Dan Davis’s The Compatibility Gene tells the story of the discovery of a central component of the immune system, one that affects not only our ability to fight off disease, but also the success of transplant operations, pregnancies and, rather unexpectedly, brain development and possibly even mate selection.
Davis may have peeled away the outer layers of complexity to focus on the gene (and its protein product – the arcanely named major histocompatibility complex) at the heart of his story but he does not shy away from the details needed to explore the problems that were encountered and solved in the ongoing quest for understanding.
Read the full, original story here: A mixing and matching game of life and death
