Book Reviews

It would take us too far afi eld to consider each indi- (particularly sociologists and anthropologists), and vidual chapter. Let me begin with some general by “people on the street.” comments. Many historians of science have consid- ered the relationships between science and religion. A fi nal observation: One needs to be concerned about David Livingstone, for example, has identifi ed four the confl ation of religion, theology, and faith that is relationships: confl ict, competition, cooperation, present in some of the chapters. Clearly, they are not and continuity. John Brooke highlighted three in his the same. But that is not always clear in the accounts insightful book, Science and Religion: Some Historical presented. If one holds that religion is a way of life Perspectives: warfare, separation or complementarity, that people engage in with their full existence and and intimacy. And there are many other descriptions, at all times, while faith is one of a number of funda- including Ian Barbour’s familiar quartet: confl ict, mental modes of being religious, a different way of interdependence, dialogue, integration (referenced telling the story follows. The socio-cultural endeavor by Lightman, p. 80). Indeed, there is a broad expanse of science can be religious. But could it ever be of relationships on offer: confl ict, compatibility, irreligious? If not, then the question becomes what complementarity, harmony (even “discordant har- religion or religions does scientifi c activity and prac- mony”), integrality, and a more holistic model. The tice bear witness to. That manner of relating science fi rst four relationships fi nd expression in one way or and religion is much different than seeing religion another in this book. The latter two are hinted at by solely lived out in theology, ecclesiastical and para- Gundlach in his discussion of Bernard Ramm’s posi- church organizations, or cultic groups. Perhaps there tion regarding the direction of a person’s heart in its is an opportunity to go beyond trying to live in two response to God (p. 179). [For a further delineation worlds at once? describing the gesture of Christian scholarship as complementarity, integrality, and holistic, see Robert For readers of PSCF, this is a book worthy of read- Sweetman, Tracing the Lines: Spiritual Exercise and the ing, digesting, and emulating in its close analysis of Gesture of Christian Scholarship; Wipf & Stock, 2016, science and religion. The Warfare will give the reader reviewed in PSCF 70, no. 2 (2018): 133–34.] a trustworthy account of the most recent scholarship about the religion science nexus. As Livingstone and As one examines individual chapters, we encounter Noll conclude in their introduction, The Warfare may increasing complexity in the science/religion rela- help “clear the smoke of a battle that has never really tion: The Galileo affair (according to Finocchiaro) existed so that meaningful work can proceed” (p. 5). “displays various confl icts between science and reli- Reviewed by Arie Leegwater, Department of Chemistry and Biochemis- gion, but also various harmonies between them” try, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. (p. 39). English Victorians in Lightman’s inter- pretation often held different confl ict theses and THE GENE: From Genetics to Postgenomics by frequently opted for a discordant harmony. He also Hans-Jörg Rheinberger and Staffan Müller-Wille, warns us to be sensitive to nuances: John Tyndall trans. Adam Bostanci. Chicago, IL: University of pitted theology but not religion against science, a Chicago Press, 2017. 147 pages, including con- partial philosophical reconciliation not present in tents, acknowledgments, bibliographical references, Draper’s thinking (p. 76). Brooke gives us a superb and index of names. Paperback; $25.00. ISBN: survey of the past 50 years of historians’ accounts of 9780226510002. science and religion. Harrison draws on the “neo- harmonists,” Rodney Stark, Denis Alexander, and Each year, while preparing to teach a course in Francis Collins, to display the diffi culties in properly genetics, I pause when I reach the defi nition of describing and understanding a person’s take on the “gene” in my lecture notes, wondering if the defi - science/religion relation. In their chapter, Numbers nition accurately captures the concept of the gene and Hardin conclude that the new atheists display a as it is currently understood. In The Gene: From remarkable lack of historical analysis in their argu- Genetics to Postgenomics, science historians Hans-Jörg ments for the confl ict between “organized religion” Rheinberger and Staffan Müller-Wille demonstrate and science (p. 233). One of the salient contributions that our understanding and characterization of of The Warfare is to trace what occurred in various genes is evolving and, furthermore, that “a simple communities, including Jewish, Muslim, Eastern and universally accepted defi nition of the gene never Orthodox, Roman Catholic, liberal and evangelical existed” (p. 4). Protestant. In the last chapters in the book, sociolo- The changing concept of the gene is a common theme gists analyze the response to and perpetuation of in genetics, frequently featured as a thread woven the warfare thesis by professional scientists (in dif- throughout textbooks and serving as a source of vig- ferent international contexts), by social scientists orous discussion among scientists. As a result, many

