There has recently been considerable discussion of a "replication crisis" in some areas of science. In this book, the authors argue that replication is not a necessary criterion for the validation of a scientific experiment. Five episodes from physics and genetics are used to substantiate this thesis: the Meselson-Stahl experiment on DNA replication, the discoveries of the positron and the omega minus hyperon, Mendel's plant experiments, and the discovery of parity nonconservation. Two cases in which once wasn't enough are also discussed, the nondiscovery of parity nonconservation and the search for magnetic monopoles. Reasons why once wasn't enough are also discussed.

The idea of eugenics - human selective breeding - originated in Victorian Britain in response to the urban poor. Darwin's evolutionary theory had laid the foundations for eugenics, replacing paradise with primordial slime. Man had not fallen from Grace, but risen from the swamps. And, as architect of his own destiny, he might rise still further. Eugenics was developed by Darwin's cousin Francis Galton in the 1860s. Embracing the idea of evolution, eugenists argued that through the judicious control of human reproduction, and the numerical increase of the middle class, Britain's supremacy in the world maintained. Born and bred among the competitive Victorian middle class, eugenics was a biologistic discourse on class. Aiming at 'racial improvement' by altering the balance of class in society, it was, Galton argued, 'practical Darwinism'. Eugenics found its most sustained expression in fiction and the periodical press, and was central to late nineteenth-century ideas on social progress forming part of the debate between hereditarians and environmentalists that peaked in the closing years of the century. Even Gladstone had his vital statistics measured in Galton's eugenic laboratory. Among the champions of eugenics were social purity feminists and New Women, writers such as George Egerton, Ellice Hopkins, and Sarah Grand, who argued that women were naturally- biologically - moral, and that through rational reproduction middle-class women could regenerate the British imperial race. The New Woman has been the subject of numerous critical works in the last ten years or so. However, the oppressive ideas that coexisted with the emancipatory theories of some New Women - ideas that were supremely class conscious - remain largely unexamined, as the focus remains on her more progressive aspects. Love and Eugenics in the Late Nineteenth Century recontextualizes New Woman writers, demonstrating that they were as concerned with the questions of poverty, sickness and health as they were with the changing role of women, the issue for which they are currently generally known and celebrated. Focusing on fiction and the press, and drawing on the papers and published work of Galton and other eugenists, Love and Eugenics in the Late Nineteenth Century reveals the cultural pervasiveness of eugenics and explores, for the first time, the intimate relations between early feminism and eugenics, and making a radical contribution to nineteenth-century studies.

This fourth edition provides all new methods on yeast that have not been included in the past three editions. Divided in four parts, chapters guide readers through general applications for genetic manipulation in yeast cells, genome-wide studies, systematically rearrange the yeast chromosomes, and pathway methods. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Yeast Protocol, Fourth Edition aims to compliment previous editions while offering new tools for the yeast research community.

Cancer Health Equity Research, Volume 146 in the Advances in Cancer Research series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on a variety of timely topics, including Pubertal Mammary Development as a 'Susceptibility Window' for Breast Cancer Disparity, Review of Patient Navigation Interventions to Address Barriers to Participation in Cancer Clinical Trials, Racial Disparities in Ovarian Cancer Research, Mighty Men: A Faith-Based Weight Loss Intervention to Reduce Cancer Risk in African American Men, Design of a Patient Navigation Intervention to Increase Rates of Surgery among African Americans with Early-Stage Lung Cancer, and much.

This book takes a fresh look at the work, thoughts, and life of 1956 Nobel Prize winner William B. Shockley. It reconstructs Shockley's upbringing, his patriotic achievements during World War II, his contribution to semiconductor physics - culminating with the epoch-making invention of the transistor - and his views on the social issues of his time. The author's unparalleled access to Shockley's personal documents provides insight into a colorful, yet controversial, man, and also sheds light on the attitudes of other prominent scientists of that era. Shockley was not only an outstanding scientist in his own right but also a fiercely independent thinker in perpetual search of the truth. His contributions to the field known today as microelectronics are enormous and unmatched. This book explores the critical facets of Shockley's life, replete with never-before-published photos and excerpts from his private correspondence and personal notebooks. The book also delves into Shockley's views on genetics and human intelligence. It tells the story of a man beset by an unrelenting rationality, slandered by the popular media, and ultimately alienated by his peers. It discusses his controversial, although sometimes prescient, ideas regarding human genetics, putting these into the context of modern research findings. Today, William Shockley is perhaps just as enigmatic as his work and accomplishments. The author presents a convincing argument that Shockley still has much to say about the issues of our age, and many of his ideas deserve evaluation in the public forum.

