Genetic Destinies

Genetic Destinies PDF Author: Peter Little
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198504543
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
"Genetic Destinies" opens with the stories of the lives of two imaginary women, which encompass the very best and the very worst of our hopes for gene science. Understanding what is reality and what is myth, what is possible and what impossible, is the key to unlocking the reality of this science.

Genetic Destinies

Genetic Destinies PDF Author: Peter Little
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198504543
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Genetic Destinies" opens with the stories of the lives of two imaginary women, which encompass the very best and the very worst of our hopes for gene science. Understanding what is reality and what is myth, what is possible and what impossible, is the key to unlocking the reality of this science.

Genetic Destinies

Genetic Destinies PDF Author: Peter Little
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780198607847
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
Genetic Destinies opens with the stories of the lives of two women; gene science causes the life of one to be free of suffering but fills that of the other with discrimination and oppression. The two imaginary future lives encompass the very best and the very worst of our hopes for genescience, and understanding what is reality and what is myth, what is possible and what impossible, is the key to unlocking the reality of this feared science.In the chapters that follow, the reality of the power of gene science is laid out using simple, non-technical terms to present the very edge of the knowledge that we possess, exploring the role genes play in rigidly defining the overall plan of our bodies and then subtly influencing ourindividuality, intelligence, behaviour, personality, and health. Genes are often minor players in our lives because the differences that distinguish us are tiny compared to the similarities we share; it follows that our futures are in our own hands as much as in the hands of our genes.Nevertheless, understanding the delicate influences that gene differences play in our lives is central to our thinking about ourselves, and it is in the interplay of genes and lifestyle that our personalities and individual futures can be found.The genetic differences we each possess contain a record of the very origins of human beings and it is remarkable that our present day fates are influenced by patterns of ancient human history.Armed with this knowledge, Genetic Destinies ends by revisiting the stories of the lives of the two women and shows that the fears we have of gene science are based upon misplaced ideas of the power of genes. The reality is that our true Genetic Destiny is to live our lives as human beings, unique,unpredictable, and irreplaceable in all of history and all of future time: a wonderful prospect.

Am I My Genes?

Am I My Genes? PDF Author: Robert L. Klitzman M.D.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190207671
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
In the fifty years since DNA was discovered, we have seen extraordinary advances. For example, genetic testing has rapidly improved the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as Huntington's, cystic fibrosis, breast cancer, and Alzheimer's. But with this new knowledge comes difficult decisions for countless people, who wrestle with fear about whether to get tested, and if so, what to do with the results. Am I My Genes? shows how real individuals have confronted these issues in their daily lives. Robert L. Klitzman interviewed 64 people who faced Huntington's Disease, breast and ovarian cancer, or Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. The book describes--often in the person's own words--how each has wrestled with the vast implications that genetics has for their lives and their families. Klitzman shows how these men and women struggle to make sense of their predicament and its causes. They confront a series of quandaries--whether to be tested; whether to disclose their genetic risks to parents, siblings, spouses, offspring, friends, doctors, insurers, employers, and schools; how to view and understand themselves and their genetics; what treatments, if any, to pursue; whether to have children, adopt, screen embryos, or abort; and whether to participate in genetic communities. In the face of these uncertainties, they have tried to understand these tests and probabilities, avoid fatalism, anxiety, despair, and discrimination, and find hope, meaning, and a sense of wholeness. Forced to wander through a wilderness of shifting sands, they chart paths that many others may eventually follow. Klitzman captures here the voices of pioneers, some of the first to encounter the personal dilemmas introduced by modern genetics. Am I My Genes? is an invaluable account of their experience, one that will become all the more common in the coming years. "An extraordinary exploration...probing the many roles and implications of genetics in our lives today.... Filled with astonishing insights, this riveting book is vital reading for us all." --Paula Zahn "Klitzman lucidly discusses the moral and psychological complexities that come in the wake of genetic testing.... An important book for anyone who has the genes for pathology, which is all of us, and I recommend it highly." --Kay Redfield Jamison, author of An Unquiet Mind "An illuminating voyage through the medical, familial and existential quandaries faced by those of us at genetic risk." --Thomas H. Murray, President and CEO, The Hastings Center

