The Evolution of the Genome provides a much needed overview of genomic study through clear, detailed, expert-authored discussions of the key areas in genome biology. This includes the evolution of genome size, genomic parasites, gene and ancient genome duplications, polypoidy, comparative genomics, and the implications of these genome-level phenomena for evolutionary theory. In addition to reviewing the current state of knowledge of these fields in an accessible way, the various chapters a...

An evolutionary biologist and science writer explores the widely-ignored role our gut microbes play in our health and well-being.You are just 10% human. For every one of the cells that make up the vessel that you call your body, there are nine impostor cells hitching a ride. You are not just flesh and blood, muscle and bone, brain and skin, but also bacteria and fungi. Over your lifetime, you will carry the equivalent weight of five African elephants in microbes. Yo...

Neutralize the negative--program the positiveTapping into the current trend of a new view of genetics exemplified in books like The Biology of Belief, Margaret Ruby, herself a healer, shows how this research is becoming increasingly mainstream. In The DNA of Healing, Margaret Ruby teaches how to neutralize the negative patterns handed down through our family lineage and reprogram the DNA with positive patterns that manifest health, wellness, and abundance.Revolutionary scientific research ...

Internationally acclaimed science writer Lone Frank swabs up her DNA to provide the first truly intimate account of the new science of consumer-led genomics. She challenges the business mavericks intent on mapping every baby's genome, ponders the consequences of biological fortune-telling, and prods the psychologists who hope to uncover just how much or how little our environment will matter in the new genetic century - a quest made all the more gripping as Frank considers her family's and...

Nearly four decades ago Richard Dawkins published The Selfish Gene, famously reducing humans to “survival machines” whose sole purpose was to preserve “the selfish molecules known as genes.” How these selfish genes work together to construct the organism, however, remained a mystery. Standing atop a wealth of new research, The Society of Genes now provides a vision of how genes cooperate and compete in the struggle for life.Pioneers in the nascent field of systems...

The concept of heredity is fundamental to how we see ourselves and others. It goes far beyond the obvious continuity of physical traits across generations. We routinely ascribe similarities in personality, intellect, outlook, and aptitude between family members to what's passed down in sperm and eggs. The simple idea that children take after their ancestors has long been central to science and medicine and to the breeding of plants and animals. It has also been used for ideological purpose...

The book gives an overview of developments in Quantitative Genetics and variance component analysis in an era of Big Data and Sequenced Genomes. It provides a detailed description of a direct method of estimation that will be a useful means of extracting information from a large set of data that was inconceivable 10 to 20 years ago.The book is a combination of a history of variance component analysis and a forward looking view as to how direct methods of estimation arise from the availabil...

The first homeobox gene was molecular cloned nearly two decades ago, and since that time tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of the distribution of homeobox genes in the genomes of many animal species and the common functional role the encoded homeodomains play in cell-type specification, morphogenesis and development.The amino acid sequence of the homeodomain, as well as the presence of other conserved protein domains, has allowed the classification of homeodomain-conta...

Biophysical models have been used in biology for decades, but they have been limited in scope and size. In this book, Bernhard Ø. Palsson shows how network reconstructions that are based on genomic and bibliomic data, and take the form of established stoichiometric matrices, can be converted into dynamic models using metabolomic and fluxomic data. The Mass Action Stoichiometric Simulation (MASS) procedure can be used for any cellular process for which data is available and allows a scalabl...

Jane K. Setlow, PhD. has championed the field of genetics for over 30 years, agreeing to edit Genetic Engineering: Principles & Methods since its inception in 1979. An internationally recognized scientist with numerous publications, Dr. Setlow is the former Chairperson of the NIH Recombinant DNA Molecule Advisory Committee (RAC).Her lab can found at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York.

The global demand for high quality fruits that are rich in nutrients and that can endure the demands of worldwide supply chains is growing rapidly. Fruits are an important component of the human diet, providing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. All of these qualities contribute to the nutritional needs and health maintenance of humans. Breeding for Fruit Quality reviews the application of modern plant breeding methods to the development of improved varieties of fruits.

Bringing together the ideas of experts from around the world, this incisive text offers cutting-edge perspectives on the risk analysis and governance of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), supporting effective and informed decision-making in developing countries. Comprised of four comprehensive sections, this book covers: integrated risk analysis and decision making, giving an overview of the science involved and examining risk analysis methods that impact decision-making on the release...