This book, which is the first volume of Biomedical Translational Research, summarizes emerging technologies in healthcare. The book reviews the advancements in biomedical sciences in genomics, immunology, stem cell, tissue engineering, nanotechnology, computational and structural biology, biomedical engineering, and telemedicine biology. The book highlights the applications of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of infectious diseases and examines the role of system biology approaches for understanding human complexity, variability, and its influence on health and diseases. It presents the applications of flow cytometry in monitoring the progression and treatment of disease. It covers emerging technologies in cancer research, including CRISPR-Cas9, NGS, and nanotechnology. This book is a useful source of information for clinical researchers, basic scientists, biomedical engineers, and computational biologists.

Epigenetic Mechanisms of the Cambrian Explosion provides readers with a basic biological knowledge and epigenetic explanation of the biological puzzle of the Cambrian explosion, the unprecedented rapid diversification of animals that began 542 million years ago. During an evolutionarily instant of ~10 million years, which represents only 0.3% of the time of existence of life on Earth, or less than 2% of the time of existence of metazoans, all of the 30 extant body plans, major animal groups (phyla) and several extinct groups appeared. The work helps address this phenomena and tries to answer remaining questions for evolutionary biology, epigenetics, and scientific researchers. The book recognizes and presents objective representations of alternative theories for epigenetic evolution in this period, with the author drawing on his epigenetic theory of evolution to explain the causal basis of the Cambrian explosion. Both empirical evidence and theoretical arguments are presented in support of this thought-provoking epigenetic theory.

This book explores recent advances in the microbial production of xylitol and its applications in food and medical sector. Xylitol is an important biomolecule from lignocellulose biorefinery which is produced from the xylose by chemical reactions or microbial fermentation methods. Currently, the demand of xylitol at commercial scale is being met through chemical methods. However, recent breakthroughs made in plant cell wall destruction, genetic engineering to develop the designer microorganisms, fermentation methods and media formulations and downstream processing have led the ways for sustainable production of xylitol at commercial scale in lignocellulose biorefineries. Microbial production of xylitol is preferred over the chemical processes as it is environmentally friendly, higher process efficiency with the desired product yield, and product recovery with minimum impurities. This book is a unique compilation of 11 book chapters written by experts in their respective fields. These chapters present critical insights and discuss the current progress and future progress in this area into fermentative xylitol production. Chapter 9 is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For further details see license information in the chapter.

The mouse is a perfect model organism to study mammalian, and thus indirectly also human, embryology. Most scientific achievements that have had an important impact on the understanding of basic mechanisms governing embryo development in humans, originated from mouse embryology. Stem cell research, which now offers the promise of regenerative medicine, began with the isolation and culture of mouse embryonic stem cells by Martin Evans (who received the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2007 for this achievement) and Matthew Kaufman.

This book provides an overview of mouse development, spanning from oocytes before fertilization to the state-of-the-art description of embryonic and adult stem cells. The chapters, written by the leading specialists in the field, deal with the most recent discoveries in this extremely fast-developing area of research.

