DNA [electronic resource] : a graphic guide to the molecule that shook the world / Israel Rosenfield, Edward Ziff, & Borin Van Loon.

ISBN:

9780231512312

9781282990371

Title:

DNA [electronic resource] : a graphic guide to the molecule that shook the world / Israel Rosenfield, Edward Ziff, & Borin Van Loon.

Author:

Rosenfield, Israel, 1939-

Personal Author:

Rosenfield, Israel, 1939-

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 257 pages) : illustrations

Contents:

Preface; Introduction; A Brief History of Genetics; What is DNA?; The New Biology; DNA Replication; What Information is Stored in a Gene?; Where Did the Notion of Messenger RNA Come From?; Transcription; Translation; Genetic Code; PaJaMo and the Operon; The Diversity of Gene Expression; A Brief Remider of Relative Size; A Brief Reminder of Genes in Humans; Prokaryotes versus Eukaryotes; Restriction Enzymes and Genetic Engineering; Cloning DNA Fragments; Cloning and Sequencing Genes; Exons, Introns, and Splicing; Chromatin and Histones; Gene Families; Controlling Genes for Antibodies.

ChromosomesTelomeres; Imprinting and Micro RNAs: ""Hidden"" Layers of Gene Regulation; Epigenetics; Prions; The Human Genome Project; The Human Genome Unveiled; High Throughput Sequencing; SNPs; Manipulatating the Genome; Cloning the Organism- The History; From the Nucleus of an Intestinal Cell to a Whole Frog; Making Tissues from Stem Cells; Going in the Other Direction: Changing Mature Cells to Stem Cells; The Impact of New Genetics on Medical Research; Diagnosis; DNA and the Judicial System; PCR; The Impact of DNA; Biotechnology; The Origin of Life; Tinkering; Selfish Genes.

Evolving Evolution- Sources of Darwinian TheoryThe Big Gene Bet of the Last Millennium (1999 AD); The Twists & Turns of History:The Problems with Gradualism; Watching Evolution in Action: Changes in the Stickleback Fish; DNA & Genetics and the Changing Views of Human Evolution; Human Evolution and the DNA Beginnings of Vocal Expression: Birdsong and Language; Epilogue to the First Edition; Glossary; Reading List.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Subject Term:

DNA -- Popular works.

Graphic novels.

Added Author:

Ziff, Edward.

Van Loon, Borin, 1951-

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2011

Publication Information:

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
572.86 22	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A graphic portrayal of a complicated science for a wide range of readers, full of humor, depth, and philosophical and historical insight.

Suitable for use in and out of the classroom, this volume covers DNA's many marvels, from its original discovery in 1869 to early-twentieth-century debates on the mechanisms of inheritance and the deeper nature of life's evolution and variety.

Even readers who lack a background in science and philosophy will learn a tremendous amount from this engaging narrative. The book elucidates DNA's relationship to health and the cause and cure of disease. It also covers the creation of new life forms, nanomachines, and perspectives on crime detection, and considers the philosophical sources of classical Darwinian theory and recent, radical changes in the understanding of evolution itself. Already these developments have profoundly affected our notions about living things. Borin Van Loon's humorous illustrations recount the contributions of Gregor Mendel, Frederick Griffith, James Watson, and Francis Crick, among other biologists, scientists, and researchers, and vividly depict the modern controversies surrounding the Human Genome Project and cloning.

"A unique, richly detailed, and fun biography of DNA grounded in deep historical and philosophical knowledge . . . Everything we need to know about biology's most important molecule." --Olive Sacks, author of Everything In Its Place

"A remarkable book . . . Novel, easy to read, and fun . . . I spent many years mastering genetics yet learned new and valuable things from this book." --Robert Trivers, author of Wild Life: Adventures of an Evolutionary Biologist

Author Notes

Israel Rosenfield, author of a number of nonfiction books, writes frequently for the "New York Review of Books" & teaches history at City University of New York.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

DNA is another in a series of books aimed at educating general science students using a cartoon format. Rosenfield (CUNY), Ziff (NYU School of Medicine), and Van Loon (illustrator) begin with Swiss chemist Frederick Miescher's 1869 discovery of nucleic acids, though it would be some 75 years before Oswald Avery and his associates discovered the genetic function of the molecule. The roles of Erwin Chargaff, James Watson and Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins and Rosaline Franklin make up a significant portion of the first third of the book. The authors continue with most major highlights of the genetics story as it unfolded in the latter half of the 20th century, completing their story with genetic engineering applications, the discovery of and applications related to the presence of oncogenes, and, finally, thoughts on how these discoveries have been applied to understanding evolution. The book includes an image of the title page of Avery's key 1944 article in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, and a copy of Watson and Crick's 1953 Nature article on the structure of DNA. A brief glossary and a useful reading list for those interested in more detail complete the text. A clear summary of the DNA story with a lighthearted approach. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. R. Adler University of Michigan, Dearborn