184 Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith Book Reviews have noted the multitude of defi nitions associated the chemical nature of the genetic material, decipher with the term “gene”—a heritable unit factor that the genetic code, and uncover the cellular processes determines observable traits, a DNA sequence that responsible for gene expression. The authors note carries instructions for making a protein, to name that while the “molecularization” of genetics initially just two. This book is unique in its placement of simplifi ed the defi nition of a gene, it ultimately added these shifting concepts in a robust historical context. layers of complexity to the gene concept. These chap- Readers are challenged to consider the ways that ters also explore the characterization of genes and contemporary theories and technologies infl uenced technical objects and commodities as a result of the conclusions drawn about the nature and function of introduction of gene-editing technologies. genes at different moments in time. Chapter 8 examines the relationship between genet- Rheinberger and Müller-Wille describe their book ics, development, and evolution. Viewed through as “a historical survey of the century of the gene.” the lens of molecular genetics, critical linkages are Indeed, readers are taken on a chronological journey found among these fi elds of study. Chapter 9 is that begins in the nineteenth century with Charles devoted to a discussion of the postgenomic gene Darwin’s theories about inheritance and ends in the concept. Rheinberger and Müller-Wille suggest that data-rich postgenomic present. Along the way, the in an era of epigenetics and complex systems biol- authors summarize the key fi ndings of scientists that ogy, the role of the gene as the sole determinant of have challenged prevailing gene concepts, and they inheritance and its status as the fundamental unit of reference prominent science historians and philoso- life have been defl ated. phers of science as they consider the context of these fi ndings and their infl uence on understandings of The book concludes in chapter 10 with a thought- the gene. Throughout the book, the authors highlight ful discussion of the value of the gene concept in the techniques and technologies that were instrumental postgenomic era. Though highly dynamic and lack- in advancing the fi eld of genetics. From Mendel’s ing defi nitional clarity, the gene concept will continue hybrid crosses, to cloning toolkits, to databases to serve an important role as a device that prompts that enable storage and retrieval of entire genomes, experimentation and thereby advances knowledge. technological innovations have made it possible for scientists to interrogate and uncover new aspects of The last chapter is followed by a 20-page bibliogra- the character of the gene. phy of history of science and philosophy of science references that will serve as an excellent resource In the opening chapter of The Gene, Rheinberger and for readers interested in further study. An index of Müller-Wille present the primary aim of their book: names, found at the end of the book, enables readers to reframe the potentially unsettling lack of clarity to quickly locate mentions of individual scientists in that characterizes our current understanding of the the text. gene by examining the history of the gene concept and the dynamism that has surrounded this concept The authors of The Gene assume that readers are throughout the history of genetics. familiar with genetics terminology and have a foundational knowledge of genetic mechanisms. Chapter 2 describes the various theories of inheri- Familiarity with ontological and epistemological tance proposed by nineteenth-century scientists that considerations as they relate to the life sciences are laid the foundation for the development of the fi eld also assumed. As a result, this book would not be of genetics. In the next three chapters (chaps. 3–5), appropriate for a general audience. [For a compre- Rheinberger and Müller-Wille turn their attention hensive and entertaining review of the history and to classical genetics. They describe Mendel’s ele- future of genetics that is suitable for general audi- gant experimental system and fi ndings and explore ence, I recommend Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book, why their signifi cance was not realized until many The Gene: An Intimate History (New York: Scribner, decades later. A review of the ways that the redis- 2016)]. coverers of Mendel’s work interpreted the result of crossing experiments, indicates that, even among the For those with an interest in the ever-changing fi eld fi rst generation of geneticists, a uniform gene con- of genetics, Rheinberger and Müller-Wille’s book, The cept did not exist. Gene: From Genetics to Postgenomics, provides a well- researched account of the history of the gene, and of Chapters 6 and 7 describe the transition from clas- the scientists and technologies that have continued sical to molecular genetics and the technological to challenge and expand our understanding of the advances that made this shift possible. Biophysical term “gene.” This book will also serve to inspire awe and biochemical techniques were used to identify as readers have the opportunity to consider the ways

