Created: May 23, 2001.
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Bainbridge, David The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives (2003)
Harvard University Press; ISBN: 0674010280
From Publishers Weekly
In his fourth-century BCE Generation of Animals, Aristotle wondered what made
us into males and females, and the question has vexed scientists ever since.
Bainbridge (Making Babies) shows that the answers are at last partly illuminated,
thanks to advances in our understanding of the mechanisms at work in sex chromosomes.
He debunks once and for all Aristotle's notion that maleness, and hence the
Y chromosome, is a more active, superior state of being, and instead hails the
X chromosome as more profound, interesting and powerful-not just more than its
"sad, shrunken" Y counterpart, but more than any other chromosome
in our cells. First explaining how the sex chromosomes-which he calls the "seeds
of sexiness"-turn undifferentiated embryonic tissue into testicles or allow
the formation of ovaries, Bainbridge goes on to demonstrate how the X chromosome
is actually in control of the process. Examples throughout the animal kingdom
and instances of humans with anomalous chromosome lineups (like XXY or XO) show
X's role in sex determination, autoimmune and sex-linked diseases. Bainbridge
also reveals how women's cells "deal with the double bounty of X chromosomes,"
why girl identical twins are less identical and less rare than boy identical
twins, and how studying women's tumors showed scientists that cancer begins
in a "lone, fatal" cell. With first-rate research and winning, dry
wit, Bainbridge crafts a slim volume of science made simple.
Brookes, M. (1998). Get a grip on genetics. East Sussex: Ivy Press (Time-Life Books).
Carroll, Sean B. Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo
W. W. Norton; Reprint edition (April 17, 2006)
From Publishers Weekly
Cobb County textbook stickers aside, evolutionary natural selection offers a
pretty straightforward explanation for the forward march of species through
history; a mutation that better equips a given organism to survive is passed
along to its heirs, becoming more common as successive generations flourish.
The actual process by which mutations happen, however, was far more mysterious
until scientists turned to the study of evolutionary development (known by the
somewhat unfortunate moniker "Evo Devo"). One such scientist is Carroll,
a genetics professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison, who guides
us along the broad contours of development ("the process through which
a single-celled egg gives rise to a complex, multibillion-celled animal")
and the ways in which its study sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of
evolution. He explains in concrete terms how small changes in a species's genetic
code of a given species can lead to dramatic differences in physiology is the
"missing piece" of evolutionary theory, Carroll argues. The book is
as much a salvo in the continuing battles between creationists and evolutionists
as it is a popularization of science, and Carroll combines clear writing with
the deep knowledge gained from a lifetime of genetics research, first laying
out the principles of evolutionary development and then showing us how they
can explain both the progression of species in the fossil record and outliers
like a six-fingered baseball pitcher.
Carroll, Sean B. The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record
of Evolution.W. W. Norton (October 9, 2006)
From Publishers Weekly
Picking up where scientists like Richard Dawkins have left off, Carroll, a professor
of genetics at the University of Wisconsin Madison (Endless Forms Most
Beautiful: The New Science of Evo-Devo), has written a fast-paced look at how
DNA demonstrates the evolutionary process. Natural selection eliminates harmful
changes and embraces beneficial ones, and each change leaves its signature on
a species' DNA codes. For example, the Antarctic ice fish today has no red blood
cells; yet a fossilized gene for hemoglobin remains in its DNA, showing that
the fish has adapted over 55 million years by losing the red blood cells that
thicken blood and make it harder to pump in extreme cold. The fish has developed
other features that allow it to absorb and circulate blood without hemoglobin.
. Carroll points out that by examining the DNA of these ice fish species, it's
possible to map its origins as well as the history of the South Atlantic's geology.
He also uses dolphins, colobus monkeys and microbes to demonstrate how deeply
evolution is etched in DNA. While searches for the genetic basis for evolution
are hardly new, Carroll offers some provocative and convincing evidence.
Church, G. M. Understanding the Genome. (2002). (Pocket Science series, from the editors of Scientific American). New York: Warner Books.
Coen, E. (2000). The Art of Genes : How Organisms Make Themselves. Oxford Univ Pr
Biology Digest, November 1999 Through a highly original synthesis of science and art, The Art of Genes describes a revolution in understandings of how plants and animals develop....[it] is for anyone curious about how and why plants, animals, and humans form, develop, and look the way that they/we do....It will appeal to any general reader with a curiosity about science, as it will students, teachers, and professional biologists.
Cook-Deegan, R. (1996). The Gene Wars : Science, Politics and the Human Genome. W.W. Norton and Company; ISBN: 0393313999; Reprint edition (January 1996).
