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Collecting an extensive amount of information from thousands of publications by leading investigators in this rapidly developing field, this book provides a convenient and up-to-date one volume source for research in neural tumors of various cellular origins. With over 3,500 references, 110 figures and 120 tables, this volume gathers an astonishing body of knowledge regarding human neural tumors. This book is the first of its kind, encyclopedic and wide-ranging.

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The secrets of our genetic heritage are finally being unlocked. The massive scientific effort to sequence the human genome is in fact just the beginning of a long journey as the extraordinary genetic diversity that exists between individuals becomes clear. Work in this field is yielding profound insights into the wider implications for understanding biology, human health and history. It promises much: to understand our evolutionary origins, to define us as individuals, to predict our risk of disease and to more effectively understand, treat and prevent illness. Genetics can help us understand both rare inherited disorders and common multifactorial disease like asthma, heart disease and diabetes. Huge investments are being made and great advances have been achived, but the challenges remain daunting. This book provides an authoritative overview of this topical and very rapidly advancing field of biomedical research.

Human Genetic Diversity provides a concise, authoritative overview of human genetic diversity. It documents the insights that human genetics have brought to an understanding of human evolution and history, focusing on the implications of human genetic diversity for disease susceptibility and treatment. The book describes the genetic basis for diseases such as HIV, AIDS, Crohn's disease, asthma and type I diabetes. It also examines the emerging field of pharmacogenomics and individualized medicine.

Human genetic variation has implications across a broad range of disciplines (both biological and medical) and this text neatly consolidates work in diverse fields to highlight common themes and principles. An accessible style and the extensive use of illustrations promote its relevance to a broad audience ranging from those interested in human and population genetics to molecular biologists, evolutionary biologists, biological anthropologists and individuals working in the health sciences and clinical medicine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Book Used for Genetics Class.
This is a great book for learning more about human genetics. Its diagrams are not always well placed with the text, so it loses one star for lack of clarity. Keep in mind that there is an expected knowledge of basic biology including the cell and its basic DNA-related processes. Good textbook for college-level class. ... Read more

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This volume examines the concept of genetic determinism, finding it unsupportable by science yet prevalent in our culture in the form of the "gene myth". Despite DNA determinism, we as persons are still free. We are also morally responsible. That responsibility includes building a better future through genetic science, a form of human creativity expressive of the image of God imparted by the divine to the human race. ... Read more

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A Good Writer uses the Thought of Others
Playing God plays with us by its title, which plays to the fears and power of humans in approaching new DNA and related technologies.Ted Peters has academic credentials, but he does not use them other than to collect the work of some of the ethicists laboring in this vineyard and present it to us in a low level sensational style.He encloses his collected presentations of others' work in a peculiar theology of his own :
the proleptic yet determinist/predestinationist view of a modern Calvinsim.
This is not a useful guide for our ethical debate on this topic. ... Read more

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With the continuing advances in sequencing technologies and the availability of thousands of distinct human genomes, we are fast approaching the day when "personal genomes" become a standard study measure and a routine component of personal health records. In Genetic Variation: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers address the rising importance of genome variation, both at the level of the individual and in population-based studies of disease, with a collection of detailed protocols reflecting the nature and impact of genetic variation on human phenotypes. The contributions cover a majority of the most important forms of genetic variation studied today, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions/deletion (indels), copy number variation (CNVs), variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs), mitochondrial variation, mobile elements, and epigenetic variation. As a volume in 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 notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Convenient and cutting-edge, Genetic Variation: Methods and Protocols aims to bring bench scientists, clinicians, and bioinformaticians together in order to aid progress toward a greater understanding of the full impact of variation on human health and disease.

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This book examines the making of human cloning as an imaginary practice and scientific fact. It explores the controversies surrounding both ‘therapeutic cloning’ for stem cell research and ‘reproductive’ cloning. The authors analyse the cultural production of cloning, how practices and representations play out in the global arena, and its transformation from science fiction to science practice. Case studies are used to illustrate key fore grounded issues:

• the image of the scientist, scientific expertise and institutions
• the governance of science
• the representation of women’s bodies as the subjects and objects of biotechnology
• the constitution of publics, both as objects of media debate, and as their intended audience.

