genetics books

	Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food
	By: Andrew Kimbrell, Nell Newman ISBN: 1932771190 Publisher: Earth Aware Editions Release Date: 08 February, 2007 Bioscience book rank: 179252	A good 'primer' on "Industrial greed, incompetence and criminal behavior". <br />Very informative. A real 'eye-opener'. Andrew Kimbrell, editor of the famed Fatal Harvest, has come out with a new book, Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food. It is a very comprehensive guide as to how genetically engineered foods are impacting our everyday lives. As someone who cares about local agriculture and food safety issues, it is nice to finally see a book like this available for likeminded people who want to know more about GE. The book does a great job covering many different issues from personal health and the ecological impacts to the revolving door between policy makers and industry lobbyers and the future of farming. Kimbrell makes issues surrounding industrial agriculture and GE accessible and educational- I found the book incredibly user-friendly. It is a great book to pick up and read while you wait for the water to boil- the short sections and educational inserts don't require large blocks of time. Your Right to Know also makes a great, educational coffee table book for families and foodies alike- it's full of informative pictures, interesting facts, and inspirational quotes. I especially love the chapter that goes through the supermarket aisle by aisle, telling you the pitfalls and rules of thumb for how to avoid GE foods. It even comes with a handy pull-out Pocket Shoppers' Guide that you can take with you when you go shopping as a reminder. This book is a must for anybody who cares about the food they eat!
	In the Name of Eugenics: Genetics and the Uses of Human Heredity
	By: Daniel Kevles ISBN: 0674445570 Publisher: Harvard University Press Release Date: 21 July, 1998 Bioscience book rank: 235908	...This was one of the most widely recommended and referenced books by those who disagree or agree with the eugenics movement in the United States. Those who lambasted the scientific idiots running the eugenics movement as being prejudiced and biased in their science, lauded this book as one of the most complete of all recent books written on this topic. Those who support the motives behind eugenics, fixed upon this particular book and author as the one they needed to tear apart. That gives readers an idea of how accurately Kelves pushed the buttons of those who would practice eugenics, euthanasia, doctor-assisted suicide, and other such controversial practices. Kelves research job is outstanding, and even though the reader can tell the opinion of Kevles from the way he writes, he certainly more than backed up his writing with pertinent references and cross-references. <p>In fact, I enjoyed reading his references and bibliography, because it was just loaded with information that he chose not to use in the text of his book. I also tend to go searching through his index and references for extra information because of all of the books I've read on eugenics here in the U.S. his is the most valid and inclusive of everything I've seen so far. This is a topic which is very difficult to read, let alone write about, without developing very strong opinions not only of the movement itself, but of the people involved one way or another in this particular stain on American history. See...I cannot even keep my own mouth shut for writing a short review on a book on the topic...I cannot imagine researching it for a period of years and being expected to remain distant and objective about it. Kevles does a relatively good job presenting the facts and not becoming too strident about the questionable scientific practices which flourished in order to 'prove' preconceived ideas and beliefs. The book is extremely readable (especially compared to most textbooks for sociology or ethics), and I can understand why professors would recommend this book to their students rather than reading a dry textbook. I certainly have no plans to get rid of my copy, and I will be lending it out and recommending it to those I teach concerning the disabled and bioethics. ... Kevles is a very clear and thorough writer. I have read other articles by him as well as this book, and he presents the history of eugenics and its modern possiblities with a readablility that will be clear to anyone, even w/o a sciene background. The book does cover a lot of information, but is enjoyable. If you have an interest in the possibilities regarding the use of genetic knowledge, this book is worth your time. I had to read it for school... I am a college freshman...in my Sociology class we had to choose a book off of a reading list to report on. <p>Remembering the mention of Eugenics in High School Biology, and remembering my odd fascination with genetics and hereditiy, I thought I'd give this book a try. I was fully ready to embark on a difficult and heavy book that discussed scientific matter that went over my head (being a film student, eugenics doesn't come up very often.) Much to my surprise I found the book very readable, and I became obsessed with reading it. Everything about the whole eugenics scene was so complex and intereting.<p>I think I could keep up with it all because of the way the author presented the subject. It was laid out so that a person (like me) who knew next to nothing about eugenics, could pick up the book and get a history of the people and the practices of genetics and the uses of human heredity. I recommend it to anyone who is somewhat interested in eugenics, but does not have the background or time to devote life study to it. It satisfied my curiosities and my book report! :)