From Booklist Close to the Human Genome Project by virtue of serving on two congressional advisory bodies and consulting the National Center for Human Genome Research, Cook-Deegan sees the project as "a case study in the politics of modern science." Although he provides enough information on genes for basic understanding of the science involved, he fills most of the book with descriptions of the major players--that of the flamboyant Jim Watson is especially well done--and of relevant public and covert activities. Cook-Deegan also goes into the work of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; the Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues group; various related foreign groups, such as Wada and the RIKEN project; and such individuals as Craig Venter, Rebecca Eisenberg, and Watson's nemesis, Bernadine Healy, exploring in passing the personal motivations of several of them. The book, despite its technical subject, thus moves right along. William Beatty.
Danchin, Antoine (Author), Quayle, Alison (Translator). The Delphic Boat: What
Genomes Tell Us. Harvard Univ Pr; (February 2003) ISBN: 0674009304
From Publishers Weekly
Danchin, professor and department head at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, reveals
that scientific genome sequencing is only a first step in identifying the myriad
genes that make up our 23 pairs of chromosomes. The author draws upon many different
fields, from biology and genetics to information theory and literary studies,
in his rich and multifaceted discussion of what scientists mean when they talk
about a "genome." The book explores how researchers identify the roles
of genes and the proteins they produce, and how understanding genomes leads
us to a reconsideration of the very idea of life. Danchin explains why the smallest
organisms receive so much attention from scientists-from how a simple yeast
organism can explain much about our own genetic makeup to how a bacterium widely
used in food preparation could suddenly mutate into a pathogenic version.
The author points out that deciphering the genetic code is driven by political
and economic considerations as much as by scientific ones, and that the issue
of patenting genetic sequences will surely reach the Supreme Court, if not international
courts. The book is fairly technical but well written for the nonspecialist,
aided by Quayle's masterful translation.
Dennis, C., and Gallagher, R. (Eds.). (2001). The Human Genome. Articles on the
initial genome sequence summarized from Nature. Palgrove Press.
From Library Journal: Dennis and Gallagher, both editors of Nature, have pulled
together a concise overview of the basics of DNA, genetics, and the Human Genome
Project (including some historical context) to help the lay reader understand
the human genome. The first comprehensive survey and summary of the human genome
sequence was published in the February 15, 2001, issue of Nature and makes up
the second half of this book. A chapter on the project's history discusses research
leading to Watson and Crick's 1953 DNA structure paper in Nature and continuing
research that led to the Human Genome Project. The race with the Celera Genomics
Group to map the genome is also mentioned. The explanation of the science behind
the project is brief and concise but readable. There are sections on how the
sequence can be used and on the ethics of using the information contained in
our cells, as well as some cautions about what we really know at this time.
One interesting section contains quotes about the human genome. Recommended
for public libraries. Margaret Henderson, Cold Spring Harbor Lab. Lib., NY
Ehrlich, P. H. (2002). Human Natures: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect. Penguin USA
Amazon.com It's common to blame "human nature" for some of the unpleasant facts of life-road rage, say, murder, or war. The problem with this convenient out, argues the distinguished scientist Paul Ehrlich, is that there really is no single human nature. Humans, it's true, share a common genetic code with remarkably few large-scale differences (if all but native Africans disappeared from the planet, he notes, "humanity would still retain somewhat more than 90 percent of its genetic variability"); and evolution has endowed us with capabilities shared by no other species. But for all that, he adds, our separation into haves and have-nots, weak and strong, and other such categories is more often than not a product of cultural evolution, a process far more complex than the mere mutation and adaptation of a few genes. And, in any event, those genes "do not shout commands to us about our behavior," Ehrlich says. "At the very most, they whisper suggestions."
Fukuyama, F. (2002).Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution. New York: Farrar Straus and Giroux.
