Robert Marion, whose bestselling book "The Intern Blues" is revered by doctors of all ages, offers a powerful and moving account of his experiences in modern genetics. His gripping stories illuminate a cutting-edge field of impossible moral complexities and incredible scientific breakthroughs that draw him deep into the lives of his patients and their families when they need him the most. Genetics is a specialty of secrets. After thirty years as a pediatric geneticist in New York City, Dr. Robert Marion knows things about his patients that their friends, their families, and even they themselves do not. Having access to this kind of inside information is at once a terrific honor and a terrible burden. It requires Dr. Marion to play detective, philosopher, physician, and friend, sometimes all over the course of a single visit.In "Genetic Rounds," he tells the surprising true stories of daily life as a clinical geneticist. From the girl whose bones break at the lightest touch to the boy who is unable to sweat, Dr. Marion imparts the life-long lessons he has learned from his most incredible cases. He walks us through perplexing medical puzzles that have sharpened his wit and transformed him into a Sherlock Holmes in his field. He shares ingenious practical insights that have changed his patients' lives. And he delves into the moral quandaries through which his patients in turn have changed his life: Should he wait until after Christmas to break bad news to a frightened family? Should he tell a close friend that his daughter may have a life-threatening, previously undiagnosed disease? And, most importantly, how can he persevere in a specialty that deals with so much heartbreak?The first book of its kind, "Genetic Rounds" is the story of a remarkable doctor in a field unlike any other. With unforgettable candor and compassion, Dr. Marion not only explores the human side of medicine: he shows what medicine can teach us about being human.""Genetic Rounds "is part medical detective story, part scientific tour de force, and part highly personal and emotional story of a doctor and the children and families who have shaped his career and his life in this fascinating field." --Perri Klass, MD, author of "Treatment Kind and Fair: Letters to a Young Doctor"From "Genetic Rounds""I've learned that in medicine, virtually anything is possible, that no matter how difficult or unlikely a situation might be, with hard work, perseverance, persistence, and the ability to work with people who are brilliant and creative, miracles can happen."Praise for "The Intern Blues""A candid . . . gripping account." --The New York Times Book Review"A thought-provoking study of real human beings." --Booklist"An important book for anyone contemplating the long, arduous task of becoming a doctor." --Library JournalPraise for "Learning to Play God""Clear, immediate and moving . . . provides as good a feel for the texture of medical training as any I've read." --The New York Times Book Review

    Lacking marketed products or substantial profit, the firm nonetheless saw its share price escalate from $35 to $89 in the first few minutes of trading, at that point the largest gain in stock market history. Coming at a time of economic recession and declining technological competitiveness in the United States, the event provoked banner headlines and ignited a period of speculative frenzy over biotechnology as a revolutionary means for creating new and better kinds of pharmaceuticals, untold profit, and a possible solution to national economic malaise. Drawing from an unparalleled collection of interviews with early biotech players, Sally Smith Hughes offers the first book-length history of this pioneering company, depicting Genentech’s improbable creation, precarious youth, and ascent to immense prosperity. Hughes provides intimate portraits of the people significant to Genentech’s science and business, including cofounders Herbert Boyer and Robert Swanson, and in doing so sheds new light on how personality affects the growth of science. By placing Genentech’s founders, followers, opponents, victims, and beneficiaries in context, Hughes also demonstrates how science interacts with commercial and legal interests and university research, and with government regulation, venture capital, and commercial profits. Integrating the scientific, the corporate, the contextual, and the personal, Genentech tells the story of biotechnology as it is not often told, as a risky and improbable entrepreneurial venture that had to overcome a number of powerful forces working against it.

    

    Francis Collins, director of the National Institute of Health, 2007 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and 15-year head of the Human Genome Project, comes one of the most important medical books of the year: The Language of Life. With accessible, insightful prose, Dr. Collins describes the medical, scientific, and genetic revolution that is currently unlocking the secrets of “personalized medicine,” and offers practical advice on how to utilize these discoveries for you and your family’s current and future health and well-being. In the words of Dr. Jerome Groopman (How Doctors Think), The Language of Life “sets out hope without hype, and will enrich the mind and uplift the heart.”

