The Human Genome: A User's Guide - Softcover

Hawley, R. Scott SH; Mori, Catherine A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0123334608 ISBN 13: 9780123334602

Publisher: Academic Press, 1998

Synopsis

The Human Genome: A User's Guide provides a concise discussion of contemporary and relevant topics in human genetics. It begins coverage of the fundamental concepts of genetics and heredity, then illustrates these concepts as they relate to the development of human sexual differentiation and sexuality. The book describes the role of the X and Y chromosomes, the role of hormone-controlled differential gene expression in sex determination, and the role of genetics in sexual orientation and sex-role development. The Human Genome discusses the interface between science and society, covering the basic intellectual processes that underlie genetic analysis and gene therapy. It also looks at the use of cloning techniques to search for genes responsible for such human disease states as cystic fibrosis, cancer, AIDS, and mental illness. Written in an inviting and engaging style, The Human Genome meets the interests and answers the questions of today's students.

Key Features:
* Offers a concise discussion of contemporary human genetics and relevant topics
* Accessible to the reader with no formal science background
* Reviews the fundamental principles that underlie genetic analysis, prenatal diagnosis, and gene therapy
* Makes use of the most up-to-date information on the genetic aspects of AIDS, sexual orientation, and gender research
* Includes a controversial discussion of gene therapy and the "old" and "new" eugenics
* Presents stories of real and fictional people, bringing the concepts of human inheritance "to life"
* Appropriate as supplemental or recommended reading for courses on human genetics and reproductive biology for majors as well as on genetics for non-majors or sexuality and human development for psychology students

About this title

About the Author

R. Scott Hawley (PhD, Genetics, University of Washington) is an Investigator at the Stowers Institute for Biomedical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, and a Professor of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. He spent ten years on the faculty at the University of California at Davis and nine years at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has taught human genetics to undergraduates, both majors and non-majors in biology, graduate students, and medical students. His research interests include the causes and origin of birth defects and the biology of meiosis. He has published three genetics books and more than 75 scientific articles.

Catherine Mori is an accomplished health education writer. Her previous writing has concentrated on drug- and alcohol-related risks to health and on the treatment and prevention of drug and alcohol addiction. Her interest in human genetics began when she attended Dr. Hawley's Human Genetics course for non-majors at UC Davis. She has worked extensively as a management consultant in the private sector and is currently working at IBM Global Services in Mountain View, California.

From the Back Cover

"The examples are excellent and the topics covered are just the ones you'd like to see....There is a real need for a text on this topic that goes beyond the very introductory concepts, but is not so advanced as to be unusable outside an advanced genetics course. This book clearly fits that need."
--ROBERT HOLMGREN, Northwestern University
"This textbook relates the WOW! aspects of human genetics.... It will be a valuable resource for teachers and students who want to, and need to, understand human genetics at a basic level so as to unravel new findings reported in the lay press on a daily basis."
--STEPHANIE SHERMAN, Emory University School of Medicine
"...a wonderful addition to the human genetics landscape."
--TERRY HASSOLD, Case Western Reserve University
The Human Genome: A User's Guide conveys both the essence and the excitement of modern human genetics. Incorporating all of researchers' latest discoveries, the authors ground their work in the discussion of a major function of the human gene: that of sex determination and development. This focus opens the discussion to the interactions between science and society. Hawley and Mori take care to examine the process of genetic analysis and to explore relevant topics such as the genetics of cancer, behavior and personality, AIDS, mental illness, cloning, and gene therapy. The reader gains sophisticated insight into human heredity beyond the misconceptions of folklore.
R. Scott Hawley is a Professor of Genetics at the University of California at Davis. Before moving to UC Davis in 1991, he was on the faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine for nine years. His research interests include the etiology of birth defects and the genetics of cancer. He has published more than 50 articles in scientific journals. He has taught human genetics to undergraduates (both non-biology majors and biology majors), graduate students, and medical students.
Catherine Mori is an accomplished health education writer. Her previous writing has concentrated on drug- and alcohol-related risks to health and on the treatment and prevention of drug and alcohol addiction. Her interest in human genetics began when she attended Dr. Hawley's Human Genetics course for non-majors at UC Davis. She has worked extensively as a management consultant in the private sector and is currently working on her Master's degree in Business Administration at the University of California at Davis.

Reviews

Using the theme of sexuality, the authors discuss basic genetics information and analytical techniques and the genetic basis of cancer, AIDS, and mental illness. A very complex subject is broken into understandable pieces and then put back together to form a complicated but comprehensible whole.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0123334608
• ISBN 13: 9780123334602
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 413