From Scientific American In The End of History and the Last Man, Francis Fukuyama argued that history was over because the world was converging toward societies of democratic capitalism. The book's thesis, much disputed when it was first published as an article in 1989, seems all the more dubious in the wake of September 11. Now, in Our Posthuman Future, a volume likely to be similarly contested, he claims that biotechnology has brought about "the recommencement of history." By that he means that the biotechnological manipulation of human beings may well "move us into a 'posthuman' stage of history"--change human nature in ways that erode the foundations of the putative convergent political order. Fukuyama brings to this exploration considerable philosophical knowledge, including a manifest respect for Nietzsche, a quotation from whom heads many of the book's chapters. He has also done a lot of homework on biotechnology, absorbing the debates about it, especially its application to human beings. Our Posthuman Future is repetitious, salted with questionable judgments and made somewhat confusing by several contradictory claims. It nonetheless sweeps the reader along by the provocativeness of its arguments and the originality of its linkages between the biotechnological and political futures. Fukuyama's thesis is premised on the contention that there is a recognizable human nature. He takes that to be "the sum of the behavior and characteristics that are typical of the human species, arising from genetic rather than environmental factors." The reification of human nature has long been out of fashion among biologists, who recognize the significant contribution of environment to the shaping of human characteristics, and most philosophers, who point to, among other things, the wide variance in values and behaviors across cultures. Fukuyama responds to such objections partly by deploying some recent claims in neuroscience and behavioral biology: Thus, the brain is not a Lockean blank slate but "a modular organ full of highly adapted cognitive structures, most of them unique to the human species." Thus, cross-cultural universals have been "programmed" into us by evolution, notably our propensity to "parse language for evidence of deceit, avoid certain dangers, engage in reciprocity, pursue revenge, feel embarrassment, care for our children and parents, feel repulsion for incest and cannibalism, attribute causality to events."
Galton, D. (2001). In our own image: Eugenics and the genetic modification of people. London: Little Brown and Co.
Guttman, Burton S.; Griffiths, Anthony; Suzuki, David; Cullis, T. Genetics: A Beginner's Guide. Oneworld Publications Ltd; ; (January 2003) ISBN: 1851683046.
Hamer, D. and Copeland, P. (1998). Living with our genes: Why they matter more
than you think. New York: Doubleday.
Amazon.com How many of our faults are in our genetic stars, and how many in
ourselves? Human geneticist Dean Hamer, whose research team found the popularly
termed "gay gene," surveys what is currently known about the inheritance of
human behavior and personality. Hamer and science writer Peter Copeland take
a calm, broad-minded look at hot-button topics such as sex, drugs (especially
tobacco and alcohol), and violence, as well as anxiety, intelligence, and eating
habits. Their conclusions are solidly on the side of both nature and nurture:
"A DNA map offers possibilities and predictions but not certainty.... Free will
is alive and well, and probably genetic."
Haseltine, W. A. (2002). Understanding Cloning. (Pocket Science series, from the editors of Scientific American). New York: Warner Books.
Book Description UNDERSTANDING CLONING is one of the first four titles that launch an exciting new Pocket Science series, from the editors of America's leading popular science magazine, Scientific American.
Comprised of critically acclaimed essays by the world's leading experts on each topic in the series, these collections will become definitive texts on crucial issues of our technological times. The authoritative and prestigious reputation of Scientific American puts these books at the top of any science fan's list.
Jenkins, M. (1998). Teach yourself genetics. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Book Description Nearly every day, the media report new findings and further developments in the field of genetics, stirring hope and controversy. Teach Yourself 101 Key Ideas: Genetics seeks to sort out the debate and present facts and theories in an informative, yet understandable way.
Jones, Steve(2003) Y: The Descent of Men: Revealing the Mysteries of Maleness
Published by Houghton Mifflin ISBN: 0618139303
From Publishers Weekly
Shriveled, decrepit and of little use except for sex, the Y chromosome is an
apt metaphor for post-modern manhood in this eye-opening exploration of the
biology of maleness. Jones, a geneticist and author of Darwin's Ghost, traces
the development of maleness from its origins as a parasitic stratagem by which
certain microbes forced others to replicate their genes for them, to the dawning
age of cloning, which could, in theory, allow women to dispense with men's reproductive
services altogether. Along the way he investigates the essentials of maleness,
including baldness, the perverse, multi-faceted and never-ending competition
for the favor of choosy females, and the many surgical, chemical and mechanical
reinforcements men call on to stand firm in battle. Writing in a snappy, erudite
style replete with droll euphemisms, Jones takes readers on an engaging tour
of the Darwinian view of sex as the ultimately absurd outcome of natural selection
and clashing reproductive strategies. But he is no essentialist defender of
patriarchy. Indeed, in his treatment males emerge as the weaker sex-a complex
and fragile variation on the sturdy female model, whose extra testosterone makes
them shorter-lived, more prone to disease and suicide, less able than females
to cope in contemporary society and doomed to descent in the coming "age
of women." Men may find this book demoralizing, and Jones's case overstated,
but women may take a certain grim satisfaction from it-and readers of both sexes
will find it very educational.
Karpati, G., Hilton-Jones, D., Griggs, R. C. (Eds) (Seventh Edition) (2001).
Disorders of Voluntary Muscle. Cambridge U. K.: Cambridge University Press.
