The Britannica Guide to Genetics

391 Pages·2009·2.39 MB·English

by  Encyclopedia Britannica

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Introducer
Steve Jones is professor of genetics and head of the biology
department at University College London and president of the
Galton Institute. He is one of the most acclaimed writers and
thinkers about genetics in the world. He appears on television and
radio regularly, and writes in numerous newspapers and journals.
He is the author of several books, including The Language of the
Genes, In the Blood, Almost Like a Whale, and Darwin's Island.
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THE GUIDE TO
GENETICS
The most exciting developments
in life sciences ± from Mendel to
the Human Genome Project
Introduction by Steve Jones
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
www.britannica.com
First print edition published in the UK by Robinson,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2009
Text and images © 2009 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Introduction © 2009 Steve Jones
Compiled by Anne Waddingham
The right of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. and Steve Jones
to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act, 1988.
Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, and the Thistle logo
are registered trademarks of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
This eBook edition published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-59339-851-4
No part of this work may be produced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
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CONTENTS
List of Illustrations vii
Introduction ix
Part 1 Building Life
1 Molecules of Life 3
2 Understanding DNA and Genes 34
Part 2 Genetics Through Time
3 Historical Background 53
4Heredity and Evolution 80
5 Evidence for Evolution 124
Part 3 Genetics and Human Health
6 Human Genetics 217
7 Human Genetic Disease 234
Part 4Genetics Today and Tomorrow
8 Animal and Plant Breeding 275
9 Biotechnology 303
VI CONTENTS
Part 5 Controversies in Genetics
10 Ethical Issues in Genetics 331
Glossary 367
Index 371
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
The double helix structure of DNA 6
Protein synthesis 15
Mendel's law of segregation 84
Mendel's law of independent assortment 86
Meiosis 102
DNA phylogeny 120
Effect of nucleotide substitutions
on codons for amino acids 137
The Harvey±Weinberg law applied to two alleles 143
Adaptive radiation: 14species of Galapagos finch
that have evolved from a common ancestor 180
Genetic differentiation between populations
of Drosophila willistoni 186
Sketch of Anomalocaris canadensis 202
Phylogeny based on nucleotide differences
for cytochrome c 206
Pedigree of a family with a history of
achondroplasia, an autosomal dominantly
inherited disease 242
VIII LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Pedigree of a family in which the gene
for phenylketonuria is segregating 247
Pedigree of a family with a history of haemophilia A,
a sex-linked recessively inherited disease 248
Steps involved in the engineering
of a recombinant DNA molecule 310
Pedigree of a family with a history
of Duchenne muscular dystrophy 336