This second volume provides new and updated methods detailing advancements in CRISPR-Cas technical protocols. Chapters guide readers through protocols on prime editing, base editing, multiplex editing, editing in cell-free extract, in silico analysis of gRNA secondary structure and CRISPR-diagnosis. Authoritative and cutting-edge, CRISPR-Cas Methods, Volume 2 aims to serves as a laboratory manual providing scientists with a holistic view of CRISPR-Cas methodologies and its practical application for the editing of crop plants, cell lines, nematode and microorganism. The chapter "CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing in human induced pluripotent stem cells" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Following the Third Alcohol and Cancer Conference, this volume compiles the most up-to-date research on the role of alcohol consumption in carcinogenesis, from epidemiology to pathology metabolism and stem cells. More specifically, it delves into the effects of alcohol consumption and thyroid cancer, CD133+ progenitor cells, carcinogenic iron accumulation, developmental morphogens, and cancer-inducing epigenetic changes. Alcohol and Cancer: Proceedings of the Third International Conference is a timely update to Biological Basis of Alcohol-Induced Cancer, which followed the Second Alcohol and Cancer Conference, compiling cutting-edge research from graduate students, young scientists, and researchers. It is ideal for graduate students and researchers in oncology, hepatology, epigenetics, and alcohol consumption.

Even before the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species, the perception of evolutionary change has been a tree-like pattern of diversification - with divergent branches spreading further and further from the trunk. In the only illustration of Darwin's treatise, branches large and small never reconnect. However, it is now evident that this view does not adequately encompass the richness of evolutionary pattern and process. Instead, the evolution of species from microbes to mammals builds like a web that crosses and re-crosses through genetic exchange, even as it grows outward from a point of origin. Some of the avenues for genetic exchange, for example introgression through sexual recombination versus lateral gene transfer mediated by transposable elements, are based on definably different molecular mechanisms. However, even such widely different genetic processes may result in similar effects on adaptations (either new or transferred), genome evolution, population genetics, and the evolutionary/ecological trajectory of organisms. For example, the evolution of novel adaptations (resulting from lateral gene transfer) leading to the flea-borne, deadly, causative agent of plague from a rarely-fatal, orally-transmitted, bacterial species is quite similar to the adaptations accrued from natural hybridization between annual sunflower species resulting in the formation of several new species. Thus, more and more data indicate that evolution has resulted in lineages consisting of mosaics of genes derived from different ancestors. It is therefore becoming increasingly clear that the tree is an inadequate metaphor of evolutionary change. In this book, Arnold promotes the 'web-of-life' metaphoras a more appropriate representation of evolutionary change in all lifeforms.

Much research has focused on the basic cellular and molecular biological aspects of stem cells. Much of this research has been fueled by their potential for use in regenerative medicine applications, which has in turn spurred growing numbers of translational and clinical studies. However, more work is needed if the potential is to be realized for improvement of the lives and well-being of patients with numerous diseases and conditions. This book series 'Cell Biology and Translational Medicine (CBTMED)' as part of SpringerNature's longstanding and very successful Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series, has the goal to accelerate advances by timely information exchange. Emerging areas of regenerative medicine and translational aspects of stem cells are covered in each volume. Outstanding researchers are recruited to highlight developments and remaining challenges in both the basic research and clinical arenas. This current book is the fourth volume of a continuing series.

This book is a compilation of the bench experience of leading experts from various research labs involved in the cutting edge area of research. The authors describe the use of stem cells both as part of the combinatorial therapeutic intervention approach and as tools (disease model) during drug development, highlighting the shift from a conventional symptomatic treatment strategy to addressing the root cause of the disease process. The book is a continuum of the previously published book entitled "Stem Cells: from Drug to Drug Discovery" which was published in 2017.

Nucleic Acids as Gene Anticancer Drug Delivery Therapy highlights the most recent developments in cancer treatment using nucleic acids, nanoparticles and polymer nanoparticles for genomic nanocarriers as drug delivery, including promising opportunities for targeted and combination therapy. The development of a wide spectrum of nanoscale technologies is beginning to change the scientific landscape in terms of disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. This book presents the use of nanotechnology for medical applications, focusing on its use for anticancer drug delivery. Various intelligent drug delivery systems such as inorganic nanoparticles and polymer-based drug delivery are discussed. The use of smart drug delivery systems seems to be a promising approach for developing intelligent therapeutic systems for cancer immunotherapies and is discussed in detail along with nucleic acid-targeted drug delivery combination therapy for cancer. Nucleic Acids as Gene Anticancer Drug Delivery Therapy will be a useful reference for pharmaceutical scientists, pharmacologiests, and those involved in nanotechnology and cancer research.

