This adventure in science and imagination, which the Medical Tribune said might herald "a Copernican revolution for the life sciences," leads the reader through unexplored jungles and uncharted aspects of mind to the heart of knowledge. In a first-person narrative of scientific discovery that opens new perspectives on biology, anthropology, and the limits of rationalism, The Cosmic Serpent reveals how startlingly different the world around us appears when we open our minds to it.

This book is the first to approach the fast developing field of wildlife forensics with a focus on the application of DNA profiling and analysis. Case studies throughout link theory and practice and highlight the use of DNA testing in species testing. The text assumes only a basic background knowledge of DNA, so offers information boxes clarifying technical information, step-by-step guidance on sequence comparisons, and a discussion of the different markers used in species testing. This produces a highly accessible introduction for both students and forensic professionals.

What are the models used in phylogenetic analysis and what exactly is involved in Bayesian evolutionary analysis using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods? How can you choose and apply these models, which parameterisations and priors make sense, and how can you diagnose Bayesian MCMC when things go wrong? These are just a few of the questions answered in this comprehensive overview of Bayesian approaches to phylogenetics. This practical guide: * Addresses the theoretical aspects of the field * Advises on how to prepare and perform phylogenetic analysis * Helps with interpreting analyses and visualisation of phylogenies * Describes the software architecture * Helps developing BEAST 2.2 extensions to allow these models to be extended further. With an accompanying website providing example files and tutorials (http://beast2.org/), this one-stop reference to applying the latest phylogenetic models in BEAST 2 will provide essential guidance for all users - from those using phylogenetic tools, to computational biologists and Bayesian statisticians.

What are the genomic signatures of adaptations in DNA? How often does natural selection dictate changes to DNA? How does the ebb and flow in the abundance of individuals over time get marked onto chromosomes to record genetic history? Molecular population genetics seeks to answer such questions by explaining genetic variation and molecular evolution from micro-evolutionary principles. It provides a way to learn about how evolution works and how it shapes species by incorporating molecular details of DNA as the heritable material. It enables us to understand the logic of how mutations originate, change in abundance in populations, and become fixed as DNA sequence divergence between species. With the revolutionary advances in genomic data acquisition, understanding molecular population genetics is now a fundamental requirement for today's life scientists. These concepts apply in analysis of personal genomics, genome-wide association studies, landscape and conservation genetics, forensics, molecular anthropology, and selection scans. This book introduces, in an accessible way, the bare essentials of the theory and practice of molecular population genetics.

This book adopts an experimental approach to understanding the mechanisms of evolution and the nature of evolutionary processes, with examples drawn from microbial, plant and animal systems. It incorporates insights from remarkable recent advances in theoretical modelling, and the fields of molecular genetics and environmental genomics. Adaptation is caused by selection continually winnowing the genetic variation created by mutation. In the last decade, our knowledge of how selection operates on populations in the field and in the laboratory has increased enormously, and the principal aim of this book is to provide an up-to-date account of selection as the principal agent of evolution. In the classical Fisherian model, weak selection acting on many genes of small effect over long periods of time is responsible for driving slow and gradual change. However, it is now clear that adaptation in laboratory populations often involves strong selection acting on a few genes of large effect, while in the wild selection is often strong and highly variable in space and time. Indeed these results are changing our perception of how evolutionary change takes place. This book summarizes our current understanding of the causes and consequences of selection, with an emphasis on quantitative and experimental studies. It includes the latest research into experimental evolution, natural selection in the wild, artificial selection, selfish genetic elements, selection in social contexts, sexual selection, and speciation.

Highly Structured Stochastic Systems (HSSS) is a modern strategy for building statistical models for challenging real-world problems, for computing with them, and for interpreting the resulting inference. The aim of this book is to make recent developments in HSSS accessible to a general statistical audience including graduate students and researchers.

Microsatellites are short stretches of repeated DNA that show exceptional variability in humans and most other species. This variability has made microsatellites the genetic marker of choice for most applications, including genetic mapping and studies of the evolutionary connections between species and populations. This book brings together an international group of scientists currently working in microsatellites. They detail the molecular processes that have given rise to microsatellite DNA, and then describe the various ways in which the potential of microsatellites is being harnessed in medical genetics, behavioural and evolutionary biology, and ecology.