	Genesis of the Grail Kings: The Explosive Story of Genetic Cloning and the Ancient Bloodline of Jesus
	By: Laurence Gardner ISBN: 1931412936 Publisher: Fair Winds Press Release Date: 01 January, 2002 Bioscience book rank: 81780	As both an author and reader of fiction, I was impressed with Genesis of the Grail Kings. Maybe it is because I have always enjoyed a book that could hold my attention and make me think at the same time. In a nutshell, the characters are believable and yet a little out of the ordinary and the story line interesting. Give this book a try. <br /> I have also written a book about the cloning of Jesus, but my main story line is ten years in the life of a little girl who was "chosen by God" to be the next Madonna in the second coming of Christ. <br />Tommy Taylor <br />Author - [[ASIN:1419671502 The Second Virgin Birth]] Gardner's "non-fiction" book is based on the idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had children and their descendants became European royalty. Other books have the same idea. Gardner diverges into the world of science fiction or crazy people when he begins writing about aliens and a super human race. I'm fairly open minded, and while anything is possible, I began to doubt Gardner's credibility and motives. Not necessary reading. I was blown away by this book. I always felt there was something we were not being told. When I actually got into the book, I was saying, yes, yes, yes, I knew it! Everyone from the age of 5 up needs to read this book. It will enlighten and sometimes frighten, but in the end it will give you knowledge. You will finally be able to think for yourself and start asking questions that the Church does not want us to ask. <br />After reading this book, I felt for the first time in my life that everything was starting to make sense.
	The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry
	By: Bryan Sykes ISBN: 0393020185 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Release Date: 09 July, 2001 Bioscience book rank: 173729	Overall, I found the book to be good. The author's descriptions of DNA replication, the role of proteins, the epochs of prehistory (e.g. Paleolithic) were all done well, providing reference material for later inquiry. I enjoyed the author's stories of discovery including the impact of politics, chance and misfortune. As with religion, politics have a big impact on the progress of science. Fortunately for science, the methodology eventually reveals the correct conclusions, regardless of who might dominate the field, unless, of course, the methodology is politically repressed as was done in the Dark Ages. <br /> <br />The author's account of human evolution seemed plausible but with overemphasis on mitochondrial DNA and the maternal line of descent. He strove to build a story that satisfied (as much as possible) his stated objective of finding one woman as the ancestor of all living people. Doing so appeared to warp the story of human descent. He used the term "clan" for all the people who descended from the same woman. I think of "clan" as being a group of related people living together at the same time. Every one of his Eves lived in a tribe including other woman who may have contributed as much DNA to subsequent generations as that Eve, only doing so via nuclear versus mitochondrial DNA. <br /> <br />It seems implausible that all living people came from one Eve at the dawn of humanity. By the author's own construction, that Eve would have lived among many other women. Using very rough figures, drawn from the book, there might have been 2000 people in the "first" human population 150,000 years ago. That population, as the author suggests, came from earlier human-like ancestors. If I accept the figure of 2000 people, about half, or 1000 were women. It seems implausible that only one of these women would be the female ancestor of all living humans. But even if that were true, it would probably have taken many thousands of years for the mitochondrial descendants of the other women to die out. So, it's not like there was a single Eve who, from the beginning, was the ancestor of all subsequent generations. <br /> <br />Otherwise, the author's accounts deduced from mitochondrial DNA seemed essentially valid and enlightening, for example, in the way he settled some arguments. However, I felt he may have overreached in some of his conclusions, based on the available data. But then we all do that. We fill in the blanks as best we can within our own minds in order to construct a whole. (That's how we get religion.) The author indicates that the presence of Polynesian-type genes in South America resulted from a somewhat obscure coastal migration northward along the east coast of Asia and then south along the west coast of the Americas. This may be correct, but Easter Island, which he recognizes as populated by Polynesians via the direct ocean route, is relatively close to South America (and is now a territory of Chile). <br /> <br />The author dismisses the existence of human races, seemingly