Human cloning is a prospect the contributors to Clones and Clones view with varying degrees of alarm, calm, ambivalence, and not a little humor. Ranging from psychoanalyst Adam Phillips's case study of a child whose confusion of "cloning" and "clothing" expresses our mixed desire and terror of sameness, to Stephen Jay Gould's and Richard Dawkins's "characteristically pithy and intelligent" essays (Civilization); from William Ian Miller's analysis of the queasiness the subject elicits in many of us, to Martha Nussbaum's witty and elegiac fantasy of the cloning of a lost lover-this superb collection limns our beliefs and concerns about what it means to be human. The writers here, says the San Diego Union-Tribune, "comprise an eclectic group, but their observations on the science and ethics of cloning, how it might fit into and affect human society and what the future might bring are just the sort of thinking that . . . we need more of." Praise for Clones and Clones: "A worthy exploration of a discomfiting topic." - Foreign Affairs "Greatly aid[s] the cloning debate." - Washington Post "The spectrum of authors and their varying perspectives in fact and fiction are assets to anyone who hopes to understand this broad issue and its vast cultural implications." - Publishers Weekly

Identification and Expression of G Protein-Coupled Receptors edited by Kevin R. Lynch The past decade has seen tremendous advances in the study of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), including the molecular cloning and identification of more than 100 GPCR genes. But while GPCRs serve as targets for more than 300 medicines in the modern pharmacopoeia, the shrinking pool of known ligands and the continuing discovery of orphan GPCR genes have underscored the need for new approaches to ligand identification. Identification and Expression of G Protein-Coupled Receptors addresses this new direction in GPCR biochemistry-offering a definitive laboratory bench manual that emphasizes expression over primary cloning strategies. In a series of expert contributions by well-known researchers, this book provides detailed protocols for various expression systems-from bacteria to mammalian cells-as well as straightforward opinions on the advantages and shortcomings of each approach. Topics covered include:
* Homology screening and the polymerase chain reaction in the cloning of GPCR genes
* Cloning of GPCRs using mammalian cell expression
* GPCR informatics and the orphan problem
* The use of Xenopus laevis oocytes for the study of GPCRs
* Stable expression of GPCRs in mammalian cells
* Heterologous expression in primary cell cultures
* Expression of GPCRs in Escherichia coli
* Large scale expression and purification of GPCRs in mammalian cells
* High-level expression of GPCRs in the Baculovirus/Sf9 cell expression system
* Expression of GPCRs in Drosophila Schneider 2 cells
* Methods for genetic analysis and ligand identification using heterologous GPCRsexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Supplemented with numerous photographs and illustrations, Identification and Expression of G Protein-Coupled Receptors is important reading for biochemists, pharmacologists, neuroscientists, structural biologists, and anyone involved in GPCR-based research. It delivers a wealth of useful advice, practical tips, and invaluable insight into trends at the cutting-edge of current research. Also in this series: Receptor Localization: Laboratory Methods and Procedures edited by Marjorie A. Ariano

Human beings have on the order of 100,000 different genes encoding the molecules needed to build and operate the human body; defects in any one of them can lead to disastrous consequences. There are an estimated 4,000 genetic diseases, which can be every bit as devastating as the diseases caused by bacteria or viruses, and in one way they are much worse: we pass them on to our children, generation after generation after generation. The New Healers is the story of the devastation these diseases cause, and the scientific researchers and doctors who struggle to combat them. Science and medicine have provided us with clues to the treatment of a few genetic diseases, although by their very nature they have never been considered curable. But, as William R. Clark shows, that is about to change through one of the most profound revolutions in modern medicine: gene therapy, a branch of the new field of molecular medicine. Clark takes us to the laboratories which have been able to isolate human genes, to make billions of copies of them, and to reintroduce healthy genes into unfortunate individuals who have inherited damaged or functionless genes. He also shows us how this same technology, turned around on itself, can also be used to deliberately introduce "bad" genes to attack and destroy unwanted cells, such as cancer cells or those infected with the AIDS virus. Molecular medicine will be a major part of our lives in the new millennium. The New Healers outlines the powerful and compelling logic behind molecular medicine: that everything we know about molecular biology tells us that it can work, and that it will work. Clark introduces us to the scientists working now to map out the entire human genome, easily the medical equivalent of going to the moon, taking human beings to a completely new level of understanding of our biological selves. Clark also helps us to begin thinking about how we will manage that understanding, and how we will use the information we gain. The New Healers is a clear and compelling introduction to this important new frontier of human medicine, outlining for readers all the basic elements of molecular biology necessary to understand molecular medicine, and illustrating the fascinating stories of those doctors and patients already a part of this exciting future -- a future as full of promise as anything we have witnessed in this past century of remarkable progress.

