What if you could find out whether you are carrying the genes for a deadly disease that could strike you in ten years? Would you want to know? The answer is hiding inside your genetic material, called DNA. Well-known science writers Alvin and Virginia Silverstein and Laura Silverstein Nunn explain what DNA is, how heredity works, what happens when DNA is miscopied, and how scientists have been learning to read the DNA code. The authors also reveal current research on DNA, showing ways that scientists are using this knowledge to help treat diseases that are caused by genetic errors, uncover the mysteries of our ancestry, and use it as a tool in solving crimes.