That scientist, David Hungerford, had no way of knowing that he had stumbled upon the starting point of modern cancer research—the Philadelphia chromosome. This book charts not only that landmark discovery, but also—for the first time, all in one place—the full sequence of scientific and medical discoveries that brought about the first-ever successful treatment of a lethal cancer at the genetic level.The significance of this mutant chromosome would take more than three decades to unravel; in 1990, it was recognized as the sole cause of a deadly blood cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia, or CML. This dramatic discovery launched a race involving doctors and researchers around the world, who recognized that in principle it might be possible to target CML at its genetic source.Science journalist Jessica Wapner brings extensive original reporting to this book, including interviews with more than thirty-five people with a direct role in this story. Wapner reconstructs more than forty years of crucial breakthroughs, clearly explains the science behind them, and pays tribute to the dozens of researchers, doctors, and patients whose curiosity and determination restored the promise of a future to the more than 70,000 people worldwide who are diagnosed with CML each year. Chief among them is researcher and oncologist Dr. Brian Druker, whose dedication to his patients fueled his quest to do everything within his power to save them.The Philadelphia Chromosome helps us to fully understand and appreciate just how pathbreaking, hard-won, and consequential are the achievements it recounts—and to understand the principles behind much of today’s most important cancer research, as doctors and scientists race to uncover and treat the genetic roots of a wide range of cancers.

    In The Compatibility Gene, one of our foremost immunologists tells the remarkable history of these genes' discovery and the unlocking of their secrets. Davis shows how the compatibility gene is radically transforming our knowledge of the way our bodies work - and is having profound consequences for medical research and ethics. Looking to the future, he considers the startling possibilities of what these wondrous discoveries might mean for you and me.

    Students rely on this text to help them quickly review, assimilate, and integrate large amounts of complex information. For more than two decades, faculty and students have praised LIR Biochemistry's matchless illustrations that make critical concepts come to life.

    Python for biologists is a complete programming course for beginners that will give you the skills you need to tackle common biological and bioinformatics problems. Why learn programming? Maybe you see colleagues writing programs to save time and deal with large datasets. Maybe your supervisor has told you that you need to learn programming for your next project. Maybe you've been looking at job ads and noticed just how many of them are asking for programming skills. Table of contentsIn chapter one, you'll learn why Python is a good choice for biologists and beginners alike. You'll also learn how to install Python for your operating system and how to set up your programming environment, complete with links to all the free software you'll need. In chapter two, you'll learn how to manipulate text (including DNA and protein sequences) and how to fix errors in your programs. Exercises: calculating AT content, splicing introns. In chapter three, you'll learn how to read and write data to and from files. You'll also learn how to deal with file paths and the FASTA file format.Exercises: splitting genomic DNA, writing a FASTA file. In chapter four, you'll learn how to process many pieces of data in a single program and more advanced tools for sequence manipulation. Exercises: trimming adapter sequences, concatenating exons. In chapter five, you'll learn how to make Python even more useful by creating your own functions, including the best ways to test those functions in order to speed up development. Exercises: Analyzing the amino acid composition of protein sequences. In chapter six, you'll learn how to write programs that can make smart decisions about how to handle data and how to make your programs follow complex rules. Exercises: filtering genes based on multiple criteria. In chapter seven, you'll learn an incredibly powerful tool for working with patterns in text - regular expressions - and how to use it to search in DNA and protein sequences. Exercises: filtering accession names and calculating restriction fragment sizes. In chapter eight, you'll learn how to store huge amounts of data in a way that can still allows it to be retrived very efficiently. This allows simplification of much of the code from previous chapters. Exercises: translating DNA sequences to protein. In chapter nine, you'll learn how to make your Python programs work in harmony with existing tools, and how to polish up your programs so that they're ready for other people to use. Exercises: counting k-mers, binning DNA sequences by length. About the author Dr. Martin Jones has been teaching biologists to write software for over five years and has taught everyone from postgraduates to PIs. He is currently Lecturer in Bioinformatics at Edinburgh University.

    For the first time, the building blocks of ancient life—DNA, proteins, and fats that have long been trapped in fossils and earth and rock—have become widely accessible to science. Working at the cutting edge of genetic and other molecular technologies, researchers have been probing the remains of these ancient biomolecules in human skeletons, sediments and fossilized plants, dinosaur bones, and insects trapped in amber. Their amazing discoveries have influenced the archaeological debate at almost every level and continue to reshape our understanding of the past.Devising a molecular clock from a certain area of DNA, scientists were able to determine that all humans descend from one common female ancestor, dubbed "Mitochondrial Eve," who lived around 150,000 years ago. From molecules recovered from grinding stones and potsherds, they reconstructed ancient diets and posited when such practices as dairying and boiling water for cooking began. They have reconstituted the beer left in the burial chamber of pharaohs and know what the Iceman, the 5,000-year-old hunter found in the Alps in the early nineties, ate before his last journey. Conveying both the excitement of innovative research and the sometimes bruising rough-and-tumble of scientific debate, Jones has written a work of profound importance. Unlocking the Past is science at its most engaging.

