Beginning with the study of DNA in Egyptian mummies in the early 1980s and culminating in the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome in 2010, Neanderthal Man describes the events, intrigues, failures, and triumphs of these scientifically rich years through the lens of the pioneer and inventor of the field of ancient DNA.We learn that Neanderthal genes offer a unique window into the lives of our hominin relatives and may hold the key to unlocking the mystery of why humans survived while Neanderthals went extinct. Drawing on genetic and fossil clues, Pääbo explores what is known about the origin of modern humans and their relationship to the Neanderthals and describes the fierce debate surrounding the nature of the two species’ interactions. His findings have not only redrawn our family tree, but recast the fundamentals of human history—the biological beginnings of fully modern Homo sapiens, the direct ancestors of all people alive today.A riveting story about a visionary researcher and the nature of scientific inquiry, Neanderthal Man offers rich insight into the fundamental question of who we are.

    They force us to confront a fundamental biological problem: how can something as large and complex as a human body organize itself from the simplicity of a fertilized egg? A convergence of ideas from embryology, genetics, physics, networks, and control theory has begun to provide real answers. Based on the central principle of 'adaptive self-organization, ' it explains how the interactions of many cells, and of the tiny molecular machines that run them, can organize tissue structures vastly larger than themselves, correcting errors as they go along and creating new layers of complexity where there were none before.Life Unfolding tells the story of human development from egg to adult, from this perspective, showing how our whole understanding of how we come to be has been transformed in recent years. Highlighting how embryological knowledge is being used to understand why bodies age and fail, Jamie A. Daviesexplores the profound and fascinating impacts of our newfound knowledge.

    Its job is to protect us from cancer. This gene--known simply as p53--constantly scans our cells to ensure that when they grow and divide as part of the routine maintenance of our bodies, they do so without mishap. If a cell makes a mistake in copying its DNA during the process of division, p53 stops it in its tracks, sending in the repair team before allowing the cell to carry on dividing. If the mistake is irreparable and the rogue cell threatens to grow out of control (as happens in cancer), p53 commands the cell to commit suicide. Cancer cannot develop unless p53 itself is damaged or handicapped by some other fault in the system. Not surprisingly, p53 is the most studied single gene in history. p53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code tells the story of the discovery of the gene and of medical science's mission to unravel its mysteries and get to the heart of what happens in our cells when they turn cancerous. Through the personal accounts of key researchers, the book reveals the excitement of the hunt for new cures--the hype, the enthusiasm, the lost opportunities, the blind alleys and the thrilling breakthroughs. As the long-anticipated revolution in cancer treatment tailored to each individual patient's symptoms starts to take off at last, p53 is at the cutting edge. This is a timely tale of scientific discovery and advances in our understanding of a disease that still affects more than one in three of us at some point in our lives.

    Many biologists begin their bioinformatics training by learning languages like Perl and R alongside the Unix command line. But there’s a huge gap between knowing a few programming languages and being prepared to analyze large amounts of biological data.Rather than teach bioinformatics as a set of workflows that are likely to change with this rapidly evolving field, this book demsonstrates the practice of bioinformatics through data skills. Rigorous assessment of data quality and of the effectiveness of tools is the foundation of reproducible and robust bioinformatics analysis. Through open source and freely available tools, you’ll learn not only how to do bioinformatics, but how to approach problems as a bioinformatician.Go from handling small problems with messy scripts to tackling large problems with clever methods and toolsFocus on high-throughput (or "next generation") sequencing dataLearn data analysis with modern methods, versus covering older theoretical conceptsUnderstand how to choose and implement the best tool for the jobDelve into methods that lead to easier, more reproducible, and robust bioinformatics analysis

    Alezair Czynri, member of the Purgatorial Jury, is thrown into a world of murder, exploitation, chemical substances, betrayal and bureaucratic red tape as his court attempts to diffuse escalating conflicts.Yet things are not as they seem. Ever since his induction into the Celestial Court, Alezair has been treated with cool indifference by the Justice Commander, Leid Koseling. A former prisoner of the Nexus Initiative, Justice Czynri exists without any memories of his former life, the consequence of being a slave merc for hire. But Purgatory is strangely familiar, and slowly little pieces start coming back. There might be a good reason why Alezair's boss keeps him at arm's length.