The Human Genome Project, the most ambitious biological research program ever undertaken, was born in controversy. Heralded by its more enthusiastic proponents as a quest for the 'Holy Grail of biology' - and the key, ultimately, to the treatment of a variety of hereditary diseases - it has as its initial goal the mapping of all the genes in the entire three-billion-letter genetic code embodied in the DNA of a typical human cell. A major factor in the counterarguments of its opponents: its projected cost, estimated to run into the billions of dollars, spread over 10-20 years. In this firsthand account of the protracted struggle to launch the genome project, a close observer of that process - and sometime participant in it - unravels the tangled scientific and political threads of the story, relying on primary documents gathered even as events unfolded, supplemented by interviews with all the main actors - including the controversial first head of the National Institutes of Health genome effort, Nobel laureate James D. Watson. The result is an absorbing case study in the politics of modern science - focused in this case on a project with far-reaching medical and social implications.

The ethics of animal genetic engineering, and controversies surrounding animal experimentation and welfare, are discussed in this book. Over 20 scientists, civil servants, biotechnology entrepreneurs, animal welfare campaigners and philosophers explore the various sides of the debate.

Volume One discusses the problems inherent in allocating limited biomedical technologies: whose needs take precedence, what individual rights and responsibilities are involved, and when societal good justifies restricting individual good. Volume Two focuses on two substantive areas of biomedical policy beset by conflicts. Physicians, patients, and public officials are locked in new battles over whether and when life-extending technologies should be used or withdrawn. Meanwhile, researchers, government officials, and patients struggle to determine who will receive experimental medical treatment, and what procedures should be instituted to protect the recipients.

This volume collates in one source methodology for in vivo genetic engineering and for genetic analysis in a wide range of bacteria. Not only is "Escherichia coli" well covered, but so are other emerging bacterial systems.

The creation of 'test--tube babiesa acted as a spur to public debate about the implications of research on embryos, in vitro fertilization, surrogate motherhood, and the whole range of technologies concerned with human reproduction. The scope of reproductive technologies examined in this volume -- from techniques for the medical 'managementa of childbirth, to genetic engineering -- is such that few women in the western world, and smaller and smaller numbers in the third world, escape their influence. What then is their impact: on the process of reproduction, on family life and particularly on women? 'Reproductive Technologiesa is a remarkable collection of original essays which attempts to place the current controversy over reproductive technologies in a political, legal and economic context. Contributors -- including Lesley Doyal, Ann Oakley, Ros Petchesky, Carol Smart, Hilary Rose, and Naomi Pfeffer -- examine systematically the technologies that have sparked off these debates. They explore the problem of infertility which is used to validate reproductive technologies; the way assumptions about the family and about biological parenthood continue to structure the arguments for and against; the impact of the medicalization of childbirth; the way debates are embedded in changing conceptions of paternal rights, maternal rights and embryo rights; the problems of providing adequate health care for women; and, above all, the urgency with which these issues raise problems about the accountability of science.

