Learning About Your Genes: A Primer For Non-biologists PDF Download
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Author: Errol C Friedberg
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9813272635
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 125
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Book Description
Genes were unknowingly discovered in the 19th century by Gregor Mendel, a Czechoslovakian monk. It was later established that genes are made of DNA, a biological compound found in tiny thread-like structures called chromosomes that are located in the nuclei of all cells in our bodies. DNA consists of chains of entities called bases of which there are four in nature. DNA consists of long chains of bases (sometimes referred to as DNA sequences) that are joined in any order, but the precise order and length of which constitute different genes.Many (but not all) genes carry a code called the genetic code, a code that instructs the synthesis (manufacture) of the many hundreds of proteins that we require to survive and execute the many functions of life. The genetic code was deciphered in relatively recent years and is considered one of the most significant discoveries in the history of biology.Genes that encode instructions for the synthesis of proteins and those that regulate the manufacture of proteins comprise a mere two percent of our DNA. Despite our extensive knowledge of biology and the sub-discipline of molecular biology (the study of biology at the molecular level), the function (if any) of the rest of the DNA in our cells is unknown.Research about genes and DNA has in recent years spawned an endeavor referred to as the Human Genome Project, an international collaboration that has successfully determined, stored, and rendered publicly available the sequences of almost all the genetic content of the chromosomes of the human organism, otherwise known as the human genome.DNA sequences that are unique to every person on earth have been discovered (DNA fingherprints) and are now used for identifying criminals. The book relates a specific example of identifying a criminal who murdered two women.This is the first and only book that we are aware of that educates non-biologists about genes. It is written in a style and uses a vocabulary that can be comprehended by the average reader who knows very little if anything about genes.
Author: Errol C Friedberg
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9813272635
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 125
Get Book Here
Book Description
Genes were unknowingly discovered in the 19th century by Gregor Mendel, a Czechoslovakian monk. It was later established that genes are made of DNA, a biological compound found in tiny thread-like structures called chromosomes that are located in the nuclei of all cells in our bodies. DNA consists of chains of entities called bases of which there are four in nature. DNA consists of long chains of bases (sometimes referred to as DNA sequences) that are joined in any order, but the precise order and length of which constitute different genes.Many (but not all) genes carry a code called the genetic code, a code that instructs the synthesis (manufacture) of the many hundreds of proteins that we require to survive and execute the many functions of life. The genetic code was deciphered in relatively recent years and is considered one of the most significant discoveries in the history of biology.Genes that encode instructions for the synthesis of proteins and those that regulate the manufacture of proteins comprise a mere two percent of our DNA. Despite our extensive knowledge of biology and the sub-discipline of molecular biology (the study of biology at the molecular level), the function (if any) of the rest of the DNA in our cells is unknown.Research about genes and DNA has in recent years spawned an endeavor referred to as the Human Genome Project, an international collaboration that has successfully determined, stored, and rendered publicly available the sequences of almost all the genetic content of the chromosomes of the human organism, otherwise known as the human genome.DNA sequences that are unique to every person on earth have been discovered (DNA fingherprints) and are now used for identifying criminals. The book relates a specific example of identifying a criminal who murdered two women.This is the first and only book that we are aware of that educates non-biologists about genes. It is written in a style and uses a vocabulary that can be comprehended by the average reader who knows very little if anything about genes.
Author: Errol C Friedberg
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 981120098X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 155
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Book Description
Fixing Your Damaged and Incorrect Genes is a book about a well-established biological process called DNA REPAIR. The book describes the multiple and varied biochemical strategies by which damaged or incorrect nucleotides are removed from DNA or are corrected. The book includes multiple figures of notable past and present scientists in the field. The book is uniquely focused on an audience of non-biologists and is written in simple language with minimal use of technical terms. It contains an extensive glossary that provides explanations of key words that readers are encouraged to refer to as they read. Fixing Your Damaged and Incorrect Genes is unique, there being no previously published books for non-biologists on the topic of DNA repair.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780815332183
Category : Cells
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Author: George M Church
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465038654
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 305
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Book Description
A Harvard biologist and master inventor explores how new biotechnologies will enable us to bring species back from the dead, unlock vast supplies of renewable energy, and extend human life. In Regenesis, George Church and science writer Ed Regis explore the possibilities of the emerging field of synthetic biology. Synthetic biology, in which living organisms are selectively altered by modifying substantial portions of their genomes, allows for the creation of entirely new species of organisms. These technologies-far from the out-of-control nightmare depicted in science fiction-have the power to improve human and animal health, increase our intelligence, enhance our memory, and even extend our life span. A breathtaking look at the potential of this world-changing technology, Regenesis is nothing less than a guide to the future of life.
