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. ... Read more

Book Description

iGenetics: A Mendelian Approach reflects the dynamic nature of modern genetics by emphasizing an experimental, inquiry-based approach with a solid treatment of many research experiments. 1. Genetics: An Introduction, Mendelian Genetics, Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance, Extensions of Mendelian Genetic Principles, Quantitative Genetics, Gene Mapping in Eukaryotes, Advanced Gene Mapping in Eukaryotes, Variations in Chromosome Structure and Number, Genetics of Bacteria and Bacteriophages, DNA: The Genetic Material, DNA Replication, Gene Control of Proteins, Gene Expression: Transcription, Gene Expression: Translation, DNA Mutation, DNA Repair, and Transposable Elements, Recombinant DNA Technology, Applications of Recombinant DNA Technology, Genomics, Regulation of Gene Expression in Bacteria and Bacteriophages, Regulation of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes, Genetic Analysis of Development, Genetics of Cancer, Non-Mendelian Inheritance, Population Genetics, Molecular Evolution For all readers interested in learning the central concepts of genetics. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Human beings have always hungered for immortality. But even in myths, those who find the secrets of eternal life often have to pay a high price. Michael West, CEO of Advanced Cell Technology, has spent most of his career as a biotechnologist seeking ways to make mammalian cells live forever. His successes put him at the center of political, moral, and religious firestorms. In The Immortal Cell, West offers not only a chronology of the emerging science of immortality, but a personal journal of his own path from strict creationist to ardent scientist seeking to shape human evolution. It was West and his cohorts who announced in 2001 that by inserting a person's own DNA into an unfertilized egg cell from a woman of reproductive age, they could create embryonic stem cells--cells that might be able to repair any number of problems for the DNA donor, including burns, cancer, degenerative disorders, and even normal aging. Accused of "playing God," West became one of the central figures in the debates on human cloning and was compared to Osama bin Laden by one histrionic news agent. In The Immortal Cell, West describes both the research and the furor that followed. Though the biology is a little tough for general readers, West does a fine job of using diagrams and step-by-step descriptions to explain his processes of cell culture and manipulation. The debate over therapeutic cloning of human cells is far from over, and readers seeking to better understand the debate will find West's book an unapologetic, one-sided argument in favor of human stem cell research. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Brilliant and Passionate
Excellent reicital of one scientist's search for the means to prolong human life. I found it to be a very good introduction to concepts such as stem cells and telomerase - areas I had only vague knowledge. But the best part of the book is its description of Dr. West's passion for ending human death and mortality. Dr. West echoes many thoughts I have had myself - man does not want to die! Despite the narrow minded opposition of obsolete religious teachings, science will find the way to overcome and we will reach one of mankind most long soughts yearnings. Perhaps we will lose part of our humanity in doing so, but in my opinion it will be a transformational change that takes us to the next level of life. This book describes one possible approach on this journey.

WELL WRITTEN!
This book is an excellent foray into the world of longevity research and cellular study. I, as a layman, never lost the focus of the author's intent. I hope we do not have to wait to long for his next book.

Great book.....hope he writes another!
I wasn't sure if I would get "into" this book or not, but I found it hard to put down at the end of the lunch break or at night. Very interesting and the good doc describes even the most complex science in terms that are easy to understand-without making the reader feel like a dummy! I wish President Bush and other lawmakers would take the time to read this book to get the facts behind the science before making any more legislation regarding stem cell research.

