What should the average person know about science? Because science is so central to life in the 21st century, science educators and other leaders of the scientific community believe that it is essential that everyone understand the basic concepts of the most vital and far-reaching disciplines. Genetics 101 does exactly that. This accessible volume provides readers - whether students new to the field or just interested members of the lay public - with the essential ideas of genetics using a minimum of jargon and mathematics. Concepts are introduced in a progressive order so that more complicated ideas build on simpler ones, and each is discussed in small, bite-sized segments so that they can be more easily understood.
Author(s): Michael Windelspecht
Series: Science 101 series
Edition: 1
Publisher: Greenwood Press
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 217
City: Westport, Conn
Contents......Page 8
Series Foreword......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 14
Abbreviations......Page 16
Introduction......Page 18
Corn and Wheat: Birth of Civilization and Genetics......Page 24
Gregor Mendel and Genetics......Page 27
Important Genetic Terms......Page 35
Thomas Hunt Morgan and the Fly Lab......Page 37
Is Inheritance as Simple as Mendel Suggested?......Page 43
Incomplete Dominance......Page 44
Multiple-Allele Systems......Page 45
Gene Interactions......Page 46
2. DNA as the Hereditary Molecule......Page 48
Griffith and the Transformation of DNA......Page 49
Avery and the Transforming Principle......Page 50
DNA or Protein? The Hershey-Chase Experiments......Page 52
Chargaff and Complementation......Page 54
Wilkins, Franklin, and DNA Crystals......Page 56
Pauling and Proteins......Page 57
Watson and Crick Unveil the Double Helix......Page 58
Meselson, Stahl, and DNA Replication......Page 61
DNA versus RNA......Page 64
Molecular Mechanism of DNA Replication......Page 68
One-Gene, One-Enzyme......Page 71
Structure of a Gene......Page 74
Transcription......Page 77
RNA Editing......Page 80
The Genetic Code......Page 82
Translation......Page 84
Protein Structure......Page 88
Turning Genes On and Off......Page 91
Restriction Endonucleases......Page 94
Gel Electrophoresis......Page 96
Cloning......Page 100
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)......Page 102
DNA Libraries......Page 105
Southern Blotting......Page 107
DNA Sequencing......Page 108
DNA Microarrays......Page 111
Molecular Markers......Page 112
Genetic Maps......Page 115
Chromosome Structure......Page 118
Observing Chromosomes......Page 122
Changes in Chromosome Structure......Page 124
Changes in Chromosome Number......Page 128
Types of Mutations......Page 131
Agents of Mutation......Page 133
Transposons—The “Jumping Genes”......Page 137
Recombinant DNA......Page 142
Transgenic Plants and Genetically Modified Organisms(GMOs)......Page 144
Gene Therapy......Page 147
Knock-Out Mouse......Page 151
RNA Interference......Page 154
Site-Directed Mutagenesis......Page 157
Population Genetics......Page 160
DNA Fingerprinting......Page 164
Cancer Genetics......Page 166
Behavioral Genetics......Page 169
Quantitative Genetics......Page 175
Schizophrenia......Page 181
Narcolepsy......Page 183
Diabetes......Page 184
Retinitis Pigmentosa......Page 186
Glossary......Page 190
Print......Page 200
Web......Page 201
Index......Page 206