Drawing together the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge, with insights from media and cultural studies, this book offers a timely contribution to debates about the public communication of science and the status of scientific truth. This book will be a valuable companion to students on undergraduate courses in media studies, science communication, cultural studies, science and technology studies and sociology.

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Debating Human Genetics is based on ethnographic research focusing primarily on the UK publics who are debating and engaging with human genetics, and related bio and techno-science. Drawing on recent interviews and data, collated in a range of public settings, it provides a unique overview of multiple publics as they ‘frame’ the stake of the debates in this emerging, complex and controversial arena.

The book outlines key sites and applications of human genetics that have sparked public interest, such as biobanks, stem cells, genetic screening and genomics. It also addresses the ‘scientific contoversies’ that have made considerable impact in the public sphere – the UK police DNA database, gene patenting, ‘saviour siblings’, and human cloning. By grounding the concepts and issues of human genetics in the real life narratives and actions of patient groups, genetic watchdogs, scientists, policy makers, and many other public groups, the book exemplifies how human genetics is a site where public knowledge and value claims converge and collide, and identifies the emergence of ‘hybrid publics’ who are engaging with this hybrid science.

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Advances in genetics are transforming estimates of an individual’s risk of developing cancer and approaches to prevention and management of cancer in those who may have increased susceptibility. Identifying and caring for patients with hereditary cancer syndromes and their family members present a complex clinical, scientific and social challenge. This textbook, by leading experts at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, highlights the current understanding of the genetics of hereditary cancers of the breast, ovary, colorectum, stomach, pancreas, kidney, skin, and endocrine organs. Practical guidelines for the use of genetic testing, cancer screening and surveillance, prophylactic surgery, and promising targeted therapeutic agents are discussed.

In addition, ongoing research involving genome-wide screens to identify novel modest risk-associated genetic loci are explored, along with new approaches to the application of genetic markers in guiding therapeutic options.

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Following the boom in population databases in recent years there has been sustained and intense international debate about political processes and legal and ethical issues surrounding the protection and use of genetic data. As a result, several national and international organizations and committees have published widely differing guidelines and statements concerning genetic databases and biobanks. This book compares the new area of biobanking with the tradition of ethically accepted classical research. It highlights distinctive features of existing databases and guidelines, identifies areas of consensus and controversy, investigates why genetic databases are a challenge to classical health research ethics and analyzes why various guidelines differ. The book will be helpful to academics, biobankers, policy-makers and researchers in the field of medical ethics. ... Read more

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A concise, clear writing style and a detailed and rich coverage of topics are the reasons that students found the first edition of the book so engaging and useful. Riding on this wave, all chapters within the second edition of this popular book have been thoroughly updated and expanded, especially the human and animal materials. A wider range of animals is covered, including dogs and cats as well as farm animals. The use of cord blood for therapy, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and animal cloning are also explored and dealt with. ... Read more

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Never HIGHLIGHT a Book Again!Virtually all testable terms, concepts, persons, places, and events are included. Cram101 Textbook Outlines gives all of the outlines, highlights, notes for your textbook with optional online practice tests. Only Cram101 Outlines are Textbook Specific. Cram101 is NOT the Textbook. ... Read more

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An important and comprehensive review of an expanding research area. The book will combine all classical knowledge in the field with recent advances to provide a full and comprehensive coverage of the field.
Transcription factors are important in regulating gene expression, and their analysis is of paramount interest to molecular biologists studying this area. This book looks at the basic machinery of the cell involved in transcription in eukaryotes, the factors involved in transcription and progresses to look at the regulatory systems which control this machinery both within the cell and also in the wider systems of the mammalian organism.

