The Science Times Book of Genetics (The Best of the Science Times)

Essays by experts in the field explore the history, research, processes, and ethical concerns of genetic research, including the role of genes in cancer and treatment, life extension, and cloning

YA-A good introductory resource that offers approximately 40 articles on genetic research and news that appeared in the science section of the New York Times in the 1990s. Logically arranged, they are grouped around seven broad topics and present the history, structure, and medical nature of DNA and the ethics of genetics and genomics. A concise introduction to each section presents the issues that will be discussed. Articles are succinct, about five pages long, enabling students to glean information quickly. Line drawings clearly present schematics of genetic processes. However, they were significantly reduced in size to fit the page, so be prepared for small print. The appendix provides a three-page introduction to the subject with technical terms in boldface and defined in context. The table of contents serves as an outline and is the only way to access information on a specific topic. A timely resource for this rapidly changing field.
Gary Fillmore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Geneticists are expert at cutting long lines of material into short, easy-to-handle snippets. So are Wade, chief contributor as well as editor of these 43 New York Times articles, and his fellow writers here. They touch on fascinating topics, ranging from tracing the Jewish priesthood to the delightful "Dainty Worm" to problems of gene therapy, in a clear and attractive manner and always in seven or fewer pages. Oh, they don't cite references, so readers whose curiosity is stimulated won't find out where to go from here, and they don't provide an index. But what the heck, the collection is first-rate leisure and waiting-time reading that may stimulate many to seek out more intensive works on the subjects. William Beatty