Tinkering with the atom - now tinkering with human DNA...
Dr. Michael West is a brilliant man in search of high tech ways to cure catastrophic diseases & pathologies - such as type I Diabetes, Quadriplegia, cancer and heart damage from heart attacks. All noble quests to benefit mankind. The only problem with this is that along with the potential to help mankind with regenerative medicine concepts, therein lies another darker potential. The corruptability of such an endeaver, and yes, there are always those equally brilliant scientists out there who are willing to tweak the bad that generates from the good.
West goes into vague detail explaining what stem cells are, and what the science can acheive in medicine, and cloning. I wish he went into further depth giving examples and photos of what he witnessed under the microscope. If he would have included some slides, I would have given the book a 5 star rating instead of the 4. It is a good book that gives readers a taste of this controversial topic. He further explains how Dolly the sheep came to be in this world, and yes, the sheep was named after Dolly Parton, the country singer, because the sheep was cloned out of a cell from the breast tissue of another sheep.
All this research into the mortal cell costs millions, perhaps billions of dollars, $$$, but in the end, the goal is not to prolong life forever. It's really to maintain the quality of life for all, especially the aged. Dr. West is very compassionate towards the elderly in our world, and it's good to see that somebody is passionate about curing the ails that often accompany old age.
One question that I have for Dr. West is what should the average life expectancy be for people? 100? 110?
Curing hearing and sight loss, kidney failure, liver failure are all good things that could come from recombinant DNA therapy.
But the dark side could promote supernatural human beings; turning engineered cells into engineered people. These 'superpeople' can potentially outthink, outperform and ultimately - wipe out the current natural human race that we have spent millions of years evolving into. If these cloned people reproduced with regular human beings, something called germ-line genetic modification, something terribly wrong could happen. This is one of the kind Doctor's admitted fears.
Our standard of living would become too high to sustain or even achieve. It would create many insurmountable problems the world has never known.
Tinkering with the atom in the Manhatten Project ultimately brought us terrorism as we know it today. Could those brilliant scientists not see the disaster behind the discovery?
Now our modern scientists are tinkering with the human genome project. It is mapped out and published. Scientists such as Dr. West wish to exploit this important and exciting discovery to help mankind, but we must be wary of the ever present dark side of all good creations.
Are we ready to make this scientific leap?
Read the book and ponder the answer...I have no answers at this point---the book contains arguments both ways, but leans towards the pro and dismisses the con pretty blantantly.
Nonetheless, it is a very interesting read, and contains somewhat technical ideas in it, which only encourages me to further research the topic of theraputic cloning and stem cell research.

Brilliant
A brilliant, autobiographical account of discoveries concerning telomerase, stem cells, and cloning. West is a genius. ... Read more

Book Description

Sequence similarity is a powerful tool for discovering biological function. Just as the ancient Greeks used comparative anatomy to understand the human body and linguists used the Rosetta stone to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs, today we can use comparative sequence analysis to understand genomes. BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool), is a sophisticated software package for rapid searching of nucleotide and protein databases. It is one of the most important software packages used in sequence analysis and bioinformatics. Most users of BLAST, however, seldom move beyond the program's default parameters, and never take advantage of its full power.BLAST is the only book completely devoted to this popular suite of tools. It offers biologists, computational biology students, and bioinformatics professionals a clear understanding of BLAST as well as the science it supports.This book shows you how to move beyond the default parameters, get specific answers using BLAST, and how to interpret your results. The book also contains tutorial and reference sections covering NCBI-BLAST and WU-BLAST, background material to help you understand the statistics behind BLAST, Perl scripts to help you prepare your data and analyze your results, and a wealth of tips and tricks for configuring BLAST to meet your own research needs. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

useful for comparative sequence alignment tasks
BLAST is a well-known tool for bioinformatics (biological sciences+computer sciences). In this book contains a concepts of central dogma of molecular biology, sequence aligment, sequece similarity, practical BLAST programs (divide into 5 programs), and how to install and use BLAST tool. Moreover, it also offers enough tips to improve my BLAST searches usage. I think this book's content is well-writing and well-organizing for comparative sequeces alignment tasks. I use this book to begin in bioinformatics and it can help me to learn about this. But this book does not contain all of things that I want to known on bioinformatics or computational biology.

How does sequence alignment actually work?
If you want to understand the nuts and bolts of how sequence alignment works, then this is the book for you. It will be especially useful for BLAST users who want to understand how it actually works and also for developers who don't know much biology, struggle with the math, but have no problem reading a perl script.

The book is basically divided into:
0. A Foreword by Stephen Altschul (the co-creator of BLAST)
1. A quick web intro to a BLAST search
2. Sequence alignment and how the algorithms work
3. Blast and how the Blast statistics are calculated
4. The different types of Blast e.g. WU-Blast
5. Approaches to Performance speedup
6. Reference sections on BLAST parameters

The real key is that this book neatly splits the difference between academic texts and papers which are quite often too difficult to read without sufficient background (and they are not precise about the implementation anyway) and the user-manual type texts which don't discuss the theory at all.

One of the best chapters (in my view) is chapter three, where they explain and illustrate the workings of the Needleman-Wunsch and Smith-Waterman algorithms for global and local alignment. If you read the text, then study and run the included perl code, you WILL understand how they work, but be prepared to spend several hours trying different examples. The real advantage of this approach is that you get a deep, practical understanding of how alignment actually works, that you just can't get from reading a mathematical treatment of the subject. Once you understand this chapter, you are actually sufficiently expert to get inside alignment code and modify it for your own purposes.

Ian Korf does continually emphasize that the algorithms may look clever, but they are, in the end, robotic in that they will quite happily align complete rubbish if you are not careful about controlling the algorithm and thinking carefully about the results you get.

There are a couple of mistakes in the diagrams (chap 3), that are addressed in the errata, but the perl code is correct.