    Edited by a distinguished team of evolutionary biologists, with contributions from leading researchers, the guide contains some 100 clear, accurate, and up-to-date articles on the most important topics in seven major areas: phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society. Complete with more than 100 illustrations (including eight pages in color), glossaries of key terms, suggestions for further reading on each topic, and an index, this is an essential volume for undergraduate and graduate students, scientists in related fields, and anyone else with a serious interest in evolution.Explains key topics in some 100 concise and authoritative articles written by a team of leading evolutionary biologistsContains more than 100 illustrations, including eight pages in colorEach article includes an outline, glossary, bibliography, and cross-referencesCovers phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society

    Fully updated for its sixth edition, chapters are written in an outline format and include pedagogical features such as bolded key words, figures, tables, algorithms, and highlighted clinical correlates. USMLE-style questions and answers follow each chapter and a comprehensive exam appears at the end of the book.

    The animosity is everywhere; from initiatives popping up left, right, and center to label'em, ban'em, or warn the public. The media overplays the reports and plays into the deft game of extrapolating far beyond what the science says as well as ignoring expert opinion on what the science actually implies.The Lowdown on GMOs: According to Science is THE book on GMOs intended to counter the rampant fallacious thinking and destructive activism permeating the biotech discussion based on little more than anecdote and ideology. Featuring the writings of public scientists, plant pathologists, renowned authors, farmers, science writers, professors, and journalists, they answer the hard questions asked of GMOs with elegance, ease, and evidence.This is a book for those who want to know what the science actually says, where the evidence actually leads and the potential implications radiating from our actions."It's hard to find this level of quality discussion on this topic around the internet, where murky misinforming fear-mongers overwhelm the discussions." ~ Mary Mangan, PhD, President and co-founder of OpenHelix LLC

    Written for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, it is the only textbook to integrate genetic, archaeological, and linguistic perspectives on human evolution, and to offer a genomic perspective, reflecting the shift from studies of specific regions of the genome towards comprehensive genomewide analyses of human genetic diversity.Human Evolutionary Genetics is suitable for courses in Genetics, Evolution, and Anthropology. Those readers with a background in anthropology will find that the streamlined genetic analysis material contained in the Second Edition is more accessible. The new edition also integrates new technologies (including next-generation sequencing and genome-wide SNP typing) and new data analysis methods, including recent data on ancient genomes and their impact on our understanding of human evolution. The book also examines the subject of personal genomics and its implications.

    Their stories illustrate the complexities involved in making decisions about genetic diseases: whether to be tested, who to tell, whether to have children, and whether and how to treat children medically, if treatment is available. More broadly, they consider how genetic information shapes the ways we see ourselves, the world, and our actions within it.People affected by genetic disease respond to such choices in varied and personal ways. These writers reflect that breadth of response, yet they share the desire to challenge a restricted sense of what "health" is or whose life has value. They write hoping to expand conversations about genetics and identity—to deepen debate and generate questions. They or their families are affected by Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, genetic deafness or blindness, schizophrenia, cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, fragile X, or Fanconi anemia. All of their stories remind us that genetic health is complicated, dynamic, and above all, deeply personal.ContributorsMisha Angrist, Amy Boesky, Kelly Cupo, Michael Downing, Clare Dunsford, Mara Faulkner, Christine Kehl O’Hagan, Charlie Pierce, Kate Preskenis, Emily Rapp, Jennifer Rosner, Joanna Rudnick, Anabel Stenzel (deceased), Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, Laurie Strongin, Patrick Tracey, Alice Wexler

    To conduct research in these areas or comment favorably on research can subject one to scorn.When these topics are addressed, they generally take the form of philosophical debates. Anthony Walsh focuses upon such debates and supporting research. He divides parties into biologists and social constructionists, arguing that biologists remain focused on laboratory work, while constructionists are acutely aware of the impact of biologists in contested territories.Science Wars introduces the ideas motivating the parties and examines social constructionism and its issues with science. He explores arguments over conceptual tools scientists love and constructionists abhor, and he provides a solid discussion of the co-evolution of genes and culture. Walsh then focuses his attention on gender, how constructionists view it, and the neuroscience explanation of gender differences. Moving to race, Walsh looks at how some have tried to bury the concept of race, while others emphasize it. He considers definitions of race--essentialist, taxonomic, population, and lineage--as they have evolved from the time of the Enlightenment to the present. And finally, he attempts to bring the opposing sides together by pointing out what each can bring to a meaningful discussion.