Gene Delivery: Methods and Applications provides a comprehensive overview on viral and non-viral methods used to genetically engineer human mesenchymal stromal cells. In addition, an update on ongoing and completed clinical studies with engineered mesenchymal stromal cells will be provided, as well as a snapshot of the advances and technical challenges yet to be addressed. Next, a variety of gene delivery systems including physical transfection techniques, virus-based delivery vectors, chemically engineered delivery systems and bio-inspired vehicles are reviewed and their strengths, shortcomings and biomedical applications are discussed. Selfish DNA called transposons capable of cutting out and pasting into the host genome are active throughout the phylogenetic kingdoms. Researchers have repurposed natural transposons for use in delivering a gene-of-interest, enabling for the study of a large and growing list of preclinical gene therapy applications. As such, the authors discuss the past achievements and future challenges of this early-stage technology. The closing chapter introduces cell-penetrating peptides as an efficient tool for DNA transfection. HR9, a designed cell-penetrating peptides, containing nona-arginine flanked by cysteine and penta-histidine displayed a high penetrating ability in mammalian cells.

In 2001 the Human Genome Project succeeded in mapping the DNA of humans. This landmark accomplishment launched the field of genomics, the integrated study of all the genes in the human body and the related biomedical interventions that can be tailored to benefit a person's health. Today genomics, part of a larger movement toward personalized medicine, is poised to revolutionize health care. By cross-referencing an individual's genetic sequence - their genome - against known elements of "Big Data," elements of genomics are already being incorporated on a widespread basis, including prenatal disease screening and targeted cancer treatments. With more innovations soon to arrive at the bedside, the promise of the genomics revolution is limitless. This entry in the What Everyone Needs to Know series offers an authoritative resource on the prospects and realities of genomics and personalized medicine. As this science continues to alter traditional medical paradigms, consumers are faced with additional options and more complicated decisions regarding their health care. This book provides the essential information everyone needs.

The genetic engineering of food crops is an ecological hazard and health crisis that affects us all. Its consequences are global and potentially irrevocable. Yet the decision to use genetically modified organisms is currently being made for you by the government and major multinational corporations. To combat this practice, more than 600 scientists from 72 countries have called for a moratorium on the environmental release of GMOs. "GMO Free "is the most comprehensive resource available on the science behind this worldwide debate.

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GMO Free "takes a good look at the evidence scientists have compiled, and makes a powerful case for a worldwide ban on GMO crops, to make way for a shift to sustainable agriculture and organic farming. It s time to take the future of your food supply and environment into your own informed hands. "GMO Free "will give you the information you need to do so. "

Long before scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland cloned Dolly the sheep in 1996, American developmental biologist and aspiring cancer researcher Robert Briggs successfully performed the technique of nuclear transplantation by cloning frog nuclei in 1952. Although the history of cloning is often associated with contemporary ethical controversies, The Forgotten Clones revisits the influential work of scientists like Briggs, Thomas King, and Marie DiBerardino, before the possibility of human cloning and its ethical implications first registered as a concern in public consciousness, and when many thought the very idea of cloning was experimentally impossible. By focusing instead on new laboratory techniques and practices and their place in Anglo-American science and society in the mid-twentieth century, Nathan Crowe demonstrates how embryos constructed in the lab were only later reconstructed as ethical problems. His book illuminates the importance of the early history of cloning for the biosciences and their institutional, disciplinary, and intellectual contexts, as well as the changing relationship between science and society after the Second World War.

The long-awaited revision of the industry standard on phylogenetics

Since the publication of the first edition of this landmark volume more than twenty-five years ago, phylogenetic systematics has taken its place as the dominant paradigm of systematic biology. It has profoundly influenced the way scientists study evolution, and has seen many theoretical and technical advances as the field has continued to grow. It goes almost without saying that the next twenty-five years of phylogenetic research will prove as fascinating as the first, with many exciting developments yet to come.

This new edition of "Phylogenetics" captures the very essence of this rapidly evolving discipline. Written for the practicing systematist and phylogeneticist, it addresses both the philosophical and technical issues of the field, as well as surveys general practices in taxonomy. Major sections of the book deal with the nature of species and higher taxa, homology and characters, trees and tree graphs, and biogeography--the purpose being to develop biologically relevant species, character, tree, and biogeographic concepts that can be applied fruitfully to phylogenetics.