Finally, because this book is about BLAST, it doesn't mention other methods of sequence alignment such as Hidden-Markov Models or methods of multiple sequence alignment. Perhaps they'll do a book on those as well one day..

Author comments
As the first reviewer mentioned, the book is not a fast read. In order
to run BLAST properly one must understand how and why it works. BLAST
exists at the intersection of molecular biology, computer science, and
statistics. This might sound intimidating, but once you read about these
topics in chapters 2-4, you'll see that it isn't so complicated and it
all fits together nicely. We know that BLAST users come from a variety
of backgrounds and we have therefore written the book for a general
audience. As a result, the book is more than just a BLAST manual, it's
also a friendly introduction to computational molecular biology.

Writing this book took a lot of time and effort. It went through some
painful transformations. The authors waged many battles against
themselves and each other to bring to you the kind of book we wished we
could have bought several years ago. We'll feel our work was justified
if you approach your next BLAST search as a scientific experiment and
not a Google search. And if we've helped some of you to embark on a new
career/hobby in bioinformatics, drop us a line, it's sure to make our
day.

This IS a book about BLAST!
Useful book for biologists to understand computer algorithm. This book is very helpful if you are going through endless BLAST search. It is not a fast read but it is packed with useful information. I have started using the suggested examples and tricks in this book and feel more comfortable at doing the search. Important book for Bioinformatics researchers! ... Read more

Book Description

Outlines the relationship between genes and human experience. The understandings of gene expression emerging from the Human Genome Project are setting the stage for a profound expansion of our understanding of life. We are just now beginning to learn how the brain, body, and genes interact in everyday life. Here, Ernest Rossi introduces the new science of psychosocial genomics and explores how it will profoundly change our understanding of the pathways of communication among mind, body, and spirit. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Sourcebook for Therapy in the 21st Century
Dr. Rossi has again written a "trail blazing" book. Those familiar with his previous publications know the breadth of his work - a work spanning Ericksonian Hypnosis, Jungian Psychology, Mind-Body Healing, Biological rhythms, and the psychology of Dreaming. He has not written a book on mathematical models of healing but it is clear that he has also studied this area in considerable depth. All the subjects listed above are revisited and taken to new levels in this book.

In addition to these sections Dr. Rossi also shares some very clear and vivid descriptions of actual therapuetic work. In one section he gives an entire transcription of a therapy he did with a woman during a workshop. In another section he lists a series of therapeutic exercises that can be used to access each person's deeper capacities for self healing.

This latest book also places Dr. Rossi in the ranks of the great detectives. He has been systematically tracking down all of the current research relating experience to gene expression. He regularly scans the internet for all sources that may have new findings related to this subject. He asks us to remember that this is "work in progress." Investigators all over the world are unlocking how specific genes are "turned on" by different experiences. Dr. Rossi is the only person I know who is making an attempt to synthesize this information within in a larger psychological context.

Currently both our medical culture and our larger culture continues to propagate extremely primitive models of human development. According to one of the most popular we inherit certain "tendencies" or diseases that are expressed in a nervous system that is essentially fixed after birth. Thus, our best therapeutic efforts will be directed towards modifying the brains that have genetically predestined defects. With these assumptions pharmacology will be the main (often only) ingredient of help.

At the beginning of the book Dr Rossi points out that recent findings have overturned many of our old theories about how the nervous system is linked to experience. We now know that novelty, life-enriching experiences and physical exercise can activate neurogenesis. Such experiences can turn on gene expression within minutes throughout the body and brain. As a result, "every memory is a reframe." We can actually reconstruct ourselves from a genetic level on up when we are experiencing a healing environment.

Taken as a whole Dr. Rossi has written one of the great sourcebooks for healing to guide us into the 21st Century.

Peak of a brilliant career?
I mean this review to be brief so I'll state my conclusion at the start: this is an excellent book covering biochemistry up to psychotherapy. It is a must for any Rossi fan, if only because it has that 'culmination-of-a-brilliant-career' feel to it.

I discovered Rossi in the early 1980's and took one of his "64 questions in search of a graduate student" as my master's thesis. Since then I have digested his work and watched, sometimes in amazement, as clients changed and as I changed. Rossi's view of the mind-body in therapy works and is workable.

I had the pleasure of seeing him in Texas this summer (2003) and was mesmerized (pardon the pun) by the obvious skill of a master therapist. Between his demo to our group and reading this book with a view to integrate it into my work, I have found a revitalizing of my therapy practice that has pulled me out of a 2-year slump... enough said.

Thanks Dr. Rossi.