    Since then, we have sequenced the full genomes of a number of mankind's primate relatives at a remarkable rate. The genomes of the common chimpanzee(2005) and bonobo (2012), orangutan (2011), gorilla (2012), and macaque monkey (2007) have already been identified, and the determination of other primate genomes is well underway. Researchers are beginning to unravel our full genomic history, comparing it with closely related species to answerage-old questions about how and when we evolved. For the first time, we are finding our own ancestors in our genome and are thereby gleaning new information about our evolutionary past.In Ancestors in Our Genome, molecular anthropologist Eugene E. Harris presents us with a complete and up-to-date account of the evolution of the human genome and our species. Written from the perspective of population genetics, and in simple terms, the book traces human origins back to their sourceamong our earliest human ancestors, and explains many of the most intriguing questions that genome scientists are currently working to answer. For example, what does the high level of discordance among the gene trees of humans and the African great apes tell us about our respective separations fromour common ancestor? Was our separation from the apes fast or slow, and when and why did it occur? Where, when, and how did our modern species evolve? How do we search across genomes to find the genomic underpinnings of our large and complex brains and language abilities? How can we find the genomicbases for life at high altitudes, for lactose tolerance, resistance to disease, and for our different skin pigmentations? How and when did we interbreed with Neandertals and the recently discovered ancient Denisovans of Asia? Harris draws upon extensive experience researching primate evolution inorder to deliver a lively and thorough history of human evolution. Ancestors in Our Genome is the most complete discussion of our current understanding of the human genome available.

    It is a scientific revolution built upon the tools of molecular biology, with which we probe and prod the living world in ways unimaginable a few decades ago. Need to track a bacterium at the root of a hospital outbreak? No problem: the offending germ'scomplete genetic profile can be obtained in 24 hours. We insert human DNA into E. coli bacteria to produce our insulin.It is natural to look at biotechnology in the 21st century with a mix of wonder and fear. But biotechnology is not as 'unnatural' as one might think. All living organisms use the same molecular processes to replicate their genetic material and the same basic code to 'read' their genes. Thesimilarities can be seen in their DNA. Here, John Archibald shows how evolution has been 'plugging-and-playing' with the subcellular components of life from the very beginning and continues to do so today. For evidence, we need look no further than the inner workings of our own cells. Molecularbiology has allowed us to gaze back more than three billion years, revealing the microbial mergers and acquisitions that underpin the development of complex life. One Plus One Equals One tells the story of how we have come to this realization and its implications.

    In Pandora’s DNA, Stark uses her family’s experience to frame a larger story about the so-called breast cancer genes, exploring the morass of legal quandaries, scientific developments, medical breakthroughs, and ethical concerns that surround the BRCA mutations, from the troubling history of prophylactic surgery and the storied origins of the boob job to the landmark lawsuit against Myriad Genetics, which held patents on the BRCA genes every human carries in their body until the Supreme Court overturned them in 2013. Although a genetic test for cancer risk may sound like the height of scientific development, the treatment remains crude and barbaric. Through her own experience, Stark shows what it’s like to live in a brave new world where gazing into a crystal ball of genetics has many unintended consequences.

    From before and through birth, to diagnosis, to the workplace, to serious medical or behavioral issues, to father's support circles, and much more-including aging and death-many inflection points are explored by the fathers themselves as well as the mothers and children in their lives. Each entry focuses on male and fatherhood themes. This is not a 'how-to' book or a book of '5-ways to do this' or '10-ways to do that.' Rather, this collection uses a storytelling approach to illuminate the emotional lives of these fathers. Dads of Disability will begin or extend the conversation between and amongst fathers, mothers, extended families, care circles, and individuals with disabilities themselves. This book is for fathers and mothers. For friends and support circles. For care professionals. For teachers. For friends trying to understand their neighbor's challenges. For anyone interested in the variety of the emotional lives of fathers whose children experience a disability. Regardless of the age of the father, the child's challenge, or even the gender of the essayist (remember, they are not all men!), Dads of Disability strives to paint pictures of a variety of different men who have one thing in common-they deeply love a child who experiences a disability. Topics of essays and poems include: - A woman who chooses to live with her ex-husband to enable her children's father to continue to be in their life on a regular basis. - On his way back from an airplane lavatory, a man gets into an interesting discussion with a flight attendant about fatherhood. - A husband's rising in the middle of the night is finally understood and accepted by his dedicated and supportive wife. - A father considers running away, but he visualizes his own, now-deceased father teaching him why he needs to stay with his daughter. - A senior citizen reflects on his family's care of his late brother. - Over time, labels come to have different meanings to a father. - A father's accepting and helping with his child's sensory challenges helps him accept that he has the exact same issue. - A poem where hoodlums can't stop a man from enjoying his iPod. - A life filled with adaptations is explored in a reminiscence of the same event by a mother, her husband, and their adult child. - A 3 year-old teaches us all a universal lesson in fewer than 60 words. And many more...

    Epigenetics: The Death of the Genetic Theory of Disease Transmission is the result of decades of research and its findings that could be as critical to our understanding of human health as Pasteur’s research in bacteriology. Dr. Joel “Doc” Wallach has dedicated his life work to identifying connections between certain nutritional deficiencies and a range of maladies, formerly thought to be hereditary, including Cystic Fibrosis and Muscular Dystrophy. This nexus between nutrition and so-called genetic disease has been observed in both humans and primates, and it is the central theme of Epigenetics. To bring us Epigenetics, Wallach has teamed with noted scholars Dr. Ma Lan and Dr. Gerhard N. Schrauzer. Their collective expertise gives this book its far reaching perspective. Epigenetics is of vital importance to anyone who wants real knowledge about how the human body functions, and it provides a path for better health. Epigentics dispels the dogma and misinformation propagated by medical institutions and doctors resistant to change. Epigenetics is the beginning of a new era of well-being on this planet.

