Summary

In the epilogue, Mukherjee summarizes three projects which lie ahead for human genetics. The first "is to discern the exact nature of information coded in the human genome" (485). The second is to understand how all the elements in the human genome "can be combined in time and space to enable human embryology and physiology, the specification of anatomical parts, and the development of an organism's unique features and characteristics" (486). The final project is the question and challenge of intentionally and accurately changing human genomes, the potential consequences of which are still unknown.

Mukherjee returns to stories of his father's family and wonders about the fate of his uncle's lives had they been born in the future. He extends his wondering to larger questions about what new forms of genetic knowledge may mean for our species.

Analysis

The epilogue foreshadows the potential future...