The earth's daily rotation affects just about every living creature. From dawn through to dusk, there are changes in light, temperature, humidity, and rainfall. However, these changes are regular, rhythmic and, therefore, predictable. Thus, the near 24 hour circadian rhythm is innate: a genetically programmed clock that essentially ticks of its own accord. This Very Short Introduction explains how organisms can "know" the time and reveals what we now understand of the nature and operation of chronobiological processes. Covering variables such as light, the metabolism, human health, and the seasons, Foster and Kreitzman illustrate how jet lag and shift work can impact on human well-being, and consider circadian rhythms alongside a wide range of disorders, from schizophrenia to obesity. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Epigenetics can potentially revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on Earth. It explains why mapping an organism's genetic code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Surveying the twenty-year history of the field while also highlighting its latest findings and innovations, this volume provides a readily understandable introduction to the foundations of epigenetics. Nessa Carey, a leading epigenetics researcher, connects the field's arguments to such diverse phenomena as how ants and queen bees control their colonies; why tortoiseshell cats are always female; why some plants need cold weather before they can flower; and how our bodies age and develop disease. Reaching beyond biology, epigenetics now informs work on drug addiction, the long-term effects of famine, and the physical and psychological consequences of childhood trauma. Carey concludes with a discussion of the future directions for this research and its ability to improve human health and well-being.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Present and Future Uses of Microarray Technology Microarray technology continues to evolve, taking on a variety of forms. From the spotting of cDNA and the in situ synthesis of oligonucleotide arrays now come microarrays comprising proteins, carbohydrates, drugs, tissues, and cells. With contributions from microarray experts in both academia and industry, Microarray Methods and Protocols is a turn-by-turn roadmap through the processes necessary to perform a successful microarray experiment. This easy to use book addresses the fundamental aspects of preparing and processing microarrays and bead arrays, labeling, and detection. It also includes a detailed How it Works section that discusses the underlying principles of a number of techniques. Troubleshooting guides offer additional advice for the successful performance of more than 100 protocols in 10 chapters that cover work involving nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lectins. --Concise and Well-Organized-- With a focus on the preparation and use of microarrays of biomedical relevance, the text describes a variety of microarray formats useful in the assessment of human disease and in genomic and proteomic research. This authoritative resource provides detailed information regarding sample preparation, labeling, array construction processes, substrate chemistry, array printing, and quality control. Originating with the glass microscope slide and biochip, microarray technology is now pressing onward into the nanotechnology frontier. This book is the all-inclusive manual scientists need to take microarray research to the next level of discovery.

This guide covers aspects of designing microarray experiments and analysing the data generated, including information on some of the tools that are available from non--commercial sources. Concepts and principles underpinning gene expression analysis are emphasised and wherever possible, the mathematics has been simplified. The guide is intended for use by graduates and researchers in bioinformatics and the life sciences and is also suitable for statisticians who are interested in the approaches currently used to study gene expression.* Microarrays are an automated way of carrying out thousands of experiments at once, and allows scientists to obtain huge amounts of information very quickly* Short, concise text on this difficult topic area* Clear illustrations throughout* Written by well--known teachers in the subject* Provides insight into how to analyse the data produced from microarrays

Womb transplant babies 'within three years.''If implantable wombs become a reality in humans, they need not be confined to women. Some men might also be keen.' Guardian, July 2003Having exhausted the possibilities for geographic colonial expansion, as well as reaching the fiscal limitations of virtual space, capital is now concentrated on exploiting a new frontier -- organic molecular space. Critical Art Ensemble began mapping this development in Flesh Machine (Autonomedia, 1998) by examining the use of reproductive technologies and their promise for achieving an intensified degree of control over worker and citizen. The Molecular Invasion acts as a companion to this first book by mapping the politics of transgenics, and offering a model for the creation of a contestational biology, as well as providing direct interventionist tactics for the disruption of this new assault on the organic realm. The Molecular Invasion is an indispensable user's guide for anyone interested in the critical thinking and practice of biotech as a social, scientific, and political phenomenon.

Quick, who won the Nobel Prize for discovering the double helical structure of DNA? Most people would say Watson and Crick. But most people would make Maurice Wilkins very upset. The Rodney Dangerfield of biology, Wilkins shared the prize with Watson and Crick but missed out on the limelight, due largely to Watson's hit book, The Double Helix. Wilkins thought the book was so misleading he asked Harvard University Press not to publish it. Things have quieted down a bit now, and Wilkins is now telling the story his way. This book tells how he showed his colleagues the x-ray picture that gave them their crucial insight, and about his interactions with Rosalind Franklin, the researcher who actually created the picture, and who also received very little credit for her role in the discovery. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the DNA discovery. Finally Wilkins gets to have his say.