From Book News, Inc. A comprehensive reference-text on disorders of muscle for
clinicians, first published in 1964 and most recently in 1988. The structure
of the previous edition is retained, with sections devoted respectively to anatomy,
physiology, and biochemistry; pathology; clinical problems in neuromuscular
disease; and electrodiagnosis. This updated edition adds two co-editors, George
Karpati and David Hilton-Jones. Among the changes in this edition are new chapters
on the cell biology of muscle; the molecular biology of muscle; the light microscopic
morphological abnormalities in skeletal muscle disease; metabolic and endocrine
myopathies; mitochondrial and lipid storage diseases of muscle; and myasthenia
and related disorders.
Kass, L. R., Wilson, J. Q. (1998). The Ethics of Human Cloning. AEI. Press.
From Book News, Inc Kass, a noted teacher, scientist, and humanist, and Wilson, a political scientist, explore the ethics of human cloning, reproductive technology, and the teleology of human sexuality. Although in their lively dialogue both authors share a distrust of the notion of human cloning, they base their reticence on different views of the roles of sexual reproduction and the family.
Keller, E. F. and Lloyd, E. A. (Eds.) (1992). Keywords in evolutionary biology. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.
From Book News, Inc Essays by notable historians, philosophers, and biologists identify and explicate those terms in evolutionary biology which, though commonly used, are plagued by multiple concurrent and historically varying meanings. These explorations focus attention on major scholarly problems in the field---sometimes obscured and sometimes created by the use of such equivocal words as competition, adaptation, fitness, altruism, character, and natural selection, for example.
Keller, E. F. (2002). The Century of the Gene. Harvard Univ Pr.
Amazon.com We've been under the spell of DNA for too long. Science historian and MacArthur Fellow Evelyn Fox Keller makes the case for radically new thinking about the nature of heredity in The Century of the Gene. This short, magisterial treatise examines 100 years of genetic thinking and finds outdated elements of Victorian beliefs still permeating our scientific writing.
Kevles, D., Hood, L. (Eds) (1992) Code of Codes: Scientific and Social Issues in the Human Genome Project. Harvard Univ. Press.
From Book News, Inc. Fourteen contributions (seven based on lectures delivered at Caltech 1989-1990) provide a historical introduction to the project's technical, social, and political background and explore the substance and implications of the project in relation both to genetics, technology, and medicine, and to ethics, law, and society.
Kevles, D. (1995). In the Name of Eugenics: Genetics and the Uses of Human
Heredity. Harvard Univ Press.
Amazon.com: In the 19th century, when the idea of eugenics (selective breeding
to generate superior members of a species) was invited off the farm and into
the parlor, it was a far-fetched notion with little possibility of success driven
by clearly racist motivations. But at the end of the 20th century, biotechnological
techniques and other agendas are making forms of human eugenics plausible. Rich
in anecdote, narrative, and fact. An important book.
Kolata G. (1998). Clone: The road to Dolly and the path ahead. New York: William Morrow and Co.
Amazon.com In February 1997 a group of Scottish livestock scientists announced
that they had cloned a lamb using a cell from an adult sheep. "When the time
comes to write the history of our age, this quiet birth, the creation of this
little lamb, will stand out," says award-winning science writer Gina Kolata.
In Clone, she gives a clear account of the technical background to Dolly's birth,
but what makes the book really shine is her coverage of the history and social
conflicts of cloning. She weaves stories of fraud, scandal, irreproducible results,
and pigheaded determination into a solid framework of philosophy, science, and
ethics.
Levine, J., and Suzuki, D.(1993). The Secret of Life: Redesigning the Living World.
From Booklist: In a companion volume to an upcoming PBS television series produced
by WGBH in Boston, this book approaches the so-called "molecular revolution"
as a phenomenon to be reckoned with. Unscientific-minded readers should find
the eight-chapter format (paralleling the eight-part documentary's itinerary)
to be informative and illuminating with regard to molecular biology as a basic
concept. This highly readable text often adopts engaging analogies to convert
scientific lingo to more understandable ideas, and the transformative possibilities
of today's research--into genetic engineering, viral infections, cancer, and
other deadly diseases--become an exciting reality because of the accessible
writing. Alice Joyce
Lewontin, R. C. (2001). It Ain't Necessarily So: The Dream of the Human Genome and Other Illusions. (Publisher): New York Review of Books.
Stephen Jay Gould calls Richard Lewontin "simply the smartest man I have ever met." And not the least opinionated, either. Lewontin has long been famous among biologists for a volatile combination of feisty leftism, scientific insight, and verbal skill, which have been displayed for the more general public in his essays for what has been called The New York Review of Each Other's Books.
Lewontin, R. C. , Rose, S., Kamin, L. J. (1984). Not in our genes: Biology, ideology, and human nature. New York: Pantheon.
Book Description. Three eminent scientists analyze the scientific, social, and political roots of biological determinism.