Key Features
* Comprehensive review of an increasingly important subject area
* Editor is well-known in this area, and has gathered a team of respected international contributors
* A unique collection of all recent work in this area, with no existing competition
* Covers both transcription factors and their control, and also both normal and disease states ... Read more

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The growth of 'new genetics' has dramatically increased our understanding of health, diseases and the body.Anthropologists argue that these scientific advances have had far-reaching social and cultural implications, radically changing our self-understanding and perception of what it means to be human; that we have become 'biomedicalized', fragmented and commodified - redefining our notions of citizenship, social relations, family and identity. This book shows how anthropology can contribute to and challenge the ways we have come to understand genetic issues.Exploring a range of issues and case studies in genetic research, it provides an ethnographic 'reality-check', arguing that we must look beyond the 'gene-centrism' of genetic codes, family trees and insular populations, to explore their wider cultural, ethical and philosophical implications. Including coverage of the controversial and widely discussed Icelandic Health Sector Database, this accessible survey will be welcomed by graduate students and researchers in social anthropology, human genetics and biotechnology. ... Read more

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Birthmarks and Other Metaphors
In 1998 Iceland reportedly sold its Viking genes to deCODE Genetics, who planned to crosslink genetic, medical, and genealogical data to pinpoint genes that cause disease. In Anthropology and the New Genetics, Gisli Palsson compares the resulting international outcry to the fog that covered Europe when an Icelandic volcano erupted in 1783--few knew what the fog signified, but everyone had an opinion. Palsson, instead, climbed the volcano: He spent months at deCODE learning about genes and gene hunters, then analyzed the public debate. His wide-ranging and thorough study examines our use of maps, trees, banks, blueprints, birthmarks, the "book of life," and other metaphors and shows how they color our understanding of human history and diversity, citizenship and belonging, kinship and identity, privacy and consent, and, ultimately, of what it means to be human.--Nancy Marie Brown, co-author of Mendel in the Kitchen: A Scientist Looks at Genetically Modified Foods ... Read more

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Passionate, succinct, chilling, closely argued, sometimes hilarious, touchingly well-intentioned, and essential.” —Margaret Atwood, The New York Review of Books

Nearly fifteen years ago, in The End of Nature, Bill McKibben demonstrated that humanity had begun to irrevocably alter and endanger our environment on a global scale. Now he turns his eye to an array of technologies that could change our relationship not with the rest of nature but with ourselves. He explores the frontiers of genetic engineering, robotics, and nanotechnology—all of which we are approaching with astonishing speed—and shows that each threatens to take us past a point of no return. We now stand, in Michael Pollan’s words, “on a moral and existential threshold,” poised between the human past and a post-human future. McKibben offers a celebration of what it means to be human, and a warning that we risk the loss of all meaning if we step across the threshold. Instantly acclaimed for its passion and insight, this wise and eloquent book argues that we cannot forever grow in reach and power—that we must at last learn how to say, “Enough.”
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Customer Reviews (31)

Interesting and provocative, but not entirely successful

In this book, McKibben argues that humanity needs to shut down large chunks of two areas of technology: stemline genetics research and nanotechnology/robotics.In each case, he works through the possible advantages for people of this research and then thinks about the implications if we go down that path.

Genetics research is much farther along, and I found McKibben's concerns in this area convincing.His discussion of nanotechnology seemed over the top to me, reminding me of Michael Creighton's "Prey" - - which may be my least-favorite Creighton book.

The concerns about genetics are very real.If parents can influence the intelligence or athletic ability of their offspring, this will set off an arms race among parents that will exclude people who are not wealthy enough to engage in genetic engineering.Even if everyone can participate, the effects on free-will are chilling: are your achievements your own if your parents chose them for you?If you are designed to love the piano, would you do anything other than given your own children a piano-loving gene?What happens to the species and to society in such a world?

The bigger question, which he touches on but does not emphasize, is whether the developed world really needs continued technological advance at all.How much is enough?

