghatak
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4.
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Next
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Author | Siddhartha Mukherjee |
| Abridger | Jill Waters |
| Producer | Jill Waters |
| Reader | Raj Ghatak |
Broadcasts
- Tue 21 Jun 2016 09:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 FM
- Wed 22 Jun 2016 00:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
Listen to more Audio Books
Including My Sister The Serial Killer, Queenie, The Flatshare and more.
Opening Lines
John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.
Sample our books and authors Clip Collection
Interviews, previews and reviews
Subscribe to the Short stories podcast
Featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers
How many of these 100 Novels have you read?
After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.
Finding Your Story
Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arts: Books
Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.