Lowenstein, Werner. (1999). The Touchstone of Life: Molecular Information, Cell Communication, and the Foundations of Life
Amazon.com: "If there were something like a guidebook for living creatures, I think the first line would read like a biblical commandment: Make thy information larger. And next would come the guidelines for colonizing, in good imperialist fashion, the biggest chunk of negative entropy around." Werner Loewenstein, a cell biologist at Woods Hole Biological Laboratories, has written a remarkably engaging book tying together information theory, thermodynamics, molecular biology, and the structure of cells. The subject is not one to which the human brain is well suited, but with Loewenstein's guidance you may get a better grasp on concepts like entropy than you've ever had before. Loewenstein describes life as a circus: "Flowing in from the cosmos, information loops back onto itself to produce the circular information complex we call Life.... To those who are inside the Circus, it will always seem the greatest show on Earth, though I can't speak for the One who is outside it."
Marieb, E. (1989). Human Anatomy and Physiology. This is a very comprehensive textbook that presents material at the first year college level. Very good for a comprehensive overview. Out in many editions.
Mayr. E. (2001). What Evolution Is. New York: Basic Books.
From Publishers Weekly At age 97, Ernst Mayr is one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century, and here he delivers yet another valuable addition to the field of evolutionary theory. Mayr, who was also a curator at the American Museum of Natural History for two decades, guides lay readers through evolutionary thought from the book of Genesis and creationist theory through Darwin's theories and "soft" evolution and on to more contemporary, inclusive concepts. He takes readers on a whirlwind voyage from the scala naturae (the Great Chain of Being, in which everything in the world was accorded a position in a developmental hierarchy) to Mayr's own work, which builds on Darwinian theory and environmental factors. No one but Mayr could explain evolution so well, and though the text is peppered with many scientific terms, overall the author is triumphant in his goal to teach "first and foremost... biologist or not, [anyone] who simply wants to know more about evolution."
McGee, G. (2000). (Ed.). The Human Cloning Debate. 2nd Edition. Berkeley Hills Books.
Book Description In 1997 Scottish biologist Ian Wilmut successfully cloned a sheep, Dolly, in a controversial act many perceived as the first step toward human cloning. The Human Cloning Debate is the first book to present Wilmut's own thoughts on the troubling ramifications of this technology, along with essays by experts who explore the history and techniques of cloning, ethical issues, and the future possibilities.
Medina, J. J. (2000). The genetic inferno: Inside the seven deadly sins. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Describes the gap existing between a human behavior and a human gene and seeks to clarify and debunk ideas about the genetic roots of behavior, from the genes of divorce to the tendency to eat chocolate. Uses Dante's The Divine Comedy as an organizing framework.
Milunsky, A. (1989). Heredity and Your Family's Health. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
A good overview for the general reader. Somewhat dated.
Here is another title he has done more recently:
Your Genetic Destiny : Know Your Genes, Secure Your Health, Save Your Life.
From Publishers Weekly: "Contrary to popular belief, your genetic destiny is not preordained," begins this reference guide. Following up on his Choices, Not Chances, Milunsky, a professor of human genetics, pediatrics and pathology at Boston University, argues that numerous external mitigating factors can derail or change one's seeming fate and that some are under our control. Using Milunsky's tips for compiling a family health history, readers can decide if they are candidates for genetic counseling. Counseling, Milunsky explains, details medical options, usually including genetic tests. Milunsky breaks the daunting process into component steps for specific ethnicities, genetic conditions and fertility issues, and deftly outlines the basic science, statistics and tests for inherited dispositions toward various disorders. (Cancer, mental illness, obesity, Alzheimer's, Down's syndrome, heart defects and depression are among those for which a gene has been found.) Milunsky's practical, bottom-line approach and his plethora of facts and statistics (e.g., 26 million people in the U.S. are affected by a genetic disorder) are largely persuasive and sometimes discouraging. He describes, for instance, a gene that "predisposes an individual to develop alarmingly high temperatures" while under anesthesia, which can lead to death if not detected immediately. Milunsky opines on inchoate legal and ethical issues (including the World Health Organization's proposed guidelines to informed consent for voluntary genetic testing), encouraging prospective parents to face difficult decisions armed with all the facts. Despite his impassioned rhetoric, Milunsky remains a measured, informed (and prolific this is his 13th book) voice for the genetic-interventionist camp.
Moore, D. (2001). The Dependent Gene: The Fallacy of Nature vs. Nurture.