The book then turns its focus to phylogenetic trees, including an in-depth guide to tree-building algorithms. Additional coverage includes:

Parsimony and parsimony analysis

Parametric phylogenetics including maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches

Phylogenetic classification

Critiques of evolutionary taxonomy, phenetics, and transformed cladistics

Specimen selection, field collecting, and curating

Systematic publication and the rules of nomenclature

Providing a thorough synthesis of the field, this important update to "Phylogenetics" is essential for students and researchers in the areas of evolutionary biology, molecular evolution, genetics and evolutionary genetics, paleontology, physical anthropology, and zoology.

Sets the foundation for safer, more effective drug therapies

With this book as their guide, readers will discover how to apply our current understanding of the pharmacogenomics of drug transporters to advance their own drug discovery and development efforts. In particular, the book explains how new findings in the field now enable researchers to more accurately predict drug interactions and adverse drug reactions. Moreover, it sets the foundation for the development of drug therapies that are tailored to an individual patient's genetics.

"Pharmacogenomics of Human Drug Transporters" serves as a comprehensive guide to how transporters regulate the absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs in the body as well as how an individual's genome affects those processes. The book's eighteen chapters have been authored by a team of leading pioneers in the field. Based on their own laboratory and clinical experience as well as a thorough review of the literature, these authors explore all facets of drug transporter pharmacogenomics, including: Individual drug transporters and transporter families and their clinical significancePrinciples of altered drug transport in drug-drug interactions, pharmacotherapy, and personalized medicineEmerging new technologies for rapid detection of genetic polymorphismsClinical aspects of genetic polymorphisms in major drug transporter genesFuture research directions of drug transporter pharmacogenomics and the prospect of individualized medicine

"Pharmacogenomics of Human Drug Transporters" opens the door to new drug discovery and development breakthroughs leading to safer and more effective customized drug therapies.The book is recommended for pharmaceutical scientists, biochemists, pharmacologists, clinicians, and genetics and genomics researchers.

Recent decades have seen tremendous changes in Latin America's agricultural sector, resulting from a broad program of liberalization instigated under pressure from the United States, the IMF, and the World Bank. Tariffs have been lifted, agricultural markets have been opened and privatized, land reform policies have been restricted or eliminated, and the perspective has shifted radically toward exportation rather than toward the goal of feeding local citizens. Examining the impact of these transformations, the contributors to Food for the Few: Neoliberal Globalism and Biotechnology in Latin America paint a somber portrait, describing local peasant farmers who have been made responsible for protecting impossibly vast areas of biodiversity, or are forced to specialize in one genetically modified crop, or who become low-wage workers within a capitalized farm complex. Using dozens of examples such as these, the deleterious consequences are surveyed from the perspectives of experts in diverse fields, including anthropology, economics, geography, political science, and sociology.

From Kathy McAfee's "Exporting Crop Biotechnology: The Myth of Molecular Miracles," to Liz Fitting's "Importing Corn, Exporting Labor: The Neoliberal Corn Regime, GMOs, and the Erosion of Mexican Biodiversity," Food for the Few balances disturbing findings with hopeful assessments of emerging grassroots alternatives. Surveying not only the Latin American conditions that led to bankruptcy for countless farmers but also the North's practices, such as the heavy subsidies implemented to protect North American farmers, these essays represent a comprehensive, keenly informed response to a pivotal global crisis.

Outlining successful breeding techniques to augment the yields of the world's major crops, this reference analyzes the physiological and genetic basis for past and potential future increases in crop yields.;Covering crops with wide differences in morphology, photosynthetic rates, and nitrogen metabolisms, Genetic Improvement of Field Crops: investigates the changes produced by breeders in the physiological attributes affecting wheat grain yield and nitrogen content during the last century; discusses those crop characteristics of oats that have already been altered or might be manipulated through breeding to further increase yield potential; describes several genetic factors responsible for both yield potential and stress resistance in barley; offers insights into the relationship between increases in the yield potential and stress tolerance of corn; examines the evolution of sunflower crop yields and yield stability and estimates the contribution of improved cultivars; evaluates the effects of breeding on tuber characteristics related to the crop growth and yield of the potato; elucidates the possibilities for simultaneous improvement of yield and fiber strength in cotton; and identifies the features to be considered in the development of high yielding varieties of rice for different agricultural systems.;Providing nearly 1600 key literature citations allowing further in-depth study of particular topics, Genetic Improvement of Field Crops is for plant physiologists and breeders, crop and agricultural scientists, agronomists, biochemists, geneticists, biotechnologists, microbiologists, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines.