Ancestral sequence reconstruction is a technique of growing importance in molecular evolutionary biology and comparative genomics. As a powerful tool for testing evolutionary and ecological hypotheses, as well as uncovering the link between sequence and molecular phenotype, there are potential applications in a range of fields. Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction starts with a historical overview of the field, before discussing the potential applications in drug discovery and the pharmaceutical industry. This is followed by a section on computational methodology, which provides a detailed discussion of the available methods for reconstructing ancestral sequences (including their advantages, disadvantages, and potential pitfalls). Purely computational applications of the technique are then covered, including whole proteome reconstruction. Further chapters provide a detailed discussion on taking computationally reconstructed sequences and synthesizing them in the laboratory. The book concludes with a description of the scientific questions where experimental ancestral sequence reconstruction has been utilized to provide insights and inform future research. This research level text provides a first synthesis of the theories, methodologies and applications associated with ancestral sequence recognition, while simultaneously addressing many of the hot topics in the field. It will be of interest and use to both graduate students and researchers in the fields of molecular biology, molecular evolution, and evolutionary bioinformatics.

This volume presents the most recent advances in techniques for studying the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression (PTR). With sections on bioinformatics approaches, expression profiling, the protein and RNA interactome, the mRNA lifecycle, and RNA modifications, the book guides molecular biologists toward harnessing the power of this new generation of techniques, while also introducing the data analysis skills that these high-throughput techniques require. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and up-to-date, Post-Transcriptional Gene Regulation, Third Edition serves as a versatile resource for researchers studying post-transcriptional regulation by both introducing the most recent techniques and providing a comprehensive guide to their implementation. Chapter 6 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This volume explores a collection of different protocols for the analysis and characterization of DNAzymes and their functions. The topics covered in this book range from bioinformatics and molecular dynamics simulations for the study or modification of nucleic acids to the descriptions of spectroscopic, fluorescence-based, or crystallographic methods to understand the structure and function of DNAzymes. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, DNAzymes: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for scientists and researchers interested in learning more about this evolving field.

Much research has focused on the basic cellular and molecular biological aspects of stem cells. Much of this research has been fueled by their potential for use in regenerative medicine applications, which has in turn spurred growing numbers of translational and clinical studies. However, more work is needed if the potential is to be realized for improvement of the lives and well-being of patients with numerous diseases and conditions. This book series 'Cell Biology and Translational Medicine (CBTMED)' as part of SpringerNature's longstanding and very successful Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series, has the goal to accelerate advances by timely information exchange. Emerging areas of regenerative medicine and translational aspects of stem cells are covered in each volume. Outstanding researchers are recruited to highlight developments and remaining challenges in both the basic research and clinical arenas. This current book is the third volume of a continuing series.

Various "omics" methods have recently revolutionized molecular diagnostics. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) makes it possible to sequence a human genome in just one day. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) greatly improves the ability to investigate the outbreaks of numerous pathogens. Metagenomics helps to analyze the microbiome, which aids greatly in identifying the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Proteomic-based methods, namely matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), have a promising role in identifying myctobacteria and fungi, and predicting antimicrobial resistance. While there are numerous scientific publications on "omics" applications for microbiology, there are relatively few books that review this topic from a clinical diagnostics perspective. This book looks at this field from a holistic viewpoint, instead of limiting by type of "omics" technology, in order to cover the body of knowledge needed for practitioners and academics interested in clinical and public health microbiology. Additionally, it addresses the management, economical, regulatory and operational aspects of integrating these technologies into routine diagnostics.

This detailed book collects methods based on the evolution of the chromosome conformation capture (3C) technique and other complementary approaches to dissect chromatin conformation with an emphasis on dissection of nuclear compartmentalization and visualization in imaging. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Capturing Chromosome Conformation: Methods and Protocols serves as an ideal guide for researchers working to further understand 3D genome organization.