The challenge, as McKibben recognizes, is how to step back from the brink.He spends a chapter discussing societies that have rejecting technology, such as Japan and guns, China and navies, or the Amish people today.I find the Amish the more interesting and relevant example, especially since they coexist with non-Amish people making different choices.(And quite well, I might add, since I live about 30 miles from an Amish community that interacts with my own community economically in all sorts of ways.)

This is a provocative book, well worth reading.The material on genetics deserves five stars but the nanotechnology/robotics chapter doesn't work nearly as well.The sections on "how much is enough" are also thoughtful.

Yes
One point that has not been made yet which I feel is pertinent is the question of disease. Namely, what purpose has disease served in directing the adaptation of humans? This needs to be considered by pathologists and geneticists alike. Genetically engineering resistance to known diseases will not protect future humans from all diseases. On the contrary, such a poorly thought-out removal of adaptive processes such as natural immunity is likely to make engineered humans of the future utterly helpless when beset by a new disease.If space colonization is a serious hope for the future, we'd best not engineer ourselves for greater comfort. It's a real shame that multi-generational eugenics programs have been abandoned in favor of a get-it-now attitude similar to that which produced fast food. "Fast Evolution."

The Simple Life
McKibben has turned simplicity, primitivism and that universal longing railed against almost every aspect of modern American life - television, marketing, the environment, capitalism, education and now biotechnology with its evil twins, nanotech and artificial intelligence.He continues issuing dire warnings that the race is imperiled if we continue down our current paths.I think he would prefer extinction over transformation, something he sees with every genetic advance or scientific breakthrough.Except, of course, those he deems "allowable". Here, he is concerned about the genetic haves vs the have-nots - you know, the group with money will outperform those with less, an idea as old as society. In Bill Land folks just accept their fate and never change, accepting their lower status for lack of access to the techy gizmos of the Rich & Famous.

Here's the rub - it's a subjective matter of limits and definitions. Which of the following would he reject?Knee, hip, heart or liver replacement, cataract lenses, magnets in the brain to forestall epilepsy, regulators to pump blood, implants to kill cancer cells.The real question is what he thinks about using biotech letting the blind see, the deaf hear and the paralyzed walk.Is removal of pain with replacement joints "anti human"?Again, this is a matter of opinion (for him, not the poor victims).Lately, he has been warning that immortality may be around the corner in one form or another.He insists that death is a vital part of life, something that gives us our "humanity. "No, death is the termination of human life, good or bad.As one panelist at a symposium recently told him, he didn't mind if Bill wanted to die - he just didn't want to be told he had to also.

His real concern is genetic engineering and again we face the problem of who decides limits. He appears to "OK" some physical improvements but mental or emotional ones are taboo. We hear the usual red herrings - slippery slope arguments that if this happens then that will follow, designer babies, folks so smart they don't consider themselves human, people who won't know if they or a machine is "thinking",drugs to keep us happy or make into robots for "them", that nameless group that tells us to do bad things (probably fat, evil business types smoking cigars).

He has expressed dissatisfaction with the Industrial Age. We've becomemachines instead of frolicking through fields and woods.In better days, neighbors talked and relatives lived together.They would head out daily - mom to spend the day washing, dad & junior to hunt for dinner, sis sewing a new dress by hand.Technology has made our lives qualitatively better and easier, we live twice as long as just a few years ago and yet he has an array of statistics "proving" that we were happier before all this newfangled techno stuff. Could it be the hysterical unscientific news media with its "fear of the week"?You know, sharks, bird flue, Ebola, anthrax, mad cow, mad dog, hurricanes, "the environment", heat, cold, traffic, subliminal advertising....the list is endless as are those who think earlier ages were pastoral and peaceful.This is not only bad reading but also bad pleading.

A naturist's bias on germline genetic engineering
McKibben has some valid points and questions regarding germiline genetic engineering, unfortunately his stong naturist bias diminsh his credibility. He extensibly quotes scientists and experts on the matter, at the end what they say fits his idea that genetics and technlogy will be the apocalyptic executor.

Take for example three pages from his book were he uses the research work by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to demonstrate that genetic enhancement will not make people happier.