From Publishers Weekly: Western assessment of humankind has long involved genetics and Darwinian theory: "good" genes yield beauty and charm; "bad" genes are blamed for depression and violence. Drawing on recent work by many developmentalists, Moore, a professor of psychology at Pitzer College and Claremont Graduate University, proposes the Developmental Systems Perspective, a comprehensive theory maintaining that genes alone cannot determine our traits. Instead, our traits are highly influenced by a hierarchical series of interactions involving information from sperm, egg, cytoplasm, mother's health and the world at large. External environmental factors such as habits, nutrition, access to healthcare, parents' income can affect birth weight and countless other factors. Traits, says Moore, are determined by the interaction of genetic and nongenetic factors, none of which is "more important than any other; instead, they are all merely collaborators." Moore ably demonstrates the danger of genetically based judgments, citing such ill-fated examples of genetic determinism as George Bush Sr.'s Alcohol and Drug Initiative in the early 1990s to target and treat potentially violent criminals and, of course, the Nazis' gruesome projects. Historically, simplistic evolutionary models have been used to discriminate against groups from African-Americans to epileptics. Substantial discussion of eugenics and genetic typing brings into focus the ethical considerations of such models. Moore's developmental bent duly considers Darwinian development and other factors. Scientists and social service providers will be intrigued by this well-written, insightful and far more optimistic view of human development and evolution than most that have come before. (Jan. 16) Forecast: Renowned Darwinist Ernst Mayr's What Evolution Is, also due in January, will provide an interesting counterpoint to this one.
Nicholl, D. (2002). An Introduction to Genetic Engineering Second Edition.
Book Description: Progressing from basic molecular biology through chapters
dealing with the principles behind working with nucleic acids, this introduction
strives to concisely describe the full range of genetic engineering technologies
currently available (refers to first edition).
Parson, Ann B.The Proteus Effect: Stem Cells and Their Promise for Medicine
Joseph Henry Press (September 21, 2004)
From Publishers Weekly
Arguably the most exciting, promising and controversial medical research being
performed today explores the potential of stem cells, unique cells that, when
dividing, can produce either more cells like themselves or other specialized
cells, such as heart cells, skin cells and neurons. Since President Bush's highly
publicized excursion into bioethics in the summer of 2001, when he limited government
funding of stem-cell research, stem cells have been thrust into the public consciousness,
bringing the promise of regenerative medicine and miracle cures for such conditions
as multiple sclerosis, blindness, heart damage and male pattern baldness. Though
most of what's written on the science and ethics of stem-cell research focuses
on the cutting edge, in this study, science journalist Parson takes us through
its history, ranging from 18th-century natural philosophers' discovery of seemingly
immortal organisms to the exploration, two centuries later, of curious mouse
tumors, called teratomas, that may unlock the secrets of the human embryo. If
anything, the book is too thorough, and the never-ending succession of new scientists
and new breakthroughs means that few, if any, stick in the reader's mind as
particularly memorable. The real focus is the scientific process itself, with
its incremental and distributed march forward. While not for the casual reader,
this book will satisfy those looking to immerse themselves in the finer points
of stem-cell history.
Passarge Eberhard (2001) (2nd Edition). Color Atlas of Genetics. Stuttgart, New York: Thieme Flexibook.
Book Description: Using beautiful, clear graphics, this Thieme Flexibook explores the fundamentals of genetics, including the molecular, cellular, and chromosomal basis of genetics and gene expression. The structure, function, and evolution of genes and gene systems are also described. A major section covers the important functional areas of particular relevance in the medical field (embryonic development, cellular signal transmission, immune system, oxygen-transmitting gene systems, growth factors, carcinogenic genes, and numerous other functions).
Reiss, M. J. and Straughan, R. (1996). Improving Nature?: The Science and Ethics of Genetic Engineering. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
From Book News, Inc. Both educators, biologist Reiss (U. of London) and moral philosopher Straughan (U of Reading) describe the science underlying genetic engineering for non-biologists, and explore the moral and ethical considerations that arise from it. They make some recommendations, but tend to elucidate choices readers can make for themselves. The account first appeared in 1996, and continues here its frequent reprinting in various formats.
Ridley, Matt (1999). Genome: The autobiography of a species in 23 chapters. New York: HarperCollins.
Amazon.com Science writer Matt Ridley has found a way to tell someone else's story without being accused of plagiarism. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters delves deep within your body (and, to be fair, Ridley's too) looking for dirt dug up by the Human Genome Project. Each chapter pries one gene out of its chromosome and focuses on its role in our development and adult life, but also goes further, exploring the implications of genetic research and our quickly changing social attitudes toward this information. Genome shies away from the "tedious biochemical middle managers" that only a nerd could love and instead goes for the A-material: genes associated with cancer, intelligence, sex (of course), and more.
Ridley, Mark (2001). The cooperative gene: How Mendel's Demon explains the evolution of complex beings. New York: Free Press.
