Crumbling Genome

Crumbling Genome PDF Author: Alexey S. Kondrashov
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118952111
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 309

Get Book Here

Book Description
A thought-provoking exploration of deleterious mutations in the human genome and their effects on human health and wellbeing Despite all of the elaborate mechanisms that a cell employs to handle its DNA with the utmost care, a newborn human carries about 100 new mutations, originated in their parents, about 10 of which are deleterious. A mutation replacing just one of the more than three billion nucleotides in the human genome may lead to synthesis of a dysfunctional protein, and this can be inconsistent with life or cause a tragic disease. Several percent of even young people suffer from diseases that are caused, exclusively or primarily, by pre ]existing and new mutations in their genomes, including both a wide variety of genetically simple Mendelian diseases and diverse complex diseases such as birth anomalies, diabetes, and schizophrenia. Milder, but still substantial, negative effects of mutations are even more pervasive. As of now, we possess no means of reducing the rate at which mutations appear spontaneously. However, the recent flood of genomic data made possible by next-generation methods of DNA sequencing, enabled scientists to explore the impacts of deleterious mutations on humans with previously unattainable precision and begin to develop approaches to managing them. Written by a leading researcher in the field of evolutionary genetics, Crumbling Genome reviews the current state of knowledge about deleterious mutations and their effects on humans for those in the biological sciences and medicine, as well as for readers with only a general scientific literacy and an interest in human genetics. Provides an extensive introduction to the fundamentals of evolutionary genetics with an emphasis on mutation and selection Discusses the effects of pre-existing and new mutations on human genotypes and phenotypes Provides a comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge in the field and considers crucial unsolved problems Explores key ethical, scientific, and social issues likely to become relevant in the near future as the modification of human germline genotypes becomes technically feasible Crumbling Genome is must-reading for students and professionals in human genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, evolutionary biology, and biological anthropology. It is certain to have great appeal among all those with an interest in the links between genetics and evolution and how they are likely to influence the future of human health, medicine, and society.

Crumbling Genome

Crumbling Genome PDF Author: Alexey S. Kondrashov
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118952111
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 309

Get Book Here

Book Description
A thought-provoking exploration of deleterious mutations in the human genome and their effects on human health and wellbeing Despite all of the elaborate mechanisms that a cell employs to handle its DNA with the utmost care, a newborn human carries about 100 new mutations, originated in their parents, about 10 of which are deleterious. A mutation replacing just one of the more than three billion nucleotides in the human genome may lead to synthesis of a dysfunctional protein, and this can be inconsistent with life or cause a tragic disease. Several percent of even young people suffer from diseases that are caused, exclusively or primarily, by pre ]existing and new mutations in their genomes, including both a wide variety of genetically simple Mendelian diseases and diverse complex diseases such as birth anomalies, diabetes, and schizophrenia. Milder, but still substantial, negative effects of mutations are even more pervasive. As of now, we possess no means of reducing the rate at which mutations appear spontaneously. However, the recent flood of genomic data made possible by next-generation methods of DNA sequencing, enabled scientists to explore the impacts of deleterious mutations on humans with previously unattainable precision and begin to develop approaches to managing them. Written by a leading researcher in the field of evolutionary genetics, Crumbling Genome reviews the current state of knowledge about deleterious mutations and their effects on humans for those in the biological sciences and medicine, as well as for readers with only a general scientific literacy and an interest in human genetics. Provides an extensive introduction to the fundamentals of evolutionary genetics with an emphasis on mutation and selection Discusses the effects of pre-existing and new mutations on human genotypes and phenotypes Provides a comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge in the field and considers crucial unsolved problems Explores key ethical, scientific, and social issues likely to become relevant in the near future as the modification of human germline genotypes becomes technically feasible Crumbling Genome is must-reading for students and professionals in human genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, evolutionary biology, and biological anthropology. It is certain to have great appeal among all those with an interest in the links between genetics and evolution and how they are likely to influence the future of human health, medicine, and society.

Unsolved Problems in Ecology

Unsolved Problems in Ecology PDF Author: Andrew Dobson
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691199833
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 412

Get Book Here

Book Description
"This volume provides a series of essays on open questions in ecology with the overarching goal being to outline to the most important, most interesting or most fundamental problems in ecology that need to be addressed. The contributions span ecological subfields, from behavioral ecology and population ecology to disease ecology and conservation and range in tone from the technical to more personal meditations on the state of the field. Many of the chapters start or end in moments of genuine curiosity, like one which takes up the question of why the world is green or another which asks what might come of a thought experiment in which we "turn-off" evolution entirely"--

Genetic Testing

Genetic Testing PDF Author: Sarah Boslaugh
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 249