A unique exploration of the principles and methods underlying the Human Genome Project and modern molecular genetics and biotechnology—from two top researchers

In Genomics, Charles R. Cantor, former director of the Human Genome Project, and Cassandra L. Smith give the first integral overview of the strategies and technologies behind the Human Genome Project and the field of molecular genetics and biotechnology. Written with a range of readers in mind—from chemists and biologists to computer scientists and engineers—the book begins with a review of the basic properties of DNA and the chromosomes that package it in cells. The authors describe the three main techniques used in DNA analysis—hybridization, polymerase chain reaction, and electrophoresis—and present a complete exploration of DNA mapping in its many different forms. By explaining both the theoretical principles and practical foundations of modern molecular genetics to a wide audience, the book brings the scientific community closer to the ultimate goal of understanding the biological function of DNA. Genomics features:

• Topical organization within chapters for easy reference
• A discussion of the developing methods of sequencing, such as sequencing by hybridization (SBH) in which data is read through words instead of letters
• Detailed explanations and critical evaluations of the many different types of DNA maps that can be generated—including cytogenic and restriction maps as well as interspecies cell hybrids
• Informed predictions for the future of DNA sequencing

Omics in Horticulture Crops presents a comprehensive view of germplasm diversity, genetic evolution, genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics of fruit crops (temperate, tropical and subtropical fruits, fruit nuts, berries), vegetables, tuberous crops, ornamental and floricultural crops and medicinal aromatic plants. Information covering phenomics, genetic diversity, phylogenetic studies, genome sequencing, and genome barcoding through the utilization of molecular markers plays an imperative role in the characterization and effective utilization of diverse germplasm are included in the book. This is a valuable reference for researchers and academics seeking to improve cultivar productivity through enhanced genetic diversity while also retaining optimal traits and protecting the growing environment.

Die Genetik ist eines der naturwissenschaftlichen Fachgebiete, deren Wissen am schnellsten wAchst und deren Erkenntnisse stAndig in Bewegung und in der Diskussion sind. "Genetik fA1/4r Dummies" erklArt, was A1/4berhaupt hinter diesem spannenden Thema steckt. Die Autorinnen Tara Rodden Robinson und Lisa J. Spock erklAren einfach und prAgnant die Grundlagen der Vererbungslehre, wie beispielsweise die Mendelschen Regeln und die Zellteilung. Sie zeigen auch, wie die DNA aufgebaut ist, wie sie kopiert und richtig in Proteine A1/4bersetzt wird. AuA erdem gehen sie auf die Bedeutung der Genetik in der Humanmedizin ein, wie Genmutationen entstehen und Erbkrankheiten zur Folge haben. Auch die heiA en Themen wie Gentechnik, Stammzellentherapie und der Einsatz der Genetik in der Rechtsmedizin kommen nicht zu kurz.

As newer forms of intellectual propertyseeds, germplasm, genetic resources, plant varietiesmaterialize through advancements in biotechnology, a variety of entitlements, claims, and imaginations of citizenship are bred, mimicking the hybrid culture of genetic configurations. This book analyses the theoretical and philosophical frames of new (biotic) property, and assesses how its altered metaphysics inscribes itself in the politics of genetic resources. It probes how rights get framed within and by law, in the diverse yet closely interrelated aspects of social, cultural, and biological life. In particular, the book focuses on biocultural entitlements of farming and indigenous communitiespeople who are at a distance from the global networks of trade, politics, science, and technology. It explores the terms on which the interests of these indigenous communities are included and institutionalized as well as the degrees of exclusion and stratification that accompany them. It attempts to uncover the cunning or duplicitous nature of these rightsthe chasm between their intended benefits and their actual outcomes.