DNA and Destiny

DNA and Destiny PDF Author: R. Grant Steen
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1489927689
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
This book shows that, to understand the human condition better, we must develop a keener appreciation for the subtle interactions between nature and nurture. First, Dr. Steen confronts the dark history of eugenics, and the horrifying legacy of the Nazis. He then proceeds to illuminate the latest advances in molecular biology and behavioral genetics. He explains fascinating results that have emerged from "split-twin" experiments, in which eerie parallels were found between twins separated at birth. He clarifies how the Human Genome Project might help create a new understanding of the human condition and how it may ultimately help alleviate some of the major health and even behavioral problems facing society today

DNA Is Not Destiny

DNA Is Not Destiny PDF Author: Steven J Heine
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0393355802
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
“[An] important book.… Heine’s vibrant writing makes it come alive with personal significance for every reader.”—Carol Dweck, author of Mindset Scientists expect one billion people to have their genomes sequenced by 2025. Yet cultural psychologist Steven J. Heine argues that, in trying to know who we are and where we come from, we’re likely to completely misinterpret what’s “in our DNA.” Heine’s fresh, surprising conclusions about the promise, and limits, of genetic engineering and DNA testing upend conventional thinking and reveal a simple, profound truth: your genes create life—but they do not control it.

Genetic Destinies

Genetic Destinies PDF Author: Peter Little (Ph.D.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Human genetics
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description


DNA Is Not Destiny: The Remarkable, Completely Misunderstood Relationship between You and Your Genes

DNA Is Not Destiny: The Remarkable, Completely Misunderstood Relationship between You and Your Genes PDF Author: Steven J. Heine
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393244091
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
“[An] important book.… Heine’s vibrant writing makes it come alive with personal significance for every reader.”—Carol Dweck, author of Mindset Scientists expect one billion people to have their genomes sequenced by 2025. Yet cultural psychologist Steven J. Heine argues that, in trying to know who we are and where we come from, we’re likely to completely misinterpret what’s “in our DNA.” Heine’s fresh, surprising conclusions about the promise, and limits, of genetic engineering and DNA testing upend conventional thinking and reveal a simple, profound truth: your genes create life—but they do not control it.

Genetic Twists of Fate

Genetic Twists of Fate PDF Author: Stanley Fields
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262518643
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
How tiny variations in our personal DNA can determine how we look, how we behave, how we get sick, and how we get well. News stories report almost daily on the remarkable progress scientists are making in unraveling the genetic basis of disease and behavior. Meanwhile, new technologies are rapidly reducing the cost of reading someone's personal DNA (all six billion letters of it). Within the next ten years, hospitals may present parents with their newborn's complete DNA code along with her footprints and APGAR score. In Genetic Twists of Fate, distinguished geneticists Stanley Fields and Mark Johnston help us make sense of the genetic revolution that is upon us. Fields and Johnston tell real life stories that hinge on the inheritance of one tiny change rather than another in an individual's DNA: a mother wrongly accused of poisoning her young son when the true killer was a genetic disorder; the screen siren who could no longer remember her lines because of Alzheimer's disease; and the president who was treated with rat poison to prevent another heart attack. In an engaging and accessible style, Fields and Johnston explain what our personal DNA code is, how a few differences in its long list of DNA letters makes each of us unique, and how that code influences our appearance, our behavior, and our risk for such common diseases as diabetes or cancer.

Your Genetic Destiny

Your Genetic Destiny PDF Author: Aubrey Milunsky
Publisher: Da Capo Press
ISBN: 9780738206844
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
Much in the news, inherited disease and genetic testing are complex and confusing issues that leave most asking: "So, what can I do with this promising information?" A powerfully helpful and authoritative guide, Your Genetic Destiny has the answers. From what tests to have taken, what the results mean, and when further genetic counseling is in order; from what foods to avoid to which medications to take and what other medical options are available, world-renowned geneticist Aubrey Milunsky demonstrates how knowledge of our genetic makeup can save our lives. Covering heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, mental illness, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, longevity, and infertility, Your Genetic Destiny is the most comprehensive, compassionate, and informed guide available for all concerned about the risks of inherited disease.

Mapping Fate

Mapping Fate PDF Author: Alice Wexler
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520207416
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
Wexler tells the story of a family at risk for Huntington's disease, a hereditary, incurable, fatal disorder from which her own mother died. This graceful and eloquent account goes beyond the specifics of the disease to explore the dynamics of family secrets, of living at risk, and the drama and limits of biomedical research. Photos.