How Does Germline Regenerate?

Kate MacCord is a teaching assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University and the program administrator of the McDonnell Initiative at the Marine Biological Laboratory, where she also serves as the McDonnell Fellow. She is coauthor of What Is Regeneration?, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

• Introduction1 Uncovering Assumptions That Have Shaped Germ Cell Science2 Backgrounding Conflicts within Germ Cell Science3 Challenging Assumptions in Germline Science4 Implications of Reenvisioning Germline RegenerationEpilogueAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex

"Conventional wisdom dictates that germ cells and somatic cells are distinct entities and that although germ cells can give rise to somatic cells, somatic cells cannot give rise to germ cells. In How Does Germline Regenerate?, the author traces the origin of this notion called the Weismann barrier. . . . The book is a tour-de-force synthesis of the history of science, stem cell biology, evo-devo, and gene editing. The conciseness and the clarity of writing stand out and make this primer an accessible and interesting read for anyone, including those who are unfamiliar with these topics. The volume also offers a stark reminder of the importance of tracing the origins of ideas and critically examining assumptions in biology."