Climate Change and Food Security with Emphasis on Wheat is the first book to present the full scope of research in wheat improvement, revealing the correlations to global issues including climate change and global warming which contribute to food security issues. Wheat plays a key role in the health of the global economy. As the world population continuously increases, economies modernize, and incomes rise, wheat production will have to increase dramatically to secure it as a reliable and sustainable food source. Since covering more land area with wheat crops is not a sustainable option, future wheat crops must have consistently higher yields and be able to resist and/or tolerate biotic and abiotic stresses that result from climate change. Addressing the biophysical and socioeconomic constraints of producing high-yielding, disease-resistant, and good quality wheat, this book will aid in research efforts to increase and stabilize wheat production worldwide. Written by an international team of experts, Climate Change and Food Security with Emphasis on Wheat is an excellent resource for academics, researchers, and students interested in wheat and grain research, especially as it is relevant to food security.

A comprehensive, authoritative look at an emergent area in post-genomic science, Evolutionary genomics is an up-and-coming, complex field that attempts to explain the biocomplexity of the living world. "Evolutionary Genomics and Systems Biology" is the first full-length book to blend established and emerging concepts in bioinformatics, evolution, genomics, and structural biology, with the integrative views of network and systems biology.

Three key aspects of evolutionary genomics and systems biology are covered in clear detail: the study of genomic history, i.e., understanding organismal evolution at the genomic level; the study of macromolecular complements, which encompasses the evolution of the protein and RNA machinery that propels life; and the evolutionary and dynamic study of wiring diagrams--macromolecular components in interaction--in the context of genomic complements. The book also features: A solid, comprehensive treatment of phylogenomics, the evolution of genomes, and the evolution of biological networks, within the framework of systems biologyA special section on RNA biology--translation, evolution of structure, and micro RNA and regulation of gene expressionChapters on the mapping of genotypes to phenotypes, the role of information in biology, protein architecture and biological function, chromosomal rearrangements, and biological networks and diseaseContributions by leading authorities on each topic

"Evolutionary Genomics and Systems Biology" is an ideal book for students and professionals in genomics, bioinformatics, evolution, structural biology, complexity, origins of life, systematic biology, and organismal diversity, as well as those individuals interested in aspects of biological sciences as they interface with chemistry, physics, and computer science and engineering.

With ever-advancing scientific understanding and technological capabilities, humanity stands on the brink of the potential next stage of evolution: evolution engineered by us. Nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science offer the possibility to enhance human performance, lengthen life-span and reshape our inherited physical, cognitive and emotional identities. But with this promise come huge risks, complex choices and fundamental ethical questions: about evolution; about what it is to be human; and about control over, and the distribution of benefits from, new technology. Written by a range of experts in science, technology, bioethics and social science, Unnatural Selection examines the range of technological innovations offering lives that purport to be longer, stronger, smarter and happier, and asks whether their introduction is likely to lead to more fulfilled individuals and a fairer world. The breadth of approaches and perspectives make important reading for anyone who cares about the implications of humanity engineering its own evolution.

Our daily news bulletins bring us tales of the wonder of science, from Mars rovers and intelligent robots to developments in cancer treatment, and yet often the emphasis is on the potential threats posed by science. It appears that irrationality is on the rise in western society, and public opinion is increasingly dominated by unreflecting prejudice and unwillingness to engage with factual evidence. From genetically modified crops and food, organic farming, the MMR vaccine, environmentalism, the precautionary principle and the new anti-capitalist and anti-globalisation movements, the rejection of the evidence-based approach nurtures a culture of suspicion, distrust, and cynicism, and leads to dogmatic assertion and intolerance. In this compelling and timely examination of science and society, Dick Taverne argues that science, with all the benefits it brings, is an essential part of civilised and democratic society: it offers us our most hopeful future.