Darwin's Radio

by Greg Bear

Book Overview

A 2000 HUGO AWARD NOMINEE Ancient diseases encoded in the DNA of humans wait like sleeping dragons to wake and infect again--or so molecular biologist Kaye Lang believes. And now it looks as if her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 034542333X
• ISBN13: 9780345423337
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.9" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Not my favorite book.

I labored through this book. I was not impressed with Greg Bear's character development or pacing. I don't want to condemn him after having read only one of his novels. I bought The Children of Darwin at the same time I purchased Darwin's Radio. I'm not in any hurry to read it though. Like I said, I was not impressed.

A must read for Sci-Fi fans

The book isn't perfect. Yes there could be more action and little tighter plot. You even have to suspend your disbelief a little more than I would like. But what a great yarn! This is my first Bear novel and I very impressed. No wonder he's won so many awards. Bear must be a very smart guy to write such a compelling, well researched story. If all you want is action and adventure, read Crichton or Grisham. If want great writing with a lot of science and research behind an intelligent, talented writer, this is a great choice. Five stars not for being a masterpiece, but for being so far above most of the shallow, thrown together "Best Sellers" out there.

A fascinating and disturbing tale

Although I found the ending a bit abrupt, this is an excellent and entertaining book. Bear is getting really good at describing plausible near-future worlds. His biology is, well, a rather lengthy extension of present thinking -- but it IS an extension, and a plausible one. Sadly, his prediction of governmental behavior is less of a stretch, and more plausible. Beyond all this, though, the story moves and remains near the top of your mind even when you're not reading it. An excellent book.

Science and humanity

This is one of the best SF books I have ever read. The book is one of the contenders for the 2000 Hugo Award, and it deserves to win.The scientific concept in the book is fascinating. Most of us are familiar with the concept of evolution occurring as a result of slow changes - a mutation of a gene here, a gene there, and finally a new species emerges. This book is based on a different concept unlikely to be familiar - that in at least some cases, a new species can emerge all at once, with numerous genetic changes occurring nearly instantaneously. There is a solid scientific foundation for such an idea, and through the course of the book the author describes one means by which this could occur - in humans.It has been established that there are genes which are turned on and off - i.e., whose protein manufacture is regulated - by various means. Medical tests that determine symptoms of disease by measuring the levels of a protein rely on regulation of protein production in our bodies, and the action of hormones is usually to affect the production of one or many proteins. "Darwin's Radio" supposes that social stress on a species can be one of the regulating factors of protein production. It is known that the external environment does regulate the production of some proteins, and in some species, changes in the environment can quickly trigger production of a whole group of new proteins. In humans, the "fight or flight" syndrome - production of adrenaline - is immediately tied to psychological stress. It is a small jump of logic to propose that psychological stress of a certain kind stemming from social pressures could cause production of several new proteins which in turn could regulate nearly any process in our bodies.The human genome is huge, and one surprising thing is that about half the DNA is apparently useless. That is, it does not code for any protein that is ever produced. An even more surprising fact is that mutations in this useless DNA are not significantly more frequent than in the rest of our DNA. Why is this surprising? Well, mutations in most of the genes in our DNA will cause changes to the proteins that are produced, and these mutated proteins generally would produce a non-viable or handicapped life. Most of the non-contagious diseases we may suffer from are due to such mutations. Genes for important proteins are protected from mutation by the fact that a mutation gives life to a person who will likely not have any progeny to carry the mutation forward. If this is the means for protection of genes, and half of our genome does not code for proteins that are important to our lives (because the proteins are never produced), then what is protecting this part of the genome from mutations? "Darwin's Radio" attempts to answer this question. And the science goes even further in the most fascinating of ways - which you will need to read for yourself.I should add that the author's afterward states the ideas

Heard about this book in a radio interview on NPR...

Amazing...! This has to be one of the best researched books I have ever had the pleasure to read. Excellent detail and a plot and characters that make you want to hurry on to the next page. A biomedical research thriller. Who would of thought...?

Excellent--easily Bear's best!

I am not a professional reviewer. I read for enjoyment, predominately Science Fiction and some Fantasy. I read the Hugo and Nebula nominees and as many of the "Locus" recommended list as I can every year. I've read several books by Greg Bear including the EON series, The Forge of God, and Moving Mars. I've enjoyed them all; Darwin's Radio may be his best.So, I will say up front that I enjoyed this book, very much. It is entertaining. It is easy to read despite the medical and biological terminology, of which there is much. As usual, Bear's science is sound, plausible, and seamlessly fits into the story. The science enhances the story.The characters are engaging and likeable (for the most part); you care about them, especially Kay and Mitch as their relationship develops. However, if you are cynical of today's politicians and senior government officials, you may become even more so after exposure to those characters in the story.As far as shorting comings, I found the pacing of the story to be a bit inconsistent, but not overly so. I just know that at times I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I was thoroughly engrossed in the story, while at other times I was saying to myself, "come on, let's get on with it." Once example is the part of the story line where Kay's husband Saul is involved. This sad episode may have provided an extra glimpse into Kay's humanity and compassion; but, the overall book might have been a bit tighter without this strand of the story.Finally, the ending satisfies and tantalizes. It leaves some questions unanswered; it cries sequel! I hope there is one and I hope it is soon.