Excellent integration of biology and mind
As a clinical psychologist with a background in biochemistry, I am very thrilled to see the author to integrate the gene expression, environment and mind into a coherent and scientifically-based picture. The book offers a solid foundation for the biological bases for psychotherapy and provides a holistic viewpoint upon human activities. It is highly recommended ! ... Read more

Book Description

"Stem cells hold particular promise for unlocking life-saving secrets of the cell..." -- National Academy of Sciences

Cutting edge stem cell research could pave the way to a bold new era in medicine, providing cell-based treatments -- perhaps even cures -- for scores of diseases and illnesses.But what exactly are these biological wonders -- these things called stem cells?And what promise do they really hold for medicine?As acclaimed author Ann Parson suggests, one way to measure the future is to first search back through the past to take stock of how humans have gradually awakened to these distinctive, often camouflaged, cells in our midst and slowly come to recognize their worth.

The story of stem cell technologies is at once compelling, controversial, and remarkable.Part detective story, part medical history, The Proteus Effect describes early scientific discoveries that date back as far as 1740 before proceeding into the present to recount the incredible events leading to the discovery of stem cells in animal tumors, in the blood of mice, in the brains of canaries, in human embryos, and then in the skin, liver, and other organs of grown humans. It looks at the explosive potential of these special cells for the future of medicine.

Stem cells are the clay of life waiting for the cellular signal that will coax them into taking on the shape of the beating muscle cells of the heart, insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, or message-carrying cells of the central nervous system.Manipulate them the right way, turn them into the right type of cell, and it’s possible that stem cells could be used to counter (or cure) diseases such as Parkinson's, diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorders -- even infertility or baldness!

But should scientists be allowed to pick apart five-day-old embryos in order to retrieve stem cells?And when stem cells whisper to us of immortality -- they can divide and perpetuate new cells indefinitely -- how do we respond?Stem cells are forcing us not only to reexamine how we define the beginning of life but how we come to terms with the end of life as well.But these cells are such stunning creations that anyone stopping to peer at them cannot help but admire them for the qualities that go far beyond their uses as simple tools for human medicine.In the end, stem cells open our eyes to the presence of forces in Nature that are far greater than anything humans could imagine or invent.

Meticulously researched, artfully balanced, and engagingly told, Ann B. Parson chronicles a scientific discovery in progress, exploring the ethical debates, describing the current research, and hinting of a spectacular new era in medicine.The Proteus Effect is as timely as it is riveting. ... Read more

Book Description

Armed with extraordinary new discoveries about our genes, acclaimed science writer Matt Ridley turns his attention to the nature-versus-nurture debate in a thoughtful book about the roots of human behavior.

Ridley recounts the hundred years' war between the partisans of nature and nurture to explain how this paradoxical creature, the human being, can be simultaneously free-willed and motivated by instinct and culture. With the decoding of the human genome, we now know that genes not only predetermine the broad structure of the brain, they also absorb formative experiences, react to social cues, and even run memory. They are consequences as well as causes of the will.

Reviews (1)

Great Book - But DON'T BUY IT!!!! (read this review first)
I have really enjoyed each and every Matt Ridley book and "The Agile Gene" is no exception - but for the fact that it is an identical 'word-for-word' copy of his book titled "Nature Via Nurture". I'm not sure why a publisher would release the same book under a different title (there is one very small notice on the left front of the cover stating "Previously published as Nature Via Nurture"), but I'm more upset that it's not a new Matt Ridley book than by being out the money for the price of the book and the special two day delivery.

So...great book, just don't shell out any money if you already read "Nature Via Nurture". ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Don't trust your instincts." Hardly the standard self-help fare, to be sure. Arguing that Darwin has a lot more to tell us about ourselves than Freud, Mean Genes is high on evolution and low on inner child. Deemed "brilliant" by E.O. Wilson himself, the book is the work of two young Wilson disciples: Terry Burnham, an economics professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and Jay Phelan, a professor of biology at UCLA.

Burnham and Phelan divide life issues into 10 categories (debt, fat, drugs, risk, greed, gender, beauty, infidelity, family, and friends and foes), and then offer a two-step guide to better living. "Step 1 is to understand our animal nature, particularly those desires that get us into trouble and can lead to unhappiness. Step 2 is to harness this knowledge so that we can tame our primal instincts."

Needless to say, Nancy Reagan-esque bromides don't fit into the Mean Genes scheme of things:

"Just say no" to drugs is the simplest way to kick a habit. Unfortunately, this obvious and low-cost approach is also the route most likely to fail. For example, only one person quits smoking for every twenty who attempt to just say no. Raw willpower seems like a great solution right up until weakness strikes and we light up a cigarette or mix a margarita.