Amazon.com The Cooperative Gene is about sex and how sex enabled complex life to arise. Mark Ridley, a researcher and author of many works including the textbook Evolution, contends that simple life is "easy." Simple life like bacteria evolved as soon as conditions on Earth permitted. But complex life-walking, flying, swimming, squawking organisms with differentiated tissues-was a huge step forward. It took billions of years for complex life (and sex) to appear.
Rudin, N. (1997). Dictionary of modern biology. Hauppauge NY: Barron's
Amazon.com From aardvark to zymogen granule, Barron's biology dictionary provides definitions and explanations of more than 6,000 biological terms. It'll set the love lights blazing in the eyes of any biology student, but it's also a fine library addition for the armchair biologist, the young science amateur, or any aging Saturday scientists.
Scott, Christopher Thomas. Stem Cell Now: From the Experiment That Shook the
World to the New Politics of Life.
From Publishers Weekly
What is all the fuss over embryonic stem cell research? What is a stem cell
anyway? And how does an adult stem cell differ from the more controversial embryonic
stem cell? For those who are really in a muddle about this heated topic, Scott,
director of Stanford's Program in Stem Cells and Society, lays out the issues
in a clear and politically neutral fashion. He begins with the basics of cell
division and works his way up to explaining the potential benefits of stem-cell
research: how they might replace damaged organ and nerve tissue, and cure diabetes
and other grave illnesses. Scott lays out the odds that adult stem cells, which
don't involve the use of embryos, will ever be able to do as much as the more
versatile embryonic stem cells. The author also evenhandedly addresses the political
and ethical controversies that swirl around this research. This book is illuminating
reading for everyone who wants to understand a hot-button topic that will dominate
the political, medical and religious arenas for years to come.
Sole, R. and Goodwin, B. (2000). Signs of Life: How complexity prevades biology.
New York: Basic Books.
Amazon.com Deep down, we all know that living things are profoundly weird. Santa
Fe Institute scientists Ricard Sole and Brian Goodwin show us the truth in Signs
of Life: How Complexity Pervades Biology. Chaos theory and the life sciences
are a natural combination, but it's still a wonder how fresh and intuitive the
material is in their able hands. Copiously illustrated with drawings, tables,
and photographs enriching the text, the book will appeal to all sophisticated
readers with an interest in the larger themes of biology-major players such
as evolution, development, and inheritance.
Steinberg M. L. and Cosloy, S. D. (2001). The facts on file dictionary of biotechnology and genetic engineering. (New edition). New York: Checkmark Books.
From Book News, Inc. A reference on modern biotechnology and genetic engineering with some 2,000 entries, illustrated with drawings. Brief entries cover fields related to biochemical research, as well as scientists responsible for major breakthroughs.
Stock, G. (2002). Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future. New York:
Houghton Mifflin Co.
From Publishers Weekly Rather than worry about the ethics of human cloning, Stock (Metaman; The Book of Questions) director of the UCLA School of Medicine's Program of Medicine, Technology and Society, believes we should focus our attention on the idea that we'll soon be able to genetically manipulate embryos to develop desired traits a more immediate and enticing possibility for most parents than cloning. He gives a lucid overview of the new biotechnology that will allow scientists to delay aging and to insert genes that enhance physical and cognitive performance, combat disease or improve looks into embryos. Stock thoughtfully weighs the ethical dilemmas such advances present, arguing that the real threat is not frivolous abuse of technology but the fact that we don't know the long-term effects of these genetic changes.
Tanzi R. E.and Parson, A. B. (2000). Decoding darkness: The search for the genetic causes of Alzheimer's Disease. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing.
From Booklist Tanzi and Parson tell a lively, scientifically solid detective story about the discovery of the gene that causes Huntington's disease and the search for genetic elements in the causation of Alzheimer's Their detailed account treats not only scientific thinking and processes but also the individuals institutions, organizations, and publications engaged around the world in the pursuit of genetic etiological agents. (There are so many female scientists involved that the book could almost serve as a career guide and incentive for young women interested in math, biology, and genetics.) The science is rigorous, but the authors brighten the book with their perceptive perspective on the political and horse-race elements in scientific pursuits, which nonscientists seldom consider when they read about the progress of science. This is a gripping book with a vast amount of fascinating information, not the least intriguing of which concerns Tanzi's premarital career as a nightclub band musician and sometime composer. William Beatty
Tudge, C. (2001). The Impact of the Gene: From Mendel's Peas to Designer Babies. Hill
and Wang Pub.