prompted by political correctness in recent times. Scientists point out that there is more genetic variation within races than between them, thus claiming that the term "race" is meaningless. But the term "race" was used long before anyone ever knew what DNA was. Race does indeed define segments of humanity which have relatively distinct characteristics and geographical origins. Perhaps races evolved as humans spread out over the world and their populations became isolated from one another. Races were probably on their way to becoming separate species when "civilization" and technology arose and brought the races back together while they could still interbreed. <br /> <br />There should have been more charts and some maps to support text. It was difficult to follow some descriptions without such aids. <br /> <br />I did not find the seven fictional chapters on the seven daughters of Eve to be helpful. A scientific discussion of their place in time would have sufficed. <br /> <br />It will be very interesting to see how the story of mankind unfolds as more discoveries are found and the nuclear DNA history is unraveled. I don't believe that the "hobbit" had been discovered when the author wrote his book. I'm referring to fossils of the miniature man found on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003. This miniature hominid is currently classified as homo floresiensis and may have lived only 18,000 years ago, contemporaneously with modern humans, similar to Neanderthal Man. <br /> The author writes with a wonderful style that explains scientific subjects fully. This book is the first of several on examining the groups found in Europe by DNA patterns. This book is of great interest to descendants of British ancestors. The author's categories of groups of "clan mothers" are both fascinating and informative, especially for those interested in genealogy. The reader can get a real thrill of the complexity of this science especially when you have had your DNA examined and you know which of the seven you belong to. Sykes has written stories based on archaeology showing the kinds of lives these "mothers" may have lived. To know that you have descended from a woman living in a cave and surviving the last Ice Age brings the meaning of survival right home. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history and genealogy. <br /> This is a book popularizing a scientific fact. In it, the author describes several characters representing branches of a genetic tree, and brings them to life based on theoretical timelines, which could place these individuals in particular times and places. Because the "trait" being followed is passed only through females, the individuals represented in each genetic branch of the tree are female, and called "Eves". <br /> <br />One of many problems is that the author assumes that genetic mutations are introduced at a constant rate. By examining many different current versions of the " trait " - the DNA of a cellular component called mitrochondria - one could theorize how long it would take to go back in time to when there was only one version, or this case seven versions. In fact, genetic variation typically takes place at very different rates over long periods of time. The concept of punctuated equilibrium, for example, shows that a population may be rapidly enriched for a certain variation of a genetic trait, if one should suddenly prove more advantageous. Similarly, isolated populations may lack diversification for exceptionally long periods of time on a geological, or evolutionary scale. This wreaks havoc on placing fictional characters in specific times and locations, and describing their lives, without supporting anthropological data, for example. <br /> <br />Several people that I spoke to who had read the book for a discussion group, all left with the impression that these "Eves" walked out of a forest fully formed, with no mention of the crushing onslaught of other evidence in human evolution, or the examination of the other 30,000 genes thus identified in the human genome. They were also drawn to the convenient coincidence that the author's lab, for a fee, will tell the reader which fictional character they are related to. <br /> <br />While mitochondrial DNA is actually passed only through female lines, the book took far too many liberties in extrapolating that fact into a bin of nonsense. Its lack of references, peer reviewed material, or mention of other relevant scientific, and evolutionary facts, was more than a little frightening to me, especially from the Department Head of a prestigious University, who should know better.
	Genetics Solutions and Problem Solving MegaManual
	By: Benjamin Pierce ISBN: 0716766655 Publisher: W. H. Freeman Release Date: 24 December, 2004 Bioscience book rank: 226758	this book is a big help in my genetics course. using the study manual makes study time a lot shorter.
	Conservation and the Genetics of Populations
	By: Fred W. Allendorf, Gordon Luikart ISBN: 1405121459 Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Release Date: 11 July, 2006 Bioscience book rank: 254909	This book gives a detailed and advanced approach to population genetics in a conservation context, with the essencial mathematical formulation and explanations. The examples are clear, and well chosen. For me it was a great buy. This is a good book for class preparation!!
