The story of the gene begins in earnest in an obscure Augustinian abbey in Moravia in 1856 where Gregor Mendel, a monk working with pea plants, stumbles on the idea of a "unit of heredity." It intersects with Darwin's theory of evolution, and collides with the horrors of Nazi eugenics in the 1940s. The gene transforms postwar biology. It invades discourses concerning race and identity and provides startling answers to some of the most potent questions...

The contributors to The Story Within share powerful experiences of living with genetic disorders. Their stories illustrate the complexities involved in making decisions about genetic diseases: whether to be tested, who to tell, whether to have children, and whether and how to treat children medically, if treatment is available. More broadly, they consider how genetic information shapes the ways we see ourselves, the world, and our actions within it....

The relevance of genomic variation to health, implications for risk factors for rare and common diseases, and treatment modalities has been demonstrated. This issue is designed to illuminate the applications of genomic discoveries in a variety of nursing practice areas. Currently genomic discoveries are influencing diagnoses, treatment, and prevention at a rapid pace, with hopes that we will improve healthcare outcomes worldwide. To this end genetics...

"We think of medical science and doctors as focused on treating conditions--whether it's a cough or an aching back. But the sicknesses and complaints that cause us to seek medical attention actually have deeper origins than the superficial germs and behaviors we regularly fault ... Jeremy Taylor [argues that] we can trace the roots of many medical conditions through our evolutionary history, revealing what has made us susceptible to certain illnesses...

"After suffering for years with unexplainable health issues, Dr. Ben Lynch discovered the root cause--"dirty" genes. Genes can be "born dirty" or merely "act dirty" in response to your environment, diet, or lifestyle--causing lifelong, life-threatening, and chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, obesity, cancer, and diabetes. Based on his own experience and successfully...

The phone rings: the doctor has the results. "Are you ready Amanda?" The two people Amanda Baxley loves the most had begged her not to be tested. But she had to find out. If your family carried a mutated gene that foretold a brutal illness and you were offered the chance to find out if you'd inherited it, would you do it? Would you walk toward the problem, bravely accepting whatever answer came your way? Or would you avoid the potential bad news as...