Author: Eugene E. Harris (Professor)
Publisher:
ISBN: 0199978034
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 249
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Book Description
In 2001, scientists were finally able to determine the full human genome sequence, and with the discovery began a genomic voyage back in time. Since then, we have sequenced the full genomes of a number of mankind's primate relatives at a remarkable rate. The genomes of the common chimpanzee (2005) and bonobo (2012), orangutan (2011), gorilla (2012), and macaque monkey (2007) have already been identified, and the determination of other primate genomes is well underway. Researchers are beginning to unravel our full genomic history, comparing it with closely related species to answer age-old questions about how and when we evolved. For the first time, we are finding our own ancestors in our genome and are thereby gleaning new information about our evolutionary past. In Ancestors in Our Genome, molecular anthropologist Eugene E. Harris presents us with a complete and up-to-date account of the evolution of the human genome and our species. Written from the perspective of population genetics, and in simple terms, the book traces human origins back to their source among our earliest human ancestors, and explains many of the most intriguing questions that genome scientists are currently working to answer. For example, what does the high level of discordance among the gene trees of humans and the African great apes tell us about our respective separations from our common ancestor? Was our separation from the apes fast or slow, and when and why did it occur? Where, when, and how did our modern species evolve? How do we search across genomes to find the genomic underpinnings of our large and complex brains and language abilities? How can we find the genomic bases for life at high altitudes, for lactose tolerance, resistance to disease, and for our different skin pigmentations? How and when did we interbreed with Neandertals and the recently discovered ancient Denisovans of Asia? Harris draws upon extensive experience researching primate evolution in order to deliver a lively and thorough history of human evolution. Ancestors in Our Genome is the most complete discussion of our current understanding of the human genome available.
Author: Jeffrey K. Conner
Publisher: Sinauer Associates Incorporated
ISBN: 9780878932023
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 304
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Book Description
This book covers basic concepts in population and quantitative genetics, including measuring selection on phenotypic traits. The emphasis is on material applicable to field studies of evolution focusing on ecologically important traits. Topics addressed are critical for training students in ecology, evolution, conservation biology, agriculture, forestry, and wildlife management. Many texts in this field are too complex and mathematical to allow the average beginning student to readily grasp the key concepts. A Primer of Ecological Genetics, in contrast, employs mathematics and statistics-fully explained, but at a less advanced level-as tools to improve understanding of biological principles. The main goal is to enable students to understand the concepts well enough that they can gain entry into the primary literature. Integration of the different chapters of the book shows students how diverse concepts relate to each other.
Author: Austin Burt
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674017139
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 650
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Book Description
In evolution, most genes survive and spread within populations because they increase the ability of their hosts (or their close relatives) to survive and reproduce. But some genes spread in spite of being harmful to the host organism—by distorting their own transmission to the next generation, or by changing how the host behaves toward relatives. As a consequence, different genes in a single organism can have diametrically opposed interests and adaptations.Covering all species from yeast to humans, Genes in Conflict is the first book to tell the story of selfish genetic elements, those continually appearing stretches of DNA that act narrowly to advance their own replication at the expense of the larger organism. As Austin Burt and Robert Trivers show, these selfish genes are a universal feature of life with pervasive effects, including numerous counter-adaptations. Their spread has created a whole world of socio-genetic interactions within individuals, usually completely hidden from sight.Genes in Conflict introduces the subject of selfish genetic elements in all its aspects, from molecular and genetic to behavioral and evolutionary. Burt and Trivers give us access for the first time to a crucial area of research—now developing at an explosive rate—that is cohering as a unitary whole, with its own logic and interconnected questions, a subject certain to be of enduring importance to our understanding of genetics and evolution.
Author: V. Anne Smith
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3030045536
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 239
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Book Description
Carolyn’s parents did not, after all, make genomics history by synthesizing her genome in a lab. She has known she is the "Human Hoax" ever since a high school genetics exercise revealed she has trisomy X—a chromosomal abnormality—yet no synthetically constructed genome would have such clear traces of natural conception. Many years later, as molecular biologist, she hopes her colleagues never learn of her embarrassing origins. But when someone ransacks her office and lab, she finds professional embarrassment is the least of her worries. Someone believes she has the results of her parents’ last, secret experiments, and is willing to kill to get them. But all she has from her parents are their genes—can she find what else they may have left her before somebody else does? In a not-so-distant society, where corporations wield as much power as nations and the line between corporate employee and state authority is blurred, the chase is on. Carolyn may have just too little time at hand to unravel the mystery of her parents’ final days and to realize the deep consequences for the future of mankind. This fast-paced novel is followed by an extensive science chapter where the author provides a non-technical primer on modern genetics and on the speculative biology behind Carolyn’s code.
Author: Richard C. Lewontin
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674006775
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 152
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Book Description
One of our most brilliant evolutionary biologists, Richard Lewontin here provides a concise, accessible account of what his work has taught him about biology and about its relevance to human affairs. In the process, he exposes some of the common and troubling misconceptions that misdirect and stall our understanding of biology and evolution.
Author: Edward O. Wilson
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0871407000
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 153
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Book Description
Pulitzer Prize–winning biologist Edward O. Wilson imparts the wisdom of his storied career to the next generation. Edward O. Wilson has distilled sixty years of teaching into a book for students, young and old. Reflecting on his coming-of-age in the South as a Boy Scout and a lover of ants and butterflies, Wilson threads these twenty-one letters, each richly illustrated, with autobiographical anecdotes that illuminate his career—both his successes and his failures—and his motivations for becoming a biologist. At a time in human history when our survival is more than ever linked to our understanding of science, Wilson insists that success in the sciences does not depend on mathematical skill, but rather a passion for finding a problem and solving it. From the collapse of stars to the exploration of rain forests and the oceans’ depths, Wilson instills a love of the innate creativity of science and a respect for the human being’s modest place in the planet’s ecosystem in his readers.
