He notes that collins, an evangelical christian, attempted to build a bridge. Finding my religion leader of the human genome project argues in a new book that science and religion can coexist happily david ian miller, special to sf gate published 4. Finding my religion leader of the human genome project. The human genome research was a complex multidisciplinary scientific enterprise directed at mapping and sequencing all of the human dna, and determining aspects of its function. Rather than an outward exploration of the planet or the cosmos, the hgp was an inward voyage of discovery led by an international team of researchers looking to sequence and map all of the genes together known as the genome of members of our species, homo sapiens. Unprecedented in its scope, the human genome project is an international effort that seeks to create a detailed map of human dna. The language of god he is referring to is dna and the book contains many insights into the. Writers frequently describe the hgp as unlocking the secret of life or the code of codes, suggesting that the mapping of the genome has made human life completely, entirely comprehensible. In 2007 christianity today judged it one of the best books of the previous. Inside the race to unlock human dna by kevin davies. Institutes of health nih but that he wants the freedom to write books and.
Scientist francis collins makes a case for the existence of god in his book the language of god. National human genome research institute nhgri director francis. The project to map the human genetic codes has been wisely hailed as a monumental achievement with vast medical promise. Without a doubt, this is the most important, most wondrous map e. Consider the rhetoric surrounding the human genome project hgp, for example. The human genome project, the christian, and medical ethics.
Finding my religion leader of the human genome project argues in a new book that science and religion can coexist happily david ian miller, special to sf gate. Once a staunch atheist and now a devout christian, collins puts forth in his book the language of god. Governments vast human genome project, said that we have caught the first glimpse of our own instruction book, previously known only to god, he certainly did not overstate the case. This unique book, written to be accessible to the general reader, first provides a basic introduction to the ideas underlying classical and molecular genetics before going on to describe the purpose of the human. Francis collins is the distinguished physician and geneticist who was the director of the human genome project. The head of the human genome project and a former atheist, collins makes a strong case for biologosgoddirected evolutionin comparison to atheistic evolution, intelligent design, and creationism. Collins begins the book by telling the story of his journey to belief. Collins is an american physiciangeneticist, noted for his discoveries of disease genes, and his leadership of the human genome project hgp.
After the 2003 completion of the human genome project which sequenced all 3 billion letters, or base pairs, in the human genome many thought that our dna would become an open book. Francis sellers collins born april 14, 1950 is an american physiciangeneticist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the human genome project. Watson, the codiscoverer of dna, as the director of the human genome project. Certain conservative christians see the theory of evolution as a dangerous lie and point to. The human genome project hgp was one of the great feats of exploration in history. As the director of the human genome project, i have led a. He offers an aweinspiring tour of the complexities of biology, genetics, and dnaand reveals a richly satisfying, harmonious melding of scientific and spiritual worldviews. He is director of the national institutes of health nih in bethesda, maryland, united states before being appointed director of the nih, collins led the human genome project and other genomics research initiatives. He is also an evangelical christian, and author of the book the language of. Yet the project is also fraught with ambiguities and, the authors of this important volume claim, great potential dangers to society. Adam, eve, and the genome combines a basic primer on genetic research with ethical reflection by an interdisciplinary group of scholars. Human genome project head to step down scientific american. A scientist presents evidence for belief is a bestselling book by francis collins in which he advocates theistic evolution. The human genome project is a multifaceted effort to understand our own instruction book, to read those 3 billion letters in the dna code that makes up that book.