From Publishers Weekly Just as A. N. Whitehead famously argued that "all moral
philosophy is footnotes to Plato," Tudge (The Second Creation), a research fellow
at the Centre for Philosophy at the London School of Economics, argues that
"all genetics is footnotes to Mendel," taking us from the 19th-century Moravian
friar's monastery garden to headline makers like the Human Genome Project and
Dolly, the instant sheep. The comparison is doubly appropriate given how heavily
the moral question hangs on Tudge's narratives as he endeavors to put the public's
fears about cloning and other issues to rest.
Vertosick, F. T. (2002). The Genius Within: Discovering the Intelligence of Every Living Thing. New York: Harcourt.
In my opinion, this is an important but complex book. Vertosick presents ideas
based upon a sound, but I think, poorly referenced scientific basis. He explores
how basins of attraction help us understand all levels of biology, from chemical
/ cellular reactions to the immune system to the brain. His basic model is that
large collections of relatively simple parts can act in a network based upon
Darwinian selection principles. For example, chemical reactions, directed by
enzymes, are driven to find their most energy efficient solutions. The most
successful reactions will dominate the rest. Vertosick details how his ideas
apply to the cell, to the immune system and to the brain. I have read a lot
of the groundwork material and so was prepared for concepts like basins of attraction,
the general reader could have used a better notes or reference section.
Amazon.com: If we're so smart, why are we still at the mercy of treacherous
microorganisms? The Genius Within: Discovering the Intelligence of Every Living
Thing asks readers to let go of brain worship and look at the incredible problem-solving
skills of viruses, ants, and other lowly creatures. Neurosurgeon Frank T. Vertosick
Jr. seems an unlikely candidate to write a book celebrating noncerebral intelligence,
but his knowledge helps him draw comparisons that others might miss. The fast-moving
genetic intelligence of bacteria and immune systems might not match the precision
of digital computers, but they have devised arms races much more complex--and
deadly--than our comparatively paltry efforts. Vertosick's grasp of what it
means to behave intelligently comes through clearly, even if he is as stumped
as anyone trying to define the I word. Exploring parallels between neural networks,
insect colonies, and our own brains, he finds common ground and shows that,
as far as evolution is concerned, we're not so bright. It's not all bad, though:
we're very good at what we do, and Vertosick hopes that we can learn to use
our intelligence more wisely. --Rob Lightner
Weinberg Robert A. Biology of Cancer Garland Science; 1 edition (May 2006). The definitive textbook on the topic.
Wilmut, I, Campbell, K. and Tudge, C. (2001). The Second Creation: Dolly and
the age of biological control. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Amazon.com The Second Creation deals with some of the most important issues
confronting us today: genetic engineering and cloning, and the control that
science has over the process of life. Written by the noted science author Colin
Tudge, the book is based on interviews with Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell, the
scientists who cloned Dolly the sheep. Its aim is to explain the story of how
and why they came to cloning sheep and the implications for the future, from
curing diseases to human cloning.
Wilmut, I., Roger Highfield After Dolly: The Uses and Misuses of Human Cloning
W. W. Norton; 1st edition (June 12, 2006)
From Publishers Weekly
In 1997 the world was surprised to learn that scientists had cloned the first
mammal, a sheep named Dolly. The lead scientist for the project, carried out
at the Roslin Institute in Scotland, was Ian Wilmut, who in this engrossing
book tells how he and his colleagues made their breakthrough. Many people were
excited about the potential medical advances that cloning presented; others
were convinced it was a step toward eugenics and human cloning. Wilmut, assisted
by Highfield, science editor of Britain's Daily Telegraph, argues passionately
that cloning will revolutionize medicine and perhaps a little too optimistically
after the South Korean cloning scandal that scientists can be relied on
to behave. He explains why a blastocyst, the 200 cells present a few days after
fertilization, is not an embryo and should be permitted in medical research.
But Wilmut opposes the use of genetic enhancement to create "designer babies."
The author is a bit defensive at times, but he explains his positions clearly
so readers on both sides of this contentious issue will be able to re-examine
and clarify their own convictions.
Zimmer, C, Gould S. J. (Introduction), Hutton, R. (2001). Evolution: The Triumph
of an Idea. New York: HarperCollins
Amazon.com While its opponents may sneer that "it's just a theory," evolution
has transcended that label to take its place as one of the most important ideas
in human history. Science journalist Carl Zimmer explores its history and future
in Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea, a companion piece to the epic PBS series
of the same name. The book, lavishly illustrated with photos of our distant
cousins, anatomical diagrams, and timelines, is as beautiful as it is enlightening.
While those closely following the field will find little more here than a well-written
summation of the state of the art in 2001, readers who have watched the evolutionary
debates from a distance will quickly catch up with the details of the principal
arguments.
Mail Bill: btillier@shaw.ca
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