Matt Ridley

Matt Ridley is a British science writer whose books examine genetics, evolution, cooperation, and innovation for general readers. He studied zoology at Oxford, completed a doctorate, and worked at The Economist as science editor, Washington correspondent, and American editor before becoming a full-time writer. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters uses one topic associated with each pair of human chromosomes to discuss genes, disease, development, behavior, and the history of genetic research. The title is a literary organizing device: a genome is not a conscious narrator, and a species cannot be reduced to a list of isolated genes. Published in 1999, the book predates the completed Human Genome Project and later advances in sequencing, regulation, and population genetics; specific scientific claims therefore need current corroboration.