Get Book Here

Book Description
Genetic testing has provided important clues to understanding our health, but it has also raised many ethical, legal, and medical questions and concerns. This book explores the breadth of genetic testing, its possibilities, and the controversies that surround its use. The mapping of the human genome has paved the way for a variety of genetic tests. Expectant mothers can have their fetus screened for a variety of genetic abnormalities, and couples worried that they might be carriers for a genetic disorder can be tested before deciding to have children. Women can be screened for the BRCA2 gene that has been linked to increased risk of breast cancer. Individuals curious about their ancestry can find out more about their heritage. Genetic testing can also be used to establish paternity and help solve crimes. Part of Greenwood's Health and Medical Issues Today series, this book is divided into three sections. Part I explores the history of genetic testing, including the rise of direct-to-consumer tests, and outlines the current applications and contexts in which genetic testing is performed. Part II delves deep into the ethical, legal, financial, medical, and psychological issues and controversies that surround genetic testing. Part III provides a variety of useful materials, including case studies, a timeline of critical events, and a directory of resources.

Computational Methods in Systems Biology

Computational Methods in Systems Biology PDF Author: Roberta Gori
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 303171671X
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 268

Get Book Here

Book Description


The Past is a Future Country

The Past is a Future Country PDF Author: Edward Dutton
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited
ISBN: 1788360907
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Get Book Here

Book Description
Since the 1960s, the West has moved ever-leftwards. 'Equality' and ‘feelings' are central to the New Religion that rejects all traditional values. Yet beneath the institutionally dominant ‘Left' stews a growing and restless ‘Right’. How has this fractured situation come about? What will the future hold? In The Past is a Future Country, the authors trace it back to the Industrial Revolution. Darwinian selection massively weakened, meaning that, for the first time in history, the selfish, sick and stupid could survive and reproduce, undermining our religious, group-oriented culture. Now the West is scourged by an epidemic of narcissists, competing to signal their individuality and moral superiority. But their ‘fight for equality’ is really a fight for self-promotion. Reflecting this runaway individualism, Westerners increasingly don’t have children, save for those who are genetically resistant to this onslaught — the staunchly conservative and religious: the eventual inheritors of the earth. But there is a dark storm brewing in the demographic data that the authors have analysed. There is a burgeoning growth in the population of exceptionally unintelligent and antisocial people that social welfare systems cannot sustain for much longer. The developed world will pass away, and the global population that depends on it will crash, in the greatest Malthusian Collapse of all time. Yet all is not lost. The authors show how a resistant class of intelligent, religious conservatives will band together to preserve enclaves of civilization that may survive most of the coming apocalypse, and from its ashes rebuild a new world: A Neo-Byzantium.

Modernity and Cultural Decline

Modernity and Cultural Decline PDF Author: Matthew Alexandar Sarraf
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030329844
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 314

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book argues that despite the many real advantages that industrial modernity has yielded—including large gains in wealth, longevity, and (possibly) happiness—it has occurred together with the appearance of a variety of serious problems. Chief among these are probable losses in subjective existential purpose and increases in psychopathology. A highly original theory of the ultimate basis of these trends is advanced, which unites prior work in psychometrics and evolutionary science. This theory builds on the social epistasis amplification model to argue that genetic and epigenetic changes in modernizing and modernized populations, stemming from shifts in selective pressures related to industrialization, have lowered human fitness and wellness.

The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine

The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine PDF Author: Martin Brüne
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192506781
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 967

Get Book Here

Book Description
Medicine is grounded in the natural sciences, where biology stands out with regard to our understanding of human physiology and the conditions that cause dysfunction. Ironically though, evolutionary biology is a relatively disregarded field. One reason for this omission is that evolution is deemed a slow process. Indeed, the macroanatomical features of our species have changed very little in the last 300,000 years. A more detailed look, however, reveals that novel ecological contingencies, partly in relation to cultural evolution, have brought about subtle changes pertaining to metabolism and immunology, including adaptations to dietary innovations, as well as adaptations to the exposure to novel pathogens. Rapid pathogen evolution and evolution of cancer cells cause major problems for the immune system. Moreover, many adaptations to past ecologies have actually turned into risk factors for somatic disease and psychological disorder in our modern worlds (i.e. mismatch), among which epidemics of autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity, as well as several forms of cancer stand out. One could add depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions to the list. The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine is a compilation of up-to-date insights into the evolutionary history of ourselves as a species, exploring how and why our evolved design may convey vulnerability to disease. Written in a classic textbook style emphasising physiology and pathophysiology of all major organ systems, the Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine is valuable reading for students as well as scholars in the fields of medicine, biology, anthropology and psychology.

