These novelties, among others, are examined in this book in relation to their general significance for evolution, emphasising their human relevance.

This volume gives an overview on mobile DNA and how such contradiction to the obligatory stability of genomes can be understood. Obviously, an understanding can only be achieved by cutting deeply into the evolutionary history of life.

"But at Cold Spring Harbor, she began the studies on the consequence of dicentric chromosome formation and breakage that led her to the discovery of genetic elements capable moving within the genome and controlling expression of other genes. Although McClintock was universally respected and admired, the first reaction to these findings was often uncomprehending or indifferent, even dismissive. In due course, however, the generality of mobile genetic elements and the concept of a dynamic genome were understood and widely accepted, culminating in the award to McClintock of an unshared Nobel prize in 1983." "As Barbara's 90th birthday approached, some of her many friends and colleagues were invited to write essays for the occasion. This book contains a kaleidoscope of contributions, many by those who discovered transposition in other organisms. Their essays give a remarkable account of the scientific legacy of one of the century's greatest geneticists."--BOOK JACKET.

The genetic information contained in DNA is not static, especially in bacterial DNA. It is capable of recombining with other DNA sequences and transferring to other bacteria. These processes allow bacteria to rapidly respond to their environment and are also important in production of disease and the spread of antibiotic resistance. This book is concerned with the mechanisms underlying these dynamic processes in bacterial DNA.

There is growing enthusiasm in the scientific community about the prospect of mapping and sequencing the human genome, a monumental project that will have far-reaching consequences for medicine, biology, technology, and other fields. But how will such an effort be organized and funded? How will we develop the new technologies that are needed? What new legal, social, and ethical questions will be raised? Mapping and Sequencing the Human Genome is a blueprint for this proposed project. The authors offer a highly readable explanation of the technical aspects of genetic mapping and sequencing, and they recommend specific interim and long-range research goals, organizational strategies, and funding levels. They also outline some of the legal and social questions that might arise and urge their early consideration by policymakers.

In The Genome Odyssey, Dr. Euan Ashley, Stanford professor of medicine and genetics, brings the breakthroughs of precision medicine to vivid life through the real diagnostic journeys of his patients and the tireless efforts of his fellow doctors and scientists as they hunt to prevent, predict, and beat disease. Since the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, the price of genome sequencing has dropped at a staggering rate. It’s as if the price of a Ferrari went from $350,000 to a mere forty cents. Through breakthroughs made by Dr. Ashley’s team at Stanford and other dedicated groups around the world, analyzing the human genome has decreased from a heroic multibillion dollar effort to a single clinical test costing less than $1,000. For the first time we have within our grasp the ability to predict our genetic future, to diagnose and prevent disease before it begins, and to decode what it really means to be human. In The Genome Odyssey, Dr. Ashley details the medicine behind genome sequencing with clarity and accessibility. More than that, with passion for his subject and compassion for his patients, he introduces readers to the dynamic group of researchers and doctor detectives who hunt for answers, and to the pioneering patients who open up their lives to the medical community during their search for diagnoses and cures. He describes how he led the team that was the first to analyze and interpret a complete human genome, how they broke genome speed records to diagnose and treat a newborn baby girl whose heart stopped five times on the first day of her life, and how they found a boy with tumors growing inside his heart and traced the cause to a missing piece of his genome. These patients inspire Dr. Ashley and his team as they work to expand the boundaries of our medical capabilities and to envision a future where genome sequencing is available for all, where medicine can be tailored to treat specific diseases and to decode pathogens like viruses at the genomic level, and where our medical system as we know it has been completely revolutionized.

This volume contains the latest theories and evidence about the highly dynamic inter-relation between genes and environments as they influence the development, mental health and substance use of adolescents.

The experimental data that have been generated using new molecular techniques associated with the completion of genome projects have changed our perception of the structural features, functional implications and evolutionary dynamics of repetitive DNA sequences. This volume of Genome Dynamics provides a valuable update on recent developments in research into multigene families, centromeres, telomeres, microsatellite DNA, satellite DNA, and transposable elements. Each chapter presents a review by distinguished experts and analyzes repetitive DNA diversity and abundance, as well as the impact on genome structure, function and evolution. This publication is targeted at scientists and scholars at every level, from students to faculty members, and, indeed, anyone involved or interested in genetics, molecular evolution, molecular biology as well as genomics will find it a valuable source of up-to-date information.

In Gene Sharing and Evolution Piatigorsky explores the generality and implications of gene sharing throughout evolution and argues that most if not all proteins perform a variety of functions in the same and in different species, and that this is a fundamental necessity for evolution.

This authoritative text/reference presents a review of the history, current status, and potential future directions of computational biology in molecular evolution. Gathering together the unique insights of an international selection of prestigious researchers, this must-read volume examines the latest developments in the field, the challenges that remain, and the new avenues emerging from the growing influx of sequence data. These viewpoints build upon the pioneering work of David Sankoff, one of the founding fathers of computational biology, and mark the 50th anniversary of his first scientific article. The broad spectrum of rich contributions in this essential collection will appeal to all computer scientists, mathematicians and biologists involved in comparative genomics, phylogenetics and related areas.