McKibben's claim that "What if you were thinking, in the back of your head, Is it really me doing this? Is it my programming? Am I losing myself, or is that feeling merely an artifact of my engineering? And those are precisely the sorts of thoughts that would rise in your mind because, in some ways, the whole point of flow experiences is to know yourself better" is emotional extortion, as if he is trying to scare people away from germline engineering.Either he doesn't understand the neurobiology of flow or he's just using a quote to fit his agenda, or both.

Flow is a term coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to describe a mental state characterized by lack of self-awareness and sharp concentration on the task at hand, not worried on how things are going or what the outcome will be. People engaged on this state perform at their best. Under flow action and awareness merge into one, lack of self and thinking creates a sense of deep relaxation and joy seems to arise by itself. Flow is also known as "the zone" by some athletes.

Characteristics of flow resemble meditation experiences. Zen meditation is a relaxed attentive state, on which the practitioner clear his or her mind of thinking. "Meditation then becomes several things other than a way to relax, physically and mentally. It becomes a way of not thinking, clearly, and then of carrying this clear awareness into everyday living" . Meditation is intrinsically rewarding and joyful. The mental state under flow and mediation are equal, the difference is that "flow" occurs during an activity while meditation is passive. Nevertheless mental clarity and intrinsic joy are the same.
In conclusion McKibben is putting thoughts on the head of somebody who doesn't exist and then he claims that these very thoughts will keep this individual from experiencing flow, thus preventing him from getting to know him-self better. Clearly he is projecting and scenario that doesn't exist but fits his purpose to plant the seed of doubt and fear on the minds of potential germline users. As for flow he doesn't understand that the insight arises after the experience not during it.

McKibben may have some valid points against germline but his strong naturist bias makes him to force facts to fit his purpose.Even more, he has a pessimistic opinion on the technology that doesn't meet his preferences; treadmills with electronic read-outs are ok. Had he been born fifty years earlier he would' written a book on the evils of running machines that prevent people from breathing fresh air at the risk of lung diseases.

Good Overall Explanation
The Strong point about this book is that it poses thought provoking questions. The author has really thought about this subject and where the field of genetics may lead us.The book provides some good explanations of the terms and types of research currently being carried on.He shows that by the time the nation starts legislating procedures it is generally too late.The author does bring up some pretty good predictions that society may be forced to deal with.The compulsion to fix detrimental hereditary diseases is really a forgone conclusion, Cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy etc, but will Genetic engineering rapidly go the route that plastic surgery traveled, from repairing hideous disfigurements to cosmetic [...] augmentation and facial makeovers. The author makes a very good point, if IQ or athletic ability can be increased by genetic tweaking and everyone is doing it for their kids, do you want your kid to be the only natural kid getting below average grades with below average athletic ability. The book definitely accomplished its purpose with this reader. I appreciate the ideas and societal situations this author has brought into the book and I have thought about it many times since I finished the book. Definitely worth a second read in the short-term future.The title is unfortunate, it sounds as if the author wants no more genetic progress, but the author wants to enjoy his "humanness" . He asks that society consider the big picture when dealing with limits to genetic engineering
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They mastermind our lives, shaping our features, our health, and our behavior, even in the sacrosanct realms of love and sex, religion, aging, and death. Yet we are the ones who house, perpetuate, and give the promise of immortality to these biological agents, our genetic gods. The link between genes and gods is hardly arbitrary, as the distinguished evolutionary geneticist John Avise reveals in this compelling book. In clear, straightforward terms, Avise reviews recent discoveries in molecular biology, evolutionary genetics, and human genetic engineering, and discusses the relevance of these findings to issues of ultimate concern traditionally reserved for mythology, theology, and religious faith.

The book explains how the genetic gods figure in our development--not just our metabolism and physiology, but even our emotional disposition, personality, ethical leanings, and, indeed, religiosity. Yet genes are physical rather than metaphysical entities. Having arisen via an amoral evolutionary process--natural selection--genes have no consciousness, no sentient code of conduct, no reflective concern about the consequences of their actions. It is Avise's contention that current genetic knowledge can inform our attempts to answer typically religious questions--about origins, fate, and meaning. The Genetic Gods challenges us to make the necessary connection between what we know, what we believe, and what we embody.