She Has Her Mother's Laugh

She Has Her Mother's Laugh PDF Author: Carl Zimmer
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101984600
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 727

Get Book Here

Book Description
2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalist "Science book of the year"—The Guardian One of New York Times 100 Notable Books for 2018 One of Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Books of 2018 One of Kirkus's Best Books of 2018 One of Mental Floss's Best Books of 2018 One of Science Friday's Best Science Books of 2018 “Extraordinary”—New York Times Book Review "Magisterial"—The Atlantic "Engrossing"—Wired "Leading contender as the most outstanding nonfiction work of the year"—Minneapolis Star-Tribune Celebrated New York Times columnist and science writer Carl Zimmer presents a profoundly original perspective on what we pass along from generation to generation. Charles Darwin played a crucial part in turning heredity into a scientific question, and yet he failed spectacularly to answer it. The birth of genetics in the early 1900s seemed to do precisely that. Gradually, people translated their old notions about heredity into a language of genes. As the technology for studying genes became cheaper, millions of people ordered genetic tests to link themselves to missing parents, to distant ancestors, to ethnic identities... But, Zimmer writes, “Each of us carries an amalgam of fragments of DNA, stitched together from some of our many ancestors. Each piece has its own ancestry, traveling a different path back through human history. A particular fragment may sometimes be cause for worry, but most of our DNA influences who we are—our appearance, our height, our penchants—in inconceivably subtle ways.” Heredity isn’t just about genes that pass from parent to child. Heredity continues within our own bodies, as a single cell gives rise to trillions of cells that make up our bodies. We say we inherit genes from our ancestors—using a word that once referred to kingdoms and estates—but we inherit other things that matter as much or more to our lives, from microbes to technologies we use to make life more comfortable. We need a new definition of what heredity is and, through Carl Zimmer’s lucid exposition and storytelling, this resounding tour de force delivers it. Weaving historical and current scientific research, his own experience with his two daughters, and the kind of original reporting expected of one of the world’s best science journalists, Zimmer ultimately unpacks urgent bioethical quandaries arising from new biomedical technologies, but also long-standing presumptions about who we really are and what we can pass on to future generations.

HISTORY & MATHEMATICS

HISTORY & MATHEMATICS PDF Author: Leonid Grinin
Publisher: ООО "Издательство "Учитель"
ISBN: 570575910X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Get Book Here

Book Description
The present Yearbook (which is the eighth in the series) is subtitled Investigating Past and Future. It is devoted to three problems: the analysis of the aspects of past and present in the light of formal methods; singularity, i.e. forthcoming abrupt shift in development, the approach (or even presence) of which we already feel; the aspects of the cosmic future of human race. This issue consists of four sections: (I) History, Technologies, Politics, and Mathematics includes five articles on different directions of factual or theoretical content: history, technology, politics, and studies covering past, present, and future; (II) Singularity includes two contributions and is devoted to a rather interesting phenomenon of singularity. They suggest that indeed the hyperbolic planetary evolutionary trend observed since the origins of life on the Earth cannot continue beyond the forthcoming singularity, whereas the post-singular evolutionary trend should be qualitatively different from what has been observed before; (III) Beyond the Earth also consists of two very different articles, but they are united by their interest in the future of human race in terms of their interaction with the space; (IV) Reviews and Notes. We hope that this issue will be interesting and useful both for historians and mathematicians, as well as for all those dealing with various social and natural sciences.

Human Evolutionary Demography

Human Evolutionary Demography PDF Author: Oskar Burger
Publisher: Open Book Publishers
ISBN: 1800641737
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 572

Get Book Here

Book Description
Human evolutionary demography is an emerging field blending natural science with social science. This edited volume provides a much-needed, interdisciplinary introduction to the field and highlights cutting-edge research for interested readers and researchers in demography, the evolutionary behavioural sciences, biology, and related disciplines. By bridging the boundaries between social and biological sciences, the volume stresses the importance of a unified understanding of both in order to grasp past and current demographic patterns. Demographic traits, and traits related to demographic outcomes, including fertility and mortality rates, marriage, parental care, menopause, and cooperative behavior are subject to evolutionary processes. Bringing an understanding of evolution into demography therefore incorporates valuable insights into this field; just as knowledge of demography is key to understanding evolutionary processes. By asking questions about old patterns from a new perspective, the volume—composed of contributions from established and early-career academics—demonstrates that a combination of social science research and evolutionary theory offers holistic understandings and approaches that benefit both fields. Human Evolutionary Demography introduces an emerging field in an accessible style. It is suitable for graduate courses in demography, as well as upper-level undergraduates. Its range of research is sure to be of interest to academics working on demographic topics (anthropologists, sociologists, demographers), natural scientists working on evolutionary processes, and disciplines which cross-cut natural and social science, such as evolutionary psychology, human behavioral ecology, cultural evolution, and evolutionary medicine. As an accessible introduction, it should interest readers whether or not they are currently familiar with human evolutionary demography.