Handbook of Epigenetics: The New Molecular and Medical Genetics, Second Edition, provides a comprehensive analysis of epigenetics, from basic biology, to clinical application. Epigenetics is considered by many to be the new genetics in that many biological phenomena are controlled, not through gene mutations, but rather through reversible and heritable epigenetic processes. These epigenetic processes range from DNA methylation to prions. The biological processes impacted by epigenetics are vast and encompass effects in lower organisms and humans that include tissue and organ regeneration, X-chromosome inactivation, stem cell differentiation, genomic imprinting, and aging. The first edition of this important work received excellent reviews; the second edition continues its comprehensive coverage adding more current research and new topics based on customer and reader reviews, including new discoveries, approved therapeutics, and clinical trials. From molecular mechanisms and epigenetic technology, to discoveries in human disease and clinical epigenetics, the nature and applications of the science is presented for those with interests ranging from the fundamental basis of epigenetics, to therapeutic interventions for epigenetic-based disorders.

Covering newsworthy aspects of contemporary biology -- gene therapy, the Human Genome Project, DNA testing, and genetic engineering -- as well as fundamental concepts, this book, written specifically for nonbiologists, discusses classical and molecular genetics, quantitative and population genetics -- including cloning and genetic diseases -- and the many applications of genetics to the world around us, from genetically modified foods to genetic testing.

With minimal technical terminology and jargon, "Genes and DNA" facilitates conceptual understanding. Eschewing the organization of traditional genetics texts, the authors have provided an organic progression of information: topics are introduced as needed, within a broader framework that makes them meaningful for nonbiologists. The book encourages the reader to think independently, always stressing scientific background and current facts.

How is a tiny fertilised egg able to turn itself into a human being? How can an acorn transform itself into an oak tree? Over the past twenty years there has been a revolution in biology. For the first time we have begun to understand how organisms make themselves. The Art of Genes gives an account of these new and exciting findings, and of their broader significance for how we view ourselves. Through a highly original synthesis of science and art, Enrico Coen vividly describes this revolution in our understanding of how plants and animals develop.

The increased and widespread availability of large network data resources in recent years has resulted in a growing need for effective methods for their analysis. The challenge is to detect patterns that provide a better understanding of the data. However, this is not a straightforward task because of the size of the data sets and the computer power required for the analysis. The solution is to devise methods for approximately answering the questions posed, and these methods will vary depending on the data sets under scrutiny. This cutting-edge text introduces biological concepts and biotechnologies producing the data, graph and network theory, cluster analysis and machine learning, before discussing the thought processes and creativity involved in the analysis of large-scale biological and medical data sets, using a wide range of real-life examples. Bringing together leading experts, this text provides an ideal introduction to and insight into the interdisciplinary field of network data analysis in biomedicine.

The structure, function and reactions of nucleic acids are central to molecular biology and medicine and are crucial for understanding of the ever-expanding range of complex biological processes involved which are central to life. Revised, extended, updated and lavishly illustrated, this 4th Edition of Nucleic Acids in Chemistry and Biology is a long-awaited standard text for teaching and research in nucleic acids science. It maintains the close integration of chemistry and biology that characterised the earlier editions and contains a major expansion largely focused on the burgeoning growth of RNA science. Written by an international team of leading experts, all with extensive teaching experience, this 4th Edition provides up-to-date and extended coverage of the reactions and interactions of RNA and DNA with proteins and drugs. A brief history of the discovery of nucleic acids is followed by a molecule-based introduction to the structure and biological roles of DNA and RNA and the basics of Genes and Genomes. New key chapters are devoted to non-coding RNA, nucleic acids sequencing, nucleic acid therapeutics, in vitro evolution and aptamers, and protein-RNA interactions. The text is linked to an extensive list of references to make it a definitive reference source. This authoritative volume presents topics in an integrated manner and readable style with full colour illustrations throughout. It is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students of chemistry and biochemistry, biophysics and biotechnology, and molecular biology and medicine. It will be a guidebook for new researchers to the field of nucleic acids science.

There is much more to heredity than genes For much of the twentieth century it was assumed that genes alone mediate the transmission of biological information across generations and provide the raw material for natural selection. Yet, it's now clear that genes are not the only basis of heredity. In Extended Heredity, evolutionary biologists Russell Bonduriansky and Troy Day explore the latest research showing that what happens during our lifetimes-and even our parents' and grandparents' lifetimes-can influence the features of our descendants. Based on this evidence, Bonduriansky and Day develop an extended concept of heredity that upends ideas about how traits can and cannot be transmitted across generations, opening the door to a new understanding of inheritance, evolution, and even human health.

The use of DNA arrays and proteomics will transform the scale of our ability to describe the patterns of gene expression as bacteria respond to their environments. However, the ability to control bacteria in a clinical context or exploit them in industrial or environmental contexts also depends on understanding the regulatory mechanisms which connect input experience to output response at the genetic level. This book deals with our current knowledge of the circuits and networks that govern bacterial gene expression--from the single gene to the whole genome--and which provide the framework for explaining the data from the post genomics revolution.

