Genetic Twists Of Fate

Author : Stanley Fields
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262518643
Total Pages : 236 pages
Book Rating : 4.42/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Genetic Twists of Fate written by Stanley Fields and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2013-02-08 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How tiny variations in our personal DNA can determine how we look, how we behave, how we get sick, and how we get well. News stories report almost daily on the remarkable progress scientists are making in unraveling the genetic basis of disease and behavior. Meanwhile, new technologies are rapidly reducing the cost of reading someone's personal DNA (all six billion letters of it). Within the next ten years, hospitals may present parents with their newborn's complete DNA code along with her footprints and APGAR score. In Genetic Twists of Fate, distinguished geneticists Stanley Fields and Mark Johnston help us make sense of the genetic revolution that is upon us. Fields and Johnston tell real life stories that hinge on the inheritance of one tiny change rather than another in an individual's DNA: a mother wrongly accused of poisoning her young son when the true killer was a genetic disorder; the screen siren who could no longer remember her lines because of Alzheimer's disease; and the president who was treated with rat poison to prevent another heart attack. In an engaging and accessible style, Fields and Johnston explain what our personal DNA code is, how a few differences in its long list of DNA letters makes each of us unique, and how that code influences our appearance, our behavior, and our risk for such common diseases as diabetes or cancer.

Author : Robert Plomin
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262357763
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.60/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Blueprint, with a new afterword written by Robert Plomin and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2019-07-16 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A top behavioral geneticist makes the case that DNA inherited from our parents at the moment of conception can predict our psychological strengths and weaknesses. In Blueprint, behavioral geneticist Robert Plomin describes how the DNA revolution has made DNA personal by giving us the power to predict our psychological strengths and weaknesses from birth. A century of genetic research shows that DNA differences inherited from our parents are the consistent lifelong sources of our psychological individuality—the blueprint that makes us who we are. Plomin reports that genetics explains more about the psychological differences among people than all other factors combined. Nature, not nurture, is what makes us who we are. Plomin explores the implications of these findings, drawing some provocative conclusions—among them that parenting styles don't really affect children's outcomes once genetics is taken into effect. This book offers readers a unique insider's view of the exciting synergies that came from combining genetics and psychology. The paperback edition has a new afterword by the author.

Author : Pamela Munster
Publisher : The Experiment
ISBN 13 : 1615194789
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.80/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Twisting Fate written by Pamela Munster and published by The Experiment. This book was released on 2018-09-25 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a woman who’s made her living researching breast cancer—and who lived through it herself—a personal yet practical guide to the medical and emotional facets of this life-changing diagnosis A leading oncologist at the University of California San Francisco, Dr. Pamela Munster has advised thousands of women on how to cope with the realities of breast cancer, from diagnosis through treatment and recovery. But her world turned upside down when, at forty-eight years old and in otherwise perfect health, she got a call saying that her own mammogram showed “irregularities.” That single word thrust her into a wholly new role—as patient, and not only that of cancer but of the feared BRCA gene mutation as well. Suddenly, she realized that being a true “expert” in a disease was far beyond the scope of her medical training, and that she had a lot to learn if she wanted to hold onto her precious life. Weaving together her personal story with groundbreaking research on BRCA—responsible for breast cancer and many other inherited cancers affecting both women and men—Twisting Fate is an inspiring guide to living with the uncertainties of cancer. With authority, insight, and compassion, Dr. Munster uses her voice to create a safe space for genuine healing and honesty in a world otherwise too-often dominated by fear—and she is living proof of how important it is to embrace all the twists and turns of fate.

Author : Carles Lalueza-Fox
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262046784
Total Pages : 187 pages
Book Rating : 4.87/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Inequality written by Carles Lalueza-Fox and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2022-02-01 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How genomics reveals deep histories of inequality, going back many thousands of years. Inequality is an urgent global concern, with pundits, politicians, academics, and best-selling books all taking up its causes and consequences. In Inequality, Carles Lalueza-Fox offers an entirely new perspective on the subject, examining the genetic marks left by inequality on humans throughout history. Lalueza-Fox describes genetic studies, made possible by novel DNA sequencing technologies, that reveal layers of inequality in past societies, manifested in patterns of migration, social structures, and funerary practices. Through their DNA, ancient skeletons have much to tell us, yielding anonymous stories of inequality, bias, and suffering. Lalueza-Fox, a leader in paleogenomics, offers the deep history of inequality. He explores the ancestral shifts associated with migration and describes the gender bias unearthed in these migrations—the brutal sexual asymmetries, for example, between male European explorers and the women of Latin America that are revealed by DNA analysis. He considers social structures, and the evidence that high social standing was inherited—the ancient world was not a meritocracy. He untangles social and genetic factors to consider whether wealth is an advantage in reproduction, showing why we are more likely to be descended from a king than a peasant. And he explores the effects of ancient inequality on the human gene pool. Marshaling a range of evidence, Lalueza-Fox shows that understanding past inequalities is key to understanding present ones.

Author : Ian McGonigle
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262542943
Total Pages : 221 pages
Book Rating : 4.44/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Genomic Citizenship written by Ian McGonigle and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2021-08-24 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An anthropological study based on ethnographic work in Israel and Qatar explores the relationship between science, particularly genetics, and national identity. Based on ethnographic work in Israel and Qatar, two small Middle Eastern ethnonations with significant biomedical resources, Genomic Citizenship explores the relationship between science and identity. Ian McGonigle, originally trained as a biochemist, draws on anthropological theory, STS, intellectual history, critical theory, Middle Eastern studies, cultural studies, and critical legal studies. He connects biomedical research on ethnic populations to the political, economic, legal, and historical context of the state; to global trends in genetic medicine; and to the politics of identity in the context of global biomedical research. Genomic Citizenship is more an anthropology of scientific