Instead of slogans, the Mean Genes approach to overcoming drug addiction is to first recognize that "every person has strong, instinctual cravings for destructive substances." This, coupled with a thorough scientific understanding of a given drug's pleasurable effects on the brain, offers a more realistic course of action, such as finding a less harmful substitute for achieving a similar buzz.

Be it talk of weight loss, saving for retirement, or resisting the neighbor's wife, such practical, tough-love suggestions for subduing the beast within are provided throughout the book. Phelan describes how he instantly smears mayonnaise all over tempting sweets served with airline meals to keep from eating them during long flights, and Burnham writes of giving away his Internet access cable in order to free himself of a serious day-trading fixation.

The authors also rely heavily on findings from the animal world in stating their case, which makes for fascinating reading, if not always for readily transferable lessons to daily life. Consider, for example, certain frog species that "continue individual bouts of mating for several months. If people mated for a similar percentage of our lives, a single round of intercourse would last almost ten years." And then there's the famed black widow spider. "Shunning the more traditional chastity belt, the male breaks off his sexual organ inside the female, preventing her from ever mating again. When the act is completed, the female kills and eats the male."

Put off by all the sex and violence? Don't worry. There's also a nod to family values in the form of the Australian social spider. "Soon after giving birth to about a hundred hungry spiderlings, Mom's body literally liquefies into a pile of mushy flesh. The babies then munch on the flesh so they can start their lives with full bellies." Mean genes, indeed. --Patrick Jennings ... Read more

Reviews (101)

Hilarious and Enriching!
Mean Genes does three things very well: it teaches you to control yourself, it educates you about evolutionary biology, and it makes you laugh.

For the uninitiated, the basic premise of evolutionary biology is that all human behavior is driven by genetic traits, traits that are incredibly well-adapted -- for the desert humans evolved in 250,000 years ago.

Burnham and Phelan take the human-as-cavemen-unadapted-to-the-modern-world view and illustrate why many of our common weaknesses are actually based on behaviors that were quite useful a quarter of a million years ago.

When you view human nature this way, a few things will happen. First, you'll understand the persistence and prevalence of many seemingly self-destructive human idiosyncrasies (for example, adultery and gluttony). Second, you won't feel as bad about yourself! And third, and most useful, by understanding the roots of these common behaviors and by following Burnham and Phelan's recommendations, you'll have the tools to effect genuine self-improvement.

Finally, the book is quick and entertaining, so it's a fabulous investment.

Mean Genes Rocks!
Wow. This book made me laugh, was extremely informative, and has already changed my life.

I've always battled with my weight. Now I realize that my urge for chocolate or a second helping comes from deep within my evolutionary history, not some innate weakness of character. Now when I consider that hot-fudge sundae, I know I want it not because I'm bad or weak, but becuase once upon a time it paid to indulge when I could, in an environment where food was scarce.

Somehow the knowledge of where these and other urges come from makes it easier for me to resist them. When I feel weak, I don't beat myself up. I make changes in my environment to achieve my goals, instead of just trying to "outwill" my mean genes. I feel more powerful because I have a better understanding what it is that I'm fighting.

It's not often that a book can be this informative and obviously well-researched, and so hard to put down. Best of all, Mean Genes offers practical advice on how to gain control over our lives and achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Worth every penny.

This Book Makes Sense.
Terry Burnham, a visiting scholar at the Harvard Business School, holds a PhD in Business Economics from Harvard, while Jay Whelan is a Biology professor at UCLA. Together they have collaborated to produce an excellent book that explains why we humans so often act in what appear to be irrational ways.

The essence of their argument is that we human beings come from a long line of hunter gatherers, and are genetically ill-equipped to deal with many of the challenges we face in the modern world. Using specific examples, Burnham and Whelan describe how our genes drive us to make irrational decisions in the major areas of our life (work, love, friendship, sex, and consumption). Forewarned is forearmed. Once you've read this book, you'll have the necessary tools to anticipate and avoid failure.

Highly recommended.

Fabulous
I had the honor of reading "Mean Genes" as a textbook when Dr. Phelen, the co-author, taught my Life Science Class at UCLA. This is book worthy of ANY generation's read-I particularly thought it "answered" some of those questions of life that torment the average college student, let alone humans. The insights and personal stories add warmth to "Mean Genes, and the book is immensely enjoyable (hardly "textbook" like.) Overall-buy the book for keeps-you will want to keep it as a manual for life.