	The Troubled Dream of Genetic Medicine: Ethnicity and Innovation in Tay-Sachs, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sickle Cell Disease
	By: Keith Wailoo, Stephen Pemberton ISBN: 0801883261 Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press Release Date: 20 April, 2006 Bioscience book rank: 441347	The Troubled Dream of Genetic Medicine: Ethnicity and Innovation in Tay-Sachs, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sickle Cell Disease provides a history of diseases which have been connected with racial makeup, sparking ethnic controversies in their discussion and analysis. The authors draw links between biology and social issues, examining underlying influences on research and perspective of modern medicine and how Americans ultimately come to embrace or reject projected breakthroughs. From therapy as social justice to media headlines and changing social perspectives, THE TROUBLED DREAM OF GENETIC MEDICINE is a powerful testimony to the power of prejudice even in the field of medical research. <br /> <br />Diane C. Donovan <br />California Bookwatch
	Educating Children with Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome (Genetics and Communication Disorders Series)
	By: Donna Cutler-Landsman ISBN: 1597561096 Publisher: Plural Publishing Inc Release Date: 15 April, 2007 Bioscience book rank: 63537	This book is amazing! It is a "must have" for parents, educators and physicians dealing with children who have been diagnosed with velocardiofacial syndrome. I wish that someone would have handed me this book when our son was diagnosed with 22Q11.2 (velocardiofacial syndrome). Educators especially can glean helpful information from it's pages to better understand the cognitive defecits presented by the syndrome. It is worth every penny of the price. Thank You Donna Cutler-Landsman for taking to time to compile such a comprehensive and concise book. <br />-Holle McRae First of its kind, very useful information. It gets 4 stars simply because of the price of $55.00 which I think is outrageous for a soft bound book of its kind What makes this book so special is that it deals exclusively with the educational needs of children with VCFS - from preschool forward throughout the educational system. It addresses complex topics in a straightforward, easily understandable way and is helpful to parents and educators. <br /><br /> <br /><br />The only reason I downgraded it to a 4 is the astronomical price. $55 is a LOT to pay for the 'privilege' of owning this book. Take at least $25 off the price and then this would be a 5 star rating. <br /><br /> <br /><br />I'd recommend visiting the VCFS Educational Foundation website for additional info: www.vcfsef.org
	Population Genetics and Microevolutionary Theory
	By: Alan R. Templeton ISBN: 0471409510 Publisher: Wiley-Liss Release Date: 29 September, 2006 Bioscience book rank: 100451	<br />This latest textbook in population genetics flies above and beyond any other textbook I've read in the field because of its clarity and depth of coverage. <br /> <br />Templeton offers new and unique insights in several key topics in population genetics, and he gives plenty of caveats throughout where important population genetics concepts have been misunderstood. For example, his coverage of inbreeding cofficients is exceptional, and he rightly points out how different inbreeding coefficients are wrongly used in the literature. His approach throughout is multi-dimentional, encompassing the interaction between different evolutionary forces and always stressing the prime importance of population history. A very thorough discussion on the use of linkage disequilibrium in medical genetics is also included. <br /> <br />Does this book have any weak points? It's hard to point out any, such was my overall highly positive impression from reading the book. <br /> <br />Templeton's scholarship is vast and deep, as is his publication record. The unique perspectives offered by this book certainly puts it among the best science books I own. Population genetics is concerned with the origin, amount, and distribution of genetic variation present in populations of organisms and the fate of this variation through space and time. As such it is dealing with the mechanisms by which evolution occurs within populations and species, the ultimate basis for all evolutionary change. <br /> <br />It is not a new science, but like the rest of biology has seen significant change occurring as problems of species extinction and environmental degradation became important to students of conservation biology, and as the analytical methods developed for population genetics have been found to be useful in many areas of genomics. <br /> <br />This book provides a basic foundation in population genetics for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. While the book is not primarily mathematical in its approach, the student should have at least a beginning understanding of calculus. <br /> <br />Dr. Templeton is the Charles Rebstock Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis with joint appointments in Genetics and Biomedical Engineering.
	Genetics: An Introduction for Dog Breeders
	By: Jackie Isabell ISBN: 1577790413 Publisher: Alpine Blue Ribbon Books Release Date: 01 February, 2003 Bioscience book rank: 141655	relly nice book ,well written .Lots of informations <br />It is a must for a breeder in order to do a good job!!! Dog breeding is an art as well as a science, and this book gives a pretty good explanation as to why this is the case. It gives a thorough overview of what we know of canine genetics, discussing physical traits, genetic conditions, etc, and what we consider our best guesses are for the inheritance patterns of various alleles. <br /> <br />But unless your breed of choice happens to be Weimeraners, you won't find many specifics in this book. If the breed you're interested in has fairly typical canine genes, you'll find more here than if your breed is more obscure. Moreover, the book necessarily goes into Genetics fairly deeply; I've a degree in Biology and I have more genetics background than the average joe, and I found the book a little overwhelming. I think it would be heavy reading for most people, especially if they do not have some basic idea of how the mechanics of Genetics work. <br /> <br />It's a good reference, but nothing I'm just dying to read. I got much more out of certain breed-specific books. This book should be required reading for anyone serious about breeding quality dogs. Easy to read with lots of valuable information, but detailed enough for the experienced breeder.