This book highlights the technicalities of plant breeding in a seed-business environment and explains the crucial aspects of the value chain. It educates the readers on how to initiate, participate, sustain national and international agreements for material transfer, how consortia work to facilitate germplasm accessibility, and how to set visionary goals to develop a superior plant varieties. The book covers the aspects such as how to conduct disease screening trials at hot spots, preparing an operational budget, and how to accelerate product advancement. Plant breeding is broadly defined as manipulation of plant genotypes to create phenotypes that are beneficial to mankind. It helps to achieve food security and sustainability by developing high yielding, climate-resilient, nutritious varieties of crops and hence is able to address unprecedented challenges like rising global population, diminishing genetic biodiversity, and uncertainties of the weather . This book is an extraordinary source of information starting from goal-genesis to market-oriented product-profiling and help readers to accelerate/enhance? their work/professional performance more effectively. This book will be very useful to practicing plant breeders at various levels in the public and private sectors. It is a must-have book for potential plant breeders who enter plant breeding profession just after the completion of their formal plant breeding education.

This book presents deliberations on molecular and genomic mechanisms underlying the interactions of crop plants to the abiotic stresses caused by heat, cold, drought, flooding, submergence, salinity, acidity, etc., important to develop resistant crop varieties. Knowledge on the advanced genetic and genomic crop improvement strategies including molecular breeding, transgenics, genomic-assisted breeding, and the recently emerging genome editing for developing resistant varieties in oilseed crops is imperative for addressing FHNEE (food, health, nutrition, energy, and environment) security. Whole genome sequencing of these crops followed by genotyping-by-sequencing has provided precise information regarding the genes conferring resistance useful for gene discovery, allele mining, and shuttle breeding which in turn opened up the scope for 'designing' crop genomes with resistance to abiotic stresses. The eight chapters each dedicated to a oilseed crop in this volume elucidate on different types of abiotic stresses and their effects on and interaction with the crop; enumerate on the available genetic diversity with regard to abiotic stress resistance among available cultivars; illuminate on the potential gene pools for utilization in interspecific gene transfer; present brief on classical genetics of stress resistance and traditional breeding for transferring them to their cultivated counterparts; depict the success stories of genetic engineering for developing abiotic stress-resistant crop varieties; discuss on molecular mapping of genes and QTLs underlying stress resistance and their marker-assisted introgression into elite varieties; enunciate on different genomics-aided techniques including genomic selection, allele mining, gene discovery, and gene pyramiding for developing adaptive crop varieties with higher quantity and quality of yields, and also elaborate some case studies on genome editing focusing on specific genes for generating abiotic stress-resistant crops.

This book summarizes early pioneering achievements in the field of human neural stem cell (hNSC) research and combines them with the latest advances in stem cell technology, including reprogramming and gene editing. The powerful potential of hNSC to generate and repair the developing and adult CNS has been confirmed by numerous experimental in vitro and in vivo studies. The book presents methods for hNSC derivation and discusses the mechanisms underlying NSC in vitro fate decisions and their in vivo therapeutic mode of action. The long-standing dogma that the human central nervous system (CNS) lacks the ability to regenerate was refuted at the end of the 20th century, when evidence of the presence of neurogenic zones in the adult human brain was found. These neurogenic zones are home to human neural stem cells (hNSCs), which are capable of self-renewing and differentiating into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. NSCs isolated from human CNS have a number of clinical advantages, especially the innate potential to differentiate into functional neural cells. Nevertheless, their full clinical exploitation has been hindered by limited access to the tissue and low expansion potential. The search for an alternative to CNS sources of autologous, therapeutically competent hNSCs was the driving force for the many studies proving the in vitro plasticity of different somatic stem cells to generate NSCs and their functional progeny. Now the era of induced pluripotent stem cells has opened entirely new opportunities to achieve research and therapeutic goals with the aid of hNSCs.

The study of molecular events leading to cellular transformation and cancer has progressed considerably during the 1990s. It has become apparent that many genes subject to modification in cancer are, in fact, transcription factors that govern the execution of the genetic programme of the cell. Transcription factors can behave either as oncogenes or as tumor supressor genes. To date only a very limited number of transcription factors have been associated with cancer. This volume gives molecular information on several oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes or chromosomal translocations. Each chapter contains a description of the structure of such transcription factors, the nature of target genes, the regulation of their activities and an explaination of how they can deregulate cell growth and differentiation. This book should be suitable for the specialist scientist and the advanced student