Responding to "Amazon Customer"
If you are a believer in all this Freudian crap, this is not the reason to trash a really good book, which approaches things from really scientific point of view, and tries to give a logical picture of our psychology, its origins. Psychoanalysis is not a science, it is bunch of fairy tales, and has nothing to do with science; but I'm afraid people like you would never admit this.
This book is excellent! ... Read more

Book Description

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard, Methods in Enzymology, is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. The series contains much material still relevant today - truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences.

RNA Interference will cover RNAi in non-vertebrates (plants, C. elegans, drosophila, and S. pombe), and Mammalian systems (human and non-human cells).This volume discusses extensive methodology related to delivery methods high throughput strategies andprospects as a human therapy agent.

* One of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry since 1955
* Frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike
* Truly an essential publication for anyone in any field of the life sciences ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"Genomics & Proteomics" BookReview 4(4):40, 2004
With the rise and utility of RNA Interference (RNAi) as a useful tool for silencing and manipulating genes, there has been much interest in the specific applications of this technique to various animal models for disease. Because it is a natural phenomenon, RNAi is more robust than other RNA-based methods. However, RNAi pathways do not follow the same rules in different organisms, and therefore, specific information on RNAi methods is essential for each model organism studied.
The aim of "RNA Interference (RNAi): Nuts & Bolts of RNAi Technology" by David Engelke and published by DNA Press (www.dnapress.net) is to serve as a guide for practical RNAi use in the laboratory. The book is short on general theory behind RNAi, except to furnish the bare minimum of background information for each chapter. However, the book is rich in specific protocols for the various methods that are described, including suppliers of reagents and advice on modifications and customizations of protocols.
Chapters include protocols for RNAi in plants, Drosophila, C. elegans, mammalian systems, mice, and discussions of high-throughput RNAi as well as design, synthesis and preparation of synthetic RNAi. An added bonus each chapter contains an ample list of relevant literature references.

Joshua Marcy, www.genpromag.com ... Read more

Book Description

Some well-known age-related neurological diseases include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, deafness, and blindness. Even more common are the problems of aging which are not due to disease but to more subtle impairments in neurobiological systems, including impairments in vision, memory loss, muscle weakening, and loss of reproductive functions, changes in body weight, and sleeplessness. As the average age of our society increases, diseases of aging continue to become more common, and conditions associated with aging need more attention by doctors and researchers. In 1991, patients over the age of 65 saw their doctors an average of eight times per year. Research funding is provided by the Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging (NNA) Program, which is run by the National Institute on Aging. This book offers a comprehensive overview of all topics related to functional impairments which are related to the aging brain and nervous system. It is organized according to four general functions: movement, senses, memory, and neuroendocrine regulation. Written by the leading researchers in the field, this comprehensive work addresses both impairments associated with diseases and not associated with diseases, making it easier to understand the mechanisms involved. Functional Neurobiology of Aging is an important reference for professionals and students involved in aging research, as well as physicians who need to recognize and understand age-related impairments.

Key Features
* Organized by function, making it easy to find and understand the material
* Addresses impairments both associated with diseases and not associated with diseases
* Written by leading researchers in the field
* Most comprehensive source of information on the neurobiology of aging ... Read more

Book Description

Genetics: Analysis of Genes and Genomes represents the most current, comprehensive, and progressive introduction to genetics and genomics at the college level. Keeping pace with the latest developments in genetics, the authors, Hartl and Jones, treat classical, molecular, and population genetics as distinct but unified subjects that illuminate and reinforce each other throughout the textbook. This integrated approach to teaching genetics is a logical progression in an era when the various subdisciplines of genetics are so closely interwoven. ... Read more

Book Description

Since the first edition of this highly acclaimed text was published in 1992, much new knowledge has been gained about the role of genetic factors in common adult diseases, and we now have a better understanding of the molecular processes involved in genetic susceptibility and diseases mechanisms. The second edition fully incorporates these advances.The entire book has been updated and twelve new chapters have been added.Most of these chapters deal with diseases such as gallstones, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, skin cancer, other common skin diseases, prostate cancer and migraine headaches that are seen by all physicians.Others address the genetic and molecular basis of spondylarthropathies, lupus, hemochromatosis, IgA deficiency, mental retardation, hearing loss, and the role of mitochondrial variation in adult diseases.Chapters on the evolution of human genetic disease and on animal models add important background on the omplexities of these diseases.Unique clinical applications of genetics to common diseases are covered in the additional new chapters on genetic counseling, pharmacogenetics, and the genetic consequences of modern therapeutics. ... Read more

