Table of Contents
Acknowledgments v
Preface: A Scientific Detective Story 1
Introduction: the 40-Year-Old Mystery 3
1 The Long Winding Road to the Long Neck 7
2 Genes: the Hardware and the Software 26
3 Mutations and Epimutations 38
4 Epigenetics: What Makes It Unique? 50
5 Epigenetics and Cancer: Do We Really Want to Know What's Out There? 59
6 Epigenetics and Diabetes: More Grim News 81
7 Alzheimer's Disease and Epigenetics: Castles in the Sand 95
8 A Basket of Mental Disorders 107
9 Epigenetics and Autism: the Queen of the Night 113
10 Epogenetic Exercise: Just Do It 126
11 Aging: the End Game 130
12 Epigenetics to the Ends of the Earth 142
13 Why Should You Care About Epigenetics? 152
14 Pulling It All Together 166
15 The Way Forward 176
Epilogue: Concluding Thoughts on the 40-Year-Old Mystery 182
Chapter Notes 183
Selected Bibliography 205
Index 211