    Yet we are biological animals, and by studying biology, and especially the biology of cells and proteins and DNA, we can learn a lot about what it means to be human. "Sex, Love and DNA" describes how genetics and the environment affect our cells and thereby shape our lives. Every concept in the book, however elementary, is explained in a way that is understandable without any previous knowledge of biology or genetics. But don’t worry; Sex, Love and DNA isn't a textbook. You’ll discover biology through stories: stories of people who don’t feel pain because of rare genetic variants, and children whose DNA enables them to perform unusual feats of strength. Individuals whose genes have given them healthy lives past the age of 100, and people who can't speak or read simply because they lack certain proteins. In short, you'll share the excitement the scientific community is experiencing as it addresses perhaps the greatest intellectual challenge of all – the challenge that Socrates described more than two thousand years ago as “to know thyself.”

    This title examines the study of Ötzi the iceman. The book explores what scientists know about Ötzis life, traces his discovery and the subsequent scientific investigation, and discusses future study and conservation efforts. Well-placed sidebars, vivid photos, helpful maps, and a glossary enhance readers understanding of the topic. Additional features include a table of contents, a selected bibliography, source notes, and an index, plus a timeline and essential facts. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

    This groundbreaking book provides the first mechanistically based theory of what homology is and how it arises in evolution.G�nter Wagner, one of the preeminent researchers in the field, argues that homology, or character identity, can be explained through the historical continuity of character identity networks--that is, the gene regulatory networks that enable differential gene expression. He shows how character identity is independent of the form and function of the character itself because the same network can activate different effector genes and thus control the development of different shapes, sizes, and qualities of the character. Demonstrating how this theoretical model can provide a foundation for understanding the evolutionary origin of novel characters, Wagner applies it to the origin and evolution of specific systems, such as cell types; skin, hair, and feathers; limbs and digits; and flowers.The first major synthesis of homology to be published in decades, Homology, Genes, and Evolutionary Innovation reveals how a mechanistically based theory can serve as a unifying concept for any branch of science concerned with the structure and development of organisms, and how it can help explain major transitions in evolution and broad patterns of biological diversity.

    A groundbreaking study of South Africa's role as a site for global experiments in biometric identification throughout the twentieth century.

    Wouldn't you like to create an open roadmap for a healthy life? We live in a society where we are stressed emotionally, financially, physically and exposed to a range of toxins in our environment. Combining underlying genetic susceptibility with these factors provides all the ingredients for a perfect health storm. By understanding where our weak points are located, or where the accidents are on our particular highway of life, it is possible to bypass those detours, accidents and breakdowns and chart a better Roadmap to Health. This book defines those steps needed to begin your own personal journey to health and wellness.

    It starts with the basic Python knowledge outlined in Python for Biologists and introduces advanced Python tools and techniques with biological examples. You'll learn: - How to use object-oriented programming to model biological entities - How to write more robust code and programs by using Python's exception system - How to test your code using the unit testing framework - How to transform data using Python's comprehensions - How to write flexible functions and applications using functional programming - How to use Python's iteration framework to extend your own object and functions Advanced Python for Biologists is written with an emphasis on practical problem-solving and uses everyday biological examples throughout. Each section contains exercises along with solutions and detailed discussion.

    While new genetic testing offers better insight into the causes of and susceptibility for heritable diseases, not all inherited diseases that can be predicted on the basis of genetic information can be treated or cured. Should we test everyone who wants to know his or her genetic status, even when there are no possibilities for treatment? What is the role of the "right-not-to-know?" Do we test children for adult onset disorders because the parents just "have to know" or do we respect the children's right to choose when they are older? Do we allow commercial companies to offer genetic tests directly to consumers without the proper oversight regarding what the test results will mean? By using a creative approach that focuses on a single extended family as a case example to illustrate each chapter's key point, the authors elucidate ethical issues arising in the genetics clinic and laboratory surrounding many timely issues, including: DT prenatal and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis DT assisted reproductive technologies DT incidental findings in genetic testing DT gene patenting DT testing children for adult onset disorders DT direct to consumer testing Ethical Dilemmas in Genetic Counseling: Principles through Case Scenarios is essential reading for anyone interested in the ethical issues surfacing in common genetics practice. Written exclusively by genetic counselors, it makes a significant contribution to the field of ethics in genetics and thus will appeal not only to genetic counselors but to physicians, nurses, and all those concerned with bioethics and social science.