Customer Reviews (2)

Musings on Selfish Genes
John Avise presents a review of contemporary molecular biology which is quite accessible to the 'lay' reader with some prior exposure to the general area of evolutionary-genetics. The discussions are somewhat philosophically charged (i.e. they do not remain necessarily technical) and touch upon social, emotional, and theological issues too. However, there is no attempt at actively engaging the theistic implications of modern genetics; the book remains focussed on the biological & behavioural aspects.

Avise basically elaborates on notion of the "Selfish Gene" which seeks to 'immortalize' itself by using individuals as 'ephemeral' vehicles for perpetuation. Using this point of view, the book reviews the basic doctrines of genetics & evolution, the genesis & replication of life/genes, genetic disorders & benefits, gene replication strategies (including sexual reproduction & death), nature vs. nurture issues, and gene-therapy.

Avise's style is engaging, clear, & succint - and never pedantic. The accompanying glossary is very useful for non-biologists to fallback onto when reading the more technical sections. I only wish that the notes for each chapter had been foot-notes rather than being located to the end of the book (but this is a purely personal preference).

Overall I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in acquainting herself with recent advances in molecular biology, evolutionary genetics, and genetic engineering - and its implication to modern human thought, philosophy, and civilization.

Engaging exploration of genetics and attendant ethical issue
John Avise's engaging book is both an overview and an introduction to recent genetic research as well as an assessment of the social, ethical and religious ramifications stemming from our manipulation of the genetic code.The terminology is a little formidable in spots, and there is perhaps more genetics being explained here than most general readers would want, but these are minor obstacles when one considers the reward: listening to an expert talk about what's happening in genetics today while considering the implications.I was very impressed with Avise's level-headed and balanced assessment of the controversies.This is a sophisticated book, deeply considered and carefully expressed.

The author is the distinguished Professor of Genetics at the University of Georgia and an evolutionary biologist who really knows his stuff."The genetic gods" in the title is a metaphor of course--he even refers jokingly to "protein angels" on page 208--his point being that we are to some very real extent at the whims of our genes, just as the Greeks once thought they were at the whims of the gods on Mount Olympus.However don't imagine that Avise is presenting a genetic-centered reductionist approach in this book.He wants to emphasize that the genes are subtly, and sometimes not so subtly,influencing our lives, but that is far from the whole story.Avise suggests that the proper way to look at the culture verses genes debate is to think of culture as an "epigenetic phenomenon...itself a product of biological evolution," and that "genes and culture coevolve" (pp. 158-159).The environment shapes us, but we in turn condition the environment.As Avise expresses it, "the individual's mind to a considerable extent creates itself through the environments it conditions" (p. 159).In our attempt to understand how the mind works and to account for human behavior, Avise's states that a "myopically reductionist approach that neglects multiple levels of biological, personal, and social causation" is inadequate, as are "uncritical holistic approaches alone" (p. 165).

This just makes sense and it also makes moot the sometimes heated "culture verses genetics" debate, which is similar to the old "nature verses nurture" false dichotomy.Quite simply, how can we separate the effects and influence of the environment and culture from that of the genes, and vice versa?

Professor Avise does not shy away from a position on whether we should intervene genetically when something is amiss.While some people believe that "developing embryos are governed by intelligent and caring supernatural forces," Avise insists that "they are governed by natural gene-environment interactions that unfortunately can" go horribly awry as in the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome or in Down's syndrome (p. 199).In such cases, he asks, "Should we then take the reins?"His careful answer on the next page is yes, but with the understanding that "the interests of the individuals most closely involved...should take legal precedence over those of more distant parties."