The problem of unraveling two intertwined strands during the duplication of DNA was recognized shortly after the proposal of the DNA double helix structure in 1953. A group of enzymes called DNA topoisomerases solve this problem by breaking and rejoining DNA molecules in a controlled manner, thereby allowing strands to be passed through each other and thus untangled - not just during DNA replication, but also during many other basic cellular processes. Because of their intimate involvement in the workings of the cell, topoisomerases are also the logical targets of many antibiotics (including Cipro) and anticancer agents. This book, written by James Wang, the discoverer of the first topoisomerase and a leader in the field since, presents ten chapters covering the historical backdrop of the DNA entanglement problem and the discovery of the DNA topoisomerases, how DNA topoisomerases perform their magic in DNA replication, transcription, genetic recombination and chromosome condensation, and how they are targets of therapeutic agents. The book should appeal to readers from undergraduates upwards with interests in the biological and clinical aspects of topoisomerase function, or in the mathematics and physics of topology.

Now in its second edition, Forensic DNA Evidence Interpretation is the most comprehensive resource for DNA casework available today. Written by leaders in the fields of biology and statistics, including a contribution from Peter Gill, the father of DNA analysis, the book emphasizes the interpretation of test results and provides the necessary formulae in an easily accessible manner. This latest edition is fully updated and includes current and emerging techniques in this fast-moving field. The book begins by reviewing all pertinent biology, and then provides information on every aspect of DNA analysis. This includes modern interpretation methods and contemporary population genetic models available for estimating DNA frequencies or likelihood ratios. Following a chapter on procedures for validating databases, the text presents overviews and performance assessments of both modern sampling uncertainty methods and current paternity testing techniques, including new guidelines on paternity testing in alignment with the International Society for Forensic Genetics. Later chapters discuss the latest methods for mixture analysis, LCN (ultra trace) analysis and non-autosomal (mito, X, and Y) DNA analysis. The text concludes with an overview of procedures for disaster victim identification and information on DNA intelligence databases. Highlights of the second edition include: New information about PCR processes, heterozygote balance and back and forward stuttering New information on the interpretation of low template DNA, drop models and continuous models Additional coverage of lineage marker subpopulation effects, mixtures and combinations with autosomal markers This authoritative book provides a link among the biological, forensic, and interpretative domains of the DNA profiling field. It continues to serve as an invaluable resource that allows forensic scientists, technicians, molecular biologists and attorneys to use forensic DNA evidence to its greatest potential.

Breakthroughs in high-throughput genome sequencing and high-performance computing technologies have empowered scientists to decode many genomes including our own. Now they have a bigger ambition: to fully understand the vast diversity of microbial communities within us and around us, and to exploit their potential for the improvement of our health and environment. In this new field called metagenomics, microbial genomes are sequenced directly from the habitats without lab cultivation. Computational metagenomics, however, faces both a data challenge that deals with tens of tera-bases of sequences and an algorithmic one that deals with the complexity of thousands of species and their interactions.This interdisciplinary book is essential reading for those who are interested in beginning their own journey in computational metagenomics. It is a prism to look through various intricate computational metagenomics problems and unravel their three distinctive aspects: metagenomics, data engineering, and algorithms. Graduate students and advanced undergraduates from genomics science or computer science fields will find that the concepts explained in this book can serve as stepping stones for more advanced topics, while metagenomics practitioners and researchers from similar disciplines may use it to broaden their knowledge or identify new research targets.

A multi-discipline, hands-on guide to microarray analysis of biological processes

Analyzing Microarray Gene Expression Data provides a comprehensive review of available methodologies for the analysis of data derived from the latest DNA microarray technologies. Designed for biostatisticians entering the field of microarray analysis as well as biologists seeking to more effectively analyze their own experimental data, the text features a unique interdisciplinary approach and a combined academic and practical perspective that offers readers the most complete and applied coverage of the subject matter to date.

Following a basic overview of the biological and technical principles behind microarray experimentation, the text provides a look at some of the most effective tools and procedures for achieving optimum reliability and reproducibility of research results, including:

• An in-depth account of the detection of genes that are differentially expressed across a number of classes of tissues
• Extensive coverage of both cluster analysis and discriminant analysis of microarray data and the growing applications of both methodologies
• A model-based approach to cluster analysis, with emphasis on the use of the EMMIX-GENE procedure for the clustering of tissue samples
• The latest data cleaning and normalization procedures
• The uses of microarray expression data for providing important prognostic information on the outcome of disease