Wonderful book review! Substantial, focussed, and synthesizing! Debashish, does Kireet Joshi say anything about how exactly genetic alterations/mutations or physical changes in DNA affect "consciousness"? For that matter does anyone? What miht be the physical basis for the connection? True - mutations are the basis of several diseases - but is "consciousness" regulated or influenced by specific or groups of genes as well? Can we at least speculate as to how sensory awareness and mental capacities of an organism distinguish themselves from "consciousness" at the genetic level. Scientists are very close, I think, to understanding the functions of various genes individually and in association with others, but I am not so sure that they can make the distinction, at least not yet.