Avise believes that ethical questions about genetic engineering should be considered by all members of society, not just scientists or theologians or lawyers (p. 202).He believes in a case-by-case appraisal (p. 201)."The only approach," he avers, "is that in which the moral authority of a god is asserted."He wryly observes, that since there is such a diversity of opinion, "any supernatural deity either has been strangely silent on such issues or else has conveyed vastly different messages to different listeners."

This book requires an effort on the part of the reader, there is no doubt about that.This is no breezy Time Magazine treatment.But I think what we can learn from Professor Avise on a topic of such overriding human interest is well worth the effort. ... Read more

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Discoveries by human genetic scientists in the fields of molecular genetics, phylogenetics, and behavioral genetics utilizing traditional scientific methods support the biological claims of the traditional church doctrine of original sin. ... Read more

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This book addresses well-known issues - the ethical, legal, and social implications of human genetics - but does so from an unusual perspective: the perspective of the scientific community itself. In distinction to what is common in the ELSI literature, the book also discusses bioethical method. A new kind of casuistry is developed on the basis of the empirical findings of cognitive semantics. It will be of interest to philosophers, bioethicists, geneticists, and policymakers.

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In this account of the development of human genetics written for non-scientists, the authors describe the story behind the scientific breakthrough and introduce the reader to the scientists who pioneered the work, examining its potential applications. They describe a world teeming with its own complexities, mysteries and surprises, and provide the reader with a clearer understanding of a controversial area of scientific research which has been greeted as heralding a promise of a better world, or vilified for leading to a nightmare age of genetic manipulation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Woodenly Conventional
When I first read this book, I thought it was a reasonableoverview of the ethical problems facing us in the world of biotechnology. However, on second thought (always a good idea to think twice!), the book represents EXACTLY what we expect to hear with regard to the topic. Little to no original material is presented, and there is no effort made to evaluate or even examine alternative points of view in the realm of ethics.Unsurprisingly, the tired and overused metaphor of the slippery slope - long the faithful friend of ethical doomsayers everywhere - rears its ugly head again here. The authors also take the attitude that they are explaining "common knowledge" just for the sake of getting it on paper, and seem immune to the idea that someone might do something so horribly vile as to - gasp! - support cloning.

The conclusions are painfully predictable: genetically modified foods might be dangerous to wild stocks, there is a moral gulf between somatic and germ-line gene therapy, cloning of humans is utterly immoral. Fewer knee-jerk emotional reactions and more critical thought on these topics - especially cloning - would be deeply appreciated by everyone. Many people are sick of hearing only one side of the issue presented as if the case is already closed. And the "Genethic Principle" paragraphs beginning each section make the book sound like a textbook, reinforcing the reader's conception that he is being instructed in something everyone already knows.

IMHO, the "dangers" of these biotechnologies are significant and should be appreciated, but have been vastly inflated by sensationalist media, public paranoia, and a few ill-advised experiments. Cloning especially is the victim of sensationalization (if indeed that is a word), and the maxim "Never clone humans!" is widely taken as basically gospel. In fact, there is little scientific evidence that cloning would present much of the famed danger, and it certainly isn't the threat to individuality people like to claim it is (what about environmental differences? what about identical twins?) And no, cloning couldn't be used to make a slavishly obedient army of mini-Hitlers bent on world domination, either.Try Gregory Pence's "Who's Afraid of Human Cloning?" or any Richard Dawkins article on the subject.... ... Read more

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One of the major themes of human population genetics isassaying genetic variation in human populations. The ultimate goal ofthis objective is to understand the extent of genetic diversity andthe use of this knowledge to reconstruct our evolutionary history. Thediscipline had undergone a revolutionary transition with the advent ofmolecular techniques in the 1980s. With this shift, statisticalmethods have also been developed to perceive the biological andmolecular basis of human genetic variation. Using the new perspectives gained during the above transition, thisvolume describes the applications of molecular markers spanning theautosomal, Y-chromosomal and mitochondrial genome in the analysis ofhuman diversity in contemporary populations. This is the firstreference book of its kind to bring together data from these diversesets of markers for understanding evolutionary histories andrelationships of modern humans in a single volume. ... Read more