An accessible but rigorous introduction to genes for non-experts, explaining what genes are and what they can and cannot do.

Kostas Kampourakis is a researcher in science education at Université de Genève, where he also teaches the course Biology and Society to biology undergraduates, and various science education classes to teachers and doctoral students. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Science and Education, the co-editor of Newton's Apple and Other Myths about Science (with Ronald L. Numbers, 2015), and the editor of The Philosophy of Biology: A Companion for Educators (2013). His book Understanding Evolution (Cambridge, 2014) was selected as a 2015 Choice Outstanding Academic Title.

Acknowledgments; Prolegomena: genes, science and science fiction; 1. Mendel and the origins of the 'gene' concept; 2. The genes of classical genetics; 3. The molecularization of genes; 4. So, what are genes?; 5. 'Genes for' (almost) everything; 6. Are there 'genes for' characters?; 7. Are there 'genes for' diseases?; 8. So, what do genes do?; 9. Genes are implicated in the development of characters; 10. Genes account for variation in characters; 11. Genomes are more than the sum of genes; 12. Limitations in the study of genomes; Concluding remarks: how to think and talk about genes?; Further reading; References; Glossary.