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Genetics For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science)) |  | Author: Tara Rodden Robinson
Publisher: For Dummies
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
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Seller: indoobestsellers
Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 31482
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 0470551747
Dewey Decimal Number: 576
EAN: 9780470551745
ASIN: 0470551747
Publication Date: May 3, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A plain-English guide to genetics Want to know more about genetics? This non-intimidating guide gets you up to speed on all the fundamentals and the most recent discoveries. Now with 25% new and revised material, Genetics For Dummies, 2nd Edition gives you clear and accessible coverage of this rapidly advancing field. From dominant and recessive inherited traits to the DNA double-helix, you get clear explanations in easy-to-understand terms. Plus, you'll see how people are applying genetic science to fight disease, develop new products, solve crimes . . . and even clone cats. - Covers topics in a straightforward and effective manner
- Includes coverage of stem cell research, molecular genetics, behavioral genetics, genetic engineering, and more
- Explores ethical issues as they pertain to the study of genetics
Whether you?re currently enrolled in a genetics course or are just looking for a refresher, Genetics For Dummies, 2nd Edition provides science lovers of all skill levels with easy-to-follow information on this fascinating subject.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
 The Best Currently Available Introduction to Genetics November 27, 2005
J. E. Robinson
65 out of 69 found this review helpful
I have a PhD in science from MIT and I have bought and read a number of books on genetics. This is one of the best introductory books, and most will be impressed with the scope, the size, the graphics, and the overall presentation. This must be one of the better "Dummies" books. The only other similar book is "Genetics" (2002) by Guttman et al, but it has less applications than the present book. Overall I would rate the present book as the best introductory book on the market today. I bought about 10 books including the present book.
What I like about the book is the shotgun approach. The author (not a relative) has five basic parts, i.e.:
- 1. Genetics Basics,
- 2. DNA: The Genetic Material,
- 3. Genetics and Your Health,
- 4. Generics and Your World,
- 5. The Part of Tens (genetic history and hot topics).
The first two parts are a general introduction to genetics. This is at a fairly sophisticated level, but made simple by good graphics and excellent writing. The third part describes some of the 200 cancers and how some common cancers are related to genetics. The are other topics here including Down's syndrome. Part 4 is on applications, such as human history, forensic DNA, cloning, ethics, and other topics. The last part describes major events in the development of genetics.
The author has presented a good index at the end along with a good guide to Web Sites so the reader can follow up some of the details.
Tara Robinson has managed to put together an excellent introduction with great graphics that is suitable for the average reader.
Highly recommend: 5 stars.
has it all June 26, 2006
C. Brown (Evanston, IL United States)
28 out of 29 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful book that not only covers the whole field of genetics, but does so with just the right amount of detail and reiteration so that you find yourself grasping the terms. Very clear drawings illuminate the text and take the complexity out of everything from Mendelian inheritance to mRNA transcription. Not once did I find myself wondering what something meant.
When I finished I felt fully briefed and was amazed at how easy it was to understand what I had always felt was a baffling subject.
Want to know how cancer occurs? Why people are worried about genetically modified foods? How mutation is always occurring and can be a good thing? How "junk" DNA is distinguished from the genes that are read to create the protein that composes our bodies? How DNA can compact itself in the cell? How crime labs can find the culprit through a genetic fingerprint? It's all here and much much more. You'll have a hard time reading any one page without exclaiming "wow!", "no kidding!" or "so THAT'S how it works!"
I eagerly began each chapter because the titles always made me think, "Yeah, I was wondering about that!"
The humor, thank goodness, is mostly in the subtitles (Cloning: There Will Never Be Another You) and the text is largely free of attempts to make you laugh. That's good because when you get so excited to find out more, humor just gets in the way.
Terms that are introduced in one place will be mentioned again later with a reference if you have forgotten a definition. Just when you might be getting confused, the author will tell you how the subject might differ from what was covered before.
When you are done you will be awed by what you've learned: that all the complexity of life is based on simple chemical bonds within structures that have become elaborated over 100's of millions of years. If there is one subject that we will probably never comprehend, and that no Dummies book will be able to reveal, it is time itself.
PS: I recommend Richard Dawkins new book "The Ancestor's Tale" after reading this book.
Genetics for everyone! November 22, 2005
Vector
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
This is a great book. Textbooks of the future will be, or should be, like this: clear, up to date and affordable. I have been a biologist for thirty years but admit that my knowledge of genetics has fallen behind. Genetics has undergone extraordinary developments over the last few decades, and many have had profound impact on society. Tara Robinson covers it all and does it expertly. I know Tara and she's a great scientist - I admire her skill in writing a book that is both informative and readable. The historical anecdotes bring added relevance to the topic.
A 'Must-Have' for everybody September 6, 2005
Dr. Martin Wikelski (Princeton, NJ, USA)
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
Genetics is dominating our lives in the 21st century. Everybody who takes decisions - even just about your own health insurance - must know some basic genetics these days. For example, what is `genetic engineering' and what are `stem cells'?? Robinson's book is fulfilling an exceedingly important niche - to explain a vast scientific field to `dummies' like you and me. I highly recommend this excellent book, for citizens, senators and presidents.
Prof. Martin Wikelski, Princeton University
Excellent introduction to Genetics August 10, 2009
A. Scarlat
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The book covers all the concepts of modern genetics in a light manner, easily understandable and with a good dose of humor. Each chapter goes into the right depth: not too deep and not too superficial. I don't know why the above should be considered an activity for dummies, but I guess this is the marketing appeal of the whole "for dummies" series of books...
Recommended for anyone interested in getting a quick introduction to the subject or as a refresher crash course for those that have studied the subjects eons ago (like myself).
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
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