DNA is the central code of all living systems. This very brief full-color book and the enclosed 35-minute DVD movie offer the best and most accessible introduction to what genes are and how they work. The movie, developed with the support of the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, is being shown in many museums of natural history, and is ideal for classroom use. Andrew Berry makes his subject crystal clear and fascinating. This book should appeal to a wide audience of general readers with an interest in science, as well as students at the high school and college levels. This short book and DVD movie for showing in museums, classroom, and home, have been written and developed by the same team behind a five-part television series on DNA, and a far lengthier book on DNA by James Watson with Andrew Berry, published in 2003 by Knopf.