“A valuable contribution toward better public understanding. . . . It cuts across disciplines and diseases, across fortunate accidents and piteous dilemmas, across time and across scale, to remind us of the wisdom of Heraclitus: the ultimate constant is change.” — David Quammen, The New York Review of Books

“A useful guide to this body of research and its far-reaching, sometimes surprising implications. . . . Khamsi’s emphasis on the beneficial aspects of somatic mutations is one of the most striking elements of her book.” —Jerome Groopman, The New Yorker

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We tend to view our DNA as static and unchanging, but the truth is that it’s actually dynamic. Genetic mutations accumulate constantly in our cells each day of our lives. Most people aren’t aware that this is happening, yet this profound insight is already reshaping medical care.

BEYOND INHERITANCE: Our Ever-Mutating Cells and a New Understanding of Health describes a sea-change in how experts talk about the human body. Scientists now recognize that new DNA errors acquired in early development all the way until our last breath can drive heart attacks, autoimmunity, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and virtually every other ailment. It could even be the missing piece in explaining why we age. However, DNA change is not always bad news. Certain acquired mutations can be essential for good health and sometimes be lifesaving. 

BEYOND INHERITANCE describes our bodies as active landscapes of mutation. The book reveals how the forces of Darwinian evolution operate within our own tissues. By letting go of the antiquated idea that every cell in a body has the same exact DNA, we can usher in a whole new era of medicine, including better vaccines and treatments that outsmart cancer. BEYOND INHERITANCE will open your eyes to the immense genetic diversity that exists within you and its incredible potential to shape your well-being.