genetics books

	Genetics of the Fowl: The Classic Guide to Chicken Genetics and Poultry Breeding
	By: Frederick B. Hutt ISBN: 0972177035 Publisher: Norton Creek Press Release Date: May, 2003 Bioscience book rank: 728961
	Genes and DNA: A Beginner's Guide to Genetics and Its Applications
	By: Charlotte K. Omoto, Paul F. Lurquin ISBN: 0231130139 Publisher: Columbia University Press Release Date: 17 March, 2004 Bioscience book rank: 703995	<br />My dad has always been kind of an amateur naturalist, and he has recently been reading several of the various books by Richard Dawkins. As a biochemist working in the biotech industry, I have always encouraged him to read a little bit about molecular biology and genetics, field which I believe are important to learn about in order to gain a more complete understanding of how life really works. Recently, he asked me if I could recomend a good book on the subject of genetics. I found this quest not particularly easy. There are many excellent textbooks on genetics out there, but these are not really what I would call "armchair reading." Of course any college general biology textbook will have an excellent discussion of genetics and molecular biology - but again, too hard-core. One excellent book on genetics is the "Cartoon Guide to Genetics" by Larry Gonick and Mark Wheelis, but this book was written in 1991 and is now hopelessly out of date for this rapidly advancing field. Then there is "Genetics for Dummies," but I thought the title of this book would be a bit insulting potentially. <br /> <br /> Anyway - I came across this book by Charlotte Omoto and Paul F. Lurquin. I would encourage anyone interesting in biology and genetics to pick up a copy of this extremely well-written little book. I think this book is absolutely perfect. It starts out with a short introduction on the history of the discovery of DNA, then goes into an introduction to basic genetics concepts, such as the use of the Punnett square predict genetic outcomes, recessive vs. dominant traits, sex-linked traits, etc. It gives lots of very nice examples of Mendalian traits in humans. In chapter 4, there is a very nice discussion of the molecular biology of genetics - which is such a beautiful theory that it is a shame that most people don't know much about it. Chapter 5 goes into the use of bacteria to make human proteins - an extremely important part of modern molecular biology research. Chapter 6 has a discussion about genetically modified foods. Chapters 7,8, and 9 discuss chromosomal abnormalities, mutations, and recombination - which is all very important for an understanding of human (and non-human) genetics. Chapter 10 is my favorite - it gives a very well written description of the Hardy-Weinberg theory of how genes propogate in a population. This is all tied in with the theory of evolution in chapter 11. Chapters 12 and 13 then go into newsworthy topics such as nature-vs-nurture and human cloning. <br /> <br /> All in all, it is a very well written book which everyone should read. My only criticism is that the figures are not as good as they could be. The authors need to hire a good artist to help them with the next edition! I think they're clear enough, but they could have been made a lot nicer. Still - I give the book a five star rating. <br /> <br />Dave <br />
	Principles of Cancer Genetics
	By: Fred Bunz ISBN: 1402067836 Publisher: Springer Release Date: 19 February, 2008 Bioscience book rank: 386895	This new book on Cancer Genetics, written in its entirety by Dr. Fred Bunz of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, provides a a very nice introduction to modern Cancer Genetics. It is appropriate for advanced undergraduates and graduate students, as well as medical students. The writing is lucid and concise, and the many figures and diagrams provide useful visual emphasis for particularly important points. Overall, this is an outstanding new volume that would provide a useful backdrop for courses in Cancer Genetics and Biology, as well as being a useful laboratory reference.
	Genetic Glass Ceilings: Transgenics for Crop Biodiversity
	By: Jonathan Gressel ISBN: 0801887194 Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press Release Date: 12 February, 2008 Bioscience book rank: 735012
	Mathematical and Statistical Methods for Genetic Analysis
	By: Kenneth Lange ISBN: 0387953892 Publisher: Springer Release Date: 03 June, 2003 Bioscience book rank: 677074	This second edition updates the first with the many advances in the rapidly growing field of genetics. It provides a nice treatment of the mathematical and stochastic models that are useful in genetic studies. <br />It is a little disappointing that it does not go into the microarray technology that has become so important for experimentation in the last few years. Other recent books that cover statistical aspects of genetic research are Weir (1996) "Genetic Data Analysis II" Sinauer Associates (publisher) and Yang (2000) "Introduction to Statistical Methods in Modern Genetics" Gordon and Breach Science Publishers. <br /> <br /> This book is not for the novice dabbling in statistical genetics. This is a highly sophisticated, thought provoking book targeted to individuals with considerable mathematical ability and training. As such, this book is an invaluable tool for individuals hoping to make a real impact in the field of statistical genetics. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods for pedigree data. I'm interested in molecular genetics, this seems to be more about population genetics. There is some material, towards the back, about phylogeny. I can bash that a bit to make it match my needs, but it's still a bit of a stretch.<p>It seems to be a pretty good presentation of population genetics, the kind of genetics taught in high schools in the 70s. I can't comment on this book's merits, but I can warn the biochem types to spend their money elsewhere.
	Basic Questions on Genetics, Stem Cell Research and Cloning: Are These Technologies Okay to Use? (Biobasics Series) (BioBasics Series)
	By: John Kilner ISBN: 0825430755 Publisher: Kregel Publications Release Date: 31 December, 2002 Bioscience book rank: 694758
	An Introduction to Forensic Genetics
	By: William Goodwin, Adrian Linacre, Sibte Hadi ISBN: 0470010266 Publisher: Wiley Release Date: 02 November, 2007 Bioscience book rank: 760666	Without a studied reading this would be a difficult book for most laymen: requires more than just a nodding acquaintance with genetics, but one should also have running in the background some idea of what "forensic" actually means. Nonetheless, this is a must read for people interested in just one of the many new sub-disciplines opening almost daily.
	The Miracle Strain: A Genetic Thriller
	By: Michael Cordy ISBN: 0688155081 Publisher: William Morrow & Co Release Date: September, 1997 Bioscience book rank: 739273	I read Michael Cordys Messiah Code and loved it. Thought I'd read some more of his books. I bought The Miracle Strain , without reading the review and find that it is The Messiah Code with a different name. Shame on you, its a great book and didn't need to follow the "Code"coattails. I just finished the book... and I feel exhausted because it was such an exciting book. I read books only when I feel lured into the story from the first chapter. I just couldn't put the book down. This debut novel for Cordy is great. It poses a very interesting question: what would we find in the genes of Christ? A great science fiction thriller with a religious twist. I am a devout Christian and I loved this book. You should read it. I heard it's being made into a movie. It would do very well as a movie and be a relief from most junk movies of present. Everybody should read this!
	The Future is Now: America Confronts the New Genetics
	By: William Kristol ISBN: 0742521966 Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Release Date: 25 April, 2002 Bioscience book rank: 310426
	Applied Molecular Genetics
	By: Roger L. Miesfeld ISBN: 0471156760 Publisher: Wiley-Liss Release Date: 30 March, 1999 Bioscience book rank: 724020	This book is very simple to understand molecular biology work in the lab. Actually, the real advantage of this book is each chapter has an assignment (called "praticum" in this book) and that could be tried to learn DNA work in the lab. This book has included DNA works such as PCR, cloning, transfection (and transformation) and so on, except protein work such as protein purification, SDS-PAGE gel etc.. If any undergraduate student who would like to do independent research or undergrad research, this book would be helpful to figure out what kind of real techniques should be required based on your molecular biology background by your class.