Book Description

Des Nicholl presents a new, fully revised, and expanded edition of his popular undergraduate-level textbook. The book retains many of the features of the original edition and still offers a concise technical introduction to the subject of genetic engineering. It is divided into three main sections: basic molecular biology, methods of gene manipulation, and modern applications of genetic engineering. Applications covered in the book include genomics, protein engineering, gene therapy, cloning, transgenic animals and plants and bioethics. An Introduction to Genetic Engineering is essential reading for undergraduate students of biotechnology, genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A brief overview of gene technology
First off, I would have given this book 5 stars if value was the main consideration. You can't beat the price for what you are getting with this work. It provides a very concise overview of modern gene technology, though that conciseness is the underlying drawback of this text. Another thing I didn't like about this text is that that everything is in black and white. With today's printing capabilities, B/W is sub-standard. Although, I must express that even with the limited resources put into the printing, the diagrams are well thought out and the graphical explanations are very well delivered considering there is no color to work with. As mentioned above, for a compact text that weighs next to nothing compared to a full text-book you can't argue against its value.

This book is divided into three parts. Part I covers the basic gene technology principles. Part II deals with the methods of rDNA technologies. And Part III discusses some applications of rDNA with some minor references to non-rDNA biotechnologies for comparison purposes. Part I and Part II seem somewhat dry, especially with the terseness involved with cramming the whole subject into such a small book. It takes a lot of interest in the subject to keep the attention span. It also is a bit difficult to follow at times and re-reading parts and perhaps referencing external texts may be necessary to obtain a good comprehension of the material at hand. One fantastic feature is that the author provides a "summary chart" at the end of each chapter. The educational impact of this technique is remarkable and I wish this was used more in many other texts. Part III is where the juicy material is covered. After all the foundation is laid, Part III makes for easy reading and brings to light the knowledge you gain from the former parts. It gives a brief overview of some of the different applications of gene technology as well as discusses societal impact and influence (perhaps the major determinant of the fate of biotechnology).

Readers of this book should have some background knowledge of genetics or molecular biology. That would help overcome the terseness of the presentation material. Overall, this book provides a decent academic overview of the subject without the sidetracking toward the many examples and specific details contained in full texts.

Excellent Overview
Nicholl covers every pertinent aspect of this fascinating field of science and engineering in this book in a clear and comprehensible way. His use of concept maps to summarize the key concepts in each chapter is a tremendously effective tool.

Nicholl approaches this subject in a schematic way. That is to say, he makes considerable use of idealized diagrams to explain the many components and characteristics of genetic materials and processes. The terminology will be a challenge for non-geneticists, but Nicholl has included a fairly comprehensive glossary of terms at the end of the book.

I highly recommend this text to anyone interested in understanding the basics of GE and its implications for our world.

Excellent for the non-biology expert
I came across this book searching for good introductory texts to be used as companions in a bioinformatics course intended for an audience of graduate students in computer science at the University of Chicago. This is definitely an outstanding text for this purpose. It's genetic engineering in a nutshell. Each chapter is summarized at its end by a "concept-diagram" that connects all the essential information in that chapter (I wish other authors could do the same with their books). The book is divided in eight chapters, spanning over 165 pages approximately. It covers basic molecular biology (gene organization, expression), manipulation of nucleic acids (labelling, hybridisation, electrophoresis, and sequencing), restriction, modifying, and joining enzymes, vector techniques, cloning, recombinants, and applied issues (making proteins, transgenics, etc). ... Read more

Book Description

A thrilling "user's guide" to the genomics era

Welcome to the genome, the miraculous blueprint of your DNA, coiled tight as a spring in the nucleus of each cell of your body. If unwound, the DNA from just one cell, while only a molecule in width, would stretch six feet in length! The information stored in its double helix structure - three billion bits worth - could fill 142 Manhattan phone books.

Yet far more amazing than these facts is the impact the study of genomics has had on so many areas of our lives. From the promise of personalized medicine and gene therapy to disputes over the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods, there is little doubt we are in the midst of the Genomic Revolution. Now how do we make sense of it all?

Welcome to the Genome takes you right into the thick of today's most cutting-edge science and its far-reaching implications. Authors Rob DeSalle, who curated the highly successful Genomics Revolution exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and Michael Yudell, Assistant Professor of Public Health at Drexel University, have written a book which clearly explains the ongoing saga of our attempts to understand the mystery of biology's Rosetta Stone and use its code to better our lives.

This reader-friendly book employs an understandable style and eye-popping full-color illustrations to provide real insights into the complex science involved. It delves into the past discoveries that led to the sequencing of the human genome; it presents the challenges facing today's scientists and society and culture in general; and it considers the future possibilities of the developing genome era. Social issues, particularly questions of ethics, receive special attention, covering an important area too often overshadowed by science and technology.