    14 Lectures by Professor Betsey Dexter Dyer of Weaton College and presented by the Modern Scholar:1) the long history of practical genetics2) what did Gregor Mendel do?3) what did Mendel do next?4) a cookie factory in a black box designed by Rube Goldberg5) how mamals get their colors6) the importance of environment: in the short term7) environment over the long term: the genetics of populations8) DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)9) transcription and translation: the metaphor of an error-prone medieval monk in a scriptorium10) chromosomes, mitosis, and meiosis: how DNA is packaged for moving11) mutations12) regulating the genes and the dramatic consequences of regulatory mutations13) viruses, jumping genes, and symbionts: whose DNA is it and what are the new philosophical questions?14) conclusions

    But they're in store for a special lesson. Using Dr. Moro's virtual reality machine to travel inside the human body, they'll get a close-up look at the fascinating world of molecular biology.Join them in The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology, and learn all about DNA, RNA, proteins, amino acids, and more. Along the way, you'll see chemical reactions first-hand and meet entertaining characters like Enzyme Man and Drinkzilla, who show how the liver metabolizes alcohol.Together with Ami and Rin, you'll learn all about: -The organelles and proteins inside cells, and how they support cellular functions-The processes of transcription and translation, and your genes' role in synthesizing proteins-The pieces that make up our genetic code, like nucleotides, codons, introns, and exons-The processes of DNA replication, mitosis and cytokinesis-Genetic technology like transduction and cloning, and the role of molecular biology in medicineWhether you need a molecular biology refresher or you're just fascinated by the science of life, The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology will give you a uniquely fun and informative introduction.

    It presents a comprehensive overview of the relationship between genes, brain, and behavior.Introductory chapters give clear explanations of basic processes of the nervous system and fundamental principles of genetics of complex traits without excessive statistical jargon. Individual chapters describe the genetics of social interactions, olfaction and taste, memory and learning, circadian behavior, locomotion, sleep, and addiction, as well as the evolution of behavior.Whereas the focus is on genetics, neurobiological and ecological aspects are also included to provide intellectual breadth. The book uses examples that span the gamut from classical model organisms to non-model systems and human biology, and include both laboratory and field studies. Samples of historical information accentuate the text to provide the reader with an appreciation of the history of the field.This book will be a valuable resource for future generations of scientists who focus on the field of behavioral genetics.

    Billions of colonists follow the religious teachings of the Aescelan, priests who promote managed evolution and control their followers' reproduction through genetic engineering.Nicholas Vermeer is the perfect citizen of prosperous New Amsterdam colony: junior police officer, devoted Temple member, soon to be a father. But when he and his wife visit the priests to design their first child, his wife dies in a shocking attack on the Temple, carried out by half-human monsters. His unauthorized investigation draws him into the shadows of a brewing war among the Aescelan priesthood, the United Nations government of Earth, and the cyber-industrial corporate giant Triod Industries, all of them vying for dominance of the unruly colonies.The Aescelan priests have secretly and illegally spawned experimental new forms of humanity, and the creations are rebelling against their masters. Nicholas finds among these monstrous "chimeras" the truth about his wife's death, the priesthood's centuries-long manipulation of the human genome, and their dark designs for the future of the human species. BONUS MATERIAL: This book contains an excerpt of Forbidden the Stars by Valmore Daniels.

    Every moment, streams of molecular signals direct our cells to move, flatten, swell, shrink, divide, or die. Andreas Wagner s ambitious new book explores this hidden web of unimaginably complex interactions in every living being. In the process, he unveils a host of paradoxes underpinning our understanding of modern biology, contradictions he considers gatekeepers at the frontiers of knowledge.Though we tend to think of concepts in such mutually exclusive pairs as mind-matter, self-other, and nature-nurture, Wagner argues that these opposing ideas are not actually separate. Indeed, they are as inextricably connected as the two sides of a coin. Through a tour of modern biological marvels, Wagner illustrates how this paradoxical tension has a profound effect on the way we define the world around us. Paradoxical Life is thus not only a unique account of modern biology. It ultimately serves a radical and optimistic outlook for humans and the world we help create."

    How do scientists do it? Why do they do it? What are the results of their experiments with these amazing genetic materials? Through colorful photos, diagrams, and stories, you can understand the basics of genetic engineering. You can even see what the future of this science holds, from Enviropigs to designer pets!