A Primer of Genome Science, Third Edition

Genome science has matured as a discipline to the point where it is now incorporated as a regular part of the genetics curriculum in universities. A Primer of Genome Science, Third Edition, bridges the gap between standard genetics textbooks and highly specialized, technical, and advanced treatments of the subdisciplines. It provides an affordable introduction to the field that is suited to advanced undergraduate or early graduate courses. Bioinformatic principles and experimental strategies are explained side-by-side with the experimental methods, establishing a framework that allows teachers to explore topics and the literature at their own pace.

The Primer is organized into six chapters dealing with the scope of genomics, genome sequencing, variation and complex traits, gene expression, proteomics, and metabolomics. Each chapter includes several boxes explaining the theory behind bioinformatic methods, discussion questions, and a summary. This edition has been updated to include the latest developments in next-generation sequencing, high-volume genotyping and expression profiling, and advances in metabolomics.

For Students

Companion Website

The Primer of Genome Science Companion Website includes the end-of-chapter exercises with links and downloadable files, as well as links to all of the websites referenced throughout the textbook.


For Instructors (Available to Qualified Adopters)

Instructor's Resource Library

This resource includes all the full-color illustrations and all the tables from the textbook, in JPEG format, reformatted and relabeled for optimal readability. Also included are ready-to-use PowerPoint presentations of all illustrations and tables.

Greg Gibson is Professor and Director of the Center for Integrative Genomics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and holds adjunct appointments at Emory University School of Medicine, North Carolina State University, and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Biology at the University of Sydney and a Ph.D. in Cell Biology at the University of Basel (with Walter J. Gehring). Dr. Gibson serves on the editorial boards of several leading journals, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His research is in quantitative genetics and genomics, focusing on human variability and predictive health. He has also worked with the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster extensively.

Spencer V. Muse is Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics, Bioinformatics Research Center at North Carolina State University. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Statistics and Genetics, both at NCSU (the latter with Bruce Weir and Trudy Mackay). Dr. Muse was the recipient of a Sloan Foundation Young Investigator Award (1997-2001). His research is in molecular evolution and bioinformatics.