If the genome really is the book of life, then we have only just opened to the first of its many pages. Those who triumphantly claim DNA is destiny may have spoken too soon; it is far more likely today's discoveries will lead to insights yet to be imagined. A stirring and informative introduction to a scientific epic still unfolding, Welcome to the Genome is an essential guide for understanding - and participating in - the incredible explorations, discussions, and realizations of the Genomic Revolution. ... Read more

Book Description

This book gives a comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of the theory of "simple" liquids. The new second edition has been rearranged and considerably expanded to give a balanced account both of basic theory and of the advances of the past decade. It presents the main ideas of modern liquid state theory in a way that is both pedagogical and self-contained. The book should be accessible to graduate students and research workers, both experimentalists and theorists, who have a good background in elementary mechanics.

Key Features
* Compares theoretical deductions with experimental results
* Molecular dynamics
* Monte Carlo computations
* Covers ionic, metallic, and molecular liquids ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Classic Book
This is a classic book on the theory of simple liquids. It covers brilliantly both the statics and dynamics of the liquid state.
A must have book for those who are serious to learn this
challenging subject.

A great book
This book contains everything of the classical statistical mechanics for liquids. ... Read more

Book Description

An Introduction to Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy

Edited by Thomas F. Kresina, Ph.D. Gene therapy, or the use of genetic manipulation for disease treatment, is derived from advances in genetics, molecular biology, clinical medicine, and human genomics. Molecular medicine, the application of molecular biological techniques to disease treatment and diagnosis, is derived from the development of human organ transplantation, pharmacotherapy, and elucidation of the human genome. An Introduction to Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy provides a basis for interpreting new clinical and basic research findings in the areas of cloning, gene transfer, and targeting; the applications of genetic medicine to clinical conditions; ethics and governmental regulations; and the burgeoning fields of genomics, biotechnology, and bioinformatics. By dividing the material into three sections - an introduction to basic science, a review of clinical applications, and a discussion of the evolving issues related to gene therapy and molecular medicine-this comprehensive manual describes the basic approaches to the broad range of actual and potential genetic-based therapies. In addition, An Introduction to Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy:
* Covers new frontiers in gene therapy, animal models, vectors, gene targeting, and ethical/legal considerations
* Provides organ-based reviews of current studies in gene therapy for monogenetic, multifactoral or polygenic disorders, and infectious diseases
* Includes bold-faced terms, key concepts, summaries, and lists of helpful references by subject in each chapter
* Contains appendices on commercial implications and a review of the history of gene therapy

This textbook offers a clear, concise writing style, drawing upon the expertise of the authors, all renowned researchers in their respective specialties of molecular medicine. Researchers in genetics and molecular medicine will all find An Introduction to Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy to be an essential guide to the rapidly evolving field of gene therapy and its applications in molecular medicine. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent overview of a fascinating field
I did not have any special prior knowledge in biology or genetics. I needed to quickly get up to speed in this area for a professional reason. Parts of the book were a little difficult to understand at times, especially when it used many technical terms, but overall it provided me with an excellent overview of this fascinating and rapidly evolving field. I reduced one star because of not seeing enough illustrations and diagrams which in my view are essential in any text that includes complex concepts. With this book I also read "Genomes" to complement the basics of Genomics and together these two books did the trick!! Strongly reccomended to anyone who is interested in the field.

.
The greatest difficulty with this field is that it is currently evolving at a rapid rate. Thus, books on the subject run the risk of being outdated before publication. However, Kresina and co-authors have done a solid job of reviewing existing methodologies, ethics and regulation of gene therapy as well as identifying some of the diseases for which this novel type of therapy could be applied. --Grant MacGregor, Emory University

An outstanding introduction
I am very impressed with the breadth of subjects that Dr. Kresina covered and how he was able to relate their associations with either molecular medicine and/or gene therapy. More importantly, he draws the two disciplines together in a logical and constructive manner. The book is not only an outstanding introduction to molecular medicine and gene therapy, but will be a valued reference guide for much of the information contained in the chapters. The topics are timely and most of the authors extremely well known and respected in their respective fields. While the second section of the book is primarily the clinical application, it draws very nicely from the more basic science introductory chapters. Chapters 13-15 and the Appendix provide a discussion of issues which undoubtedly will become significantly associated with advances in molecular medicine and gene therapy. The book is laid out in an easy-to-read format and provides ready access to a variety of different subjects. The index is inclusive and the chapters cover their individual areas in an up-to-date manner..."An Introduction..." should remain an outstanding introduction and reference text for a variety of students - from undergraduate to postdoctoral to all levels of faculty and investigators. --Clifford J. Steer, M.D., University of Minnesota Medical School ... Read more