Volume 71, Number 3, September 2019 185 Book Reviews that “each new meaning of the gene created an addi- pace of change. The 1970s seem like ancient history, tional dimension along which life could be imagined and in a sense they are. However, it is still possible to vary and unfold” (p. 4). to interview primary players in the fi eld, and so Reviewed by Amy M. Wilstermann, Department of Biology, Calvin Uni- Quammen does a great service in stirring up these versity, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. waters. As far back as I can remember, I have always emphasized to my students that the group that text- books call “prokaryotes” is really not a “true” group, being made up of bacteria and archaea; that the ORIGINS archaea are in many key ways more closely related THE TANGLED TREE: A Radical New History to humans than to bacteria. And so, using “prokary- of Life by David Quammen. New York: Simon & ote” is directly analogous to grouping butterfl ies, Schuster, 2018. 461 pages. Hardcover; $30.00. ISBN: birds, and bats into a single group. Sure, it might 9781476776620. at times be useful to have a group called “fl yers,” Many ASA members have spent years and spilled but that name tells nothing of their true relation- metaphorical blood over this or that detail of the ships, which is what biologists and scientists should story of evolution and the origin of life, which we all strive to ascertain. Further, it creates new problems. agree is God’s marvelous creation. Well, wouldn’t it Where do penguins fi t? What about fl ying squirrels? be good to have a book that highlights the debates Another topic of great interest to my undergraduate not among onlookers to the fi eld of biology, but students is the concept of endosymbiosis: mitochon- among those actually working and publishing in the dria once existed free-living in the bacterial branch fi eld? We now have such a book. The Tangled Tree of life’s tree; and at a time in the impossibly distant covers humanity’s place in the created order of cel- past they became symbiotically, irreversibly associ- lular life forms, stretching from the premolecular ated with another cell. As many biologists know, days of Ernst Haeckel to modern times, when we Lynn Margulis is credited with this big hypothesis, can quite literally read the instruction book of any which was quite controversial at the time and was and every kind of cell. David Quammen’s book is of not readily accepted by the mainstream of scientists interest to ASA members as it tackles one of the very who favored other explanations. biggest questions in biology: “What is the shape of So, what a pleasure it has been for me to peek behind the tree of life?” Such trees have been produced over the curtain and learn that it was not Lynn Margulis the years, but the central character of this book, Carl who originally had the idea of endosymbiosis, and Woese, claimed that he had discovered a more cor- to learn much more about the central character of rect, truer tree than had been ever produced before, the book, Carl Woese, who doggedly pursued the to the surprise of many in the fi eld. Many believe big questions of biology without getting lost in the that Woese deserved a Nobel Prize for his discovery, minute details. Quammen spends the fi rst third of and yet, most people have never heard of him. the book setting the stage for Woese’s entry by a con- Quammen’s skill comes in bringing together key cise retelling of the discovery of the gene by Watson players and voices in the topic at hand and extract- and Crick, and of Crick’s prescience in speculating ing revealing and key quotes in his clear paragraphs that the sequences of long molecules (DNA, RNA, and short chapters. We are permitted to go behind protein) might provide insights into ancestral rela- the scenes with Quammen as he recollects his own tionships among living organisms. Yes, from the learning experience. The fact that Quammen trained earliest days of obtaining sequence information, as a writer and not in science helps him render these some forward-thinking scientists realized that the insights in ways that not only are comprehensible to order of subunits within our long molecules, since nonscientists, but are also helpful to biologists (such they are inherited, provide a window on the past— as me) who have signifi cant background knowledge. a remarkable insight.

I recall teaching on the relationship between bacte- And so Quammen’s book is actually a book about ria, archaea, and our own types of nucleated cells, molecular phylogenetics. It is a book about a fi eld and referencing Carl Woese (pronounced “woes”) which provides, many would argue, a truer picture and his colleague Norm Pace, who fi rst identifi ed of how living species are connected to each other, the third branch of life now known as archaea, previ- based on inherited sequence information. It relates ously assumed to be bacteria based on appearance. It the story of how Woese and colleagues selected is no surprise within the life science fi eld to be teach- one particular molecule to focus on, and based on ing material that was totally unknown during one’s that choice, produced what Woese argued was the own training, and this book serves to highlight the true tree of life with three ascending branches: bac- teria, archaea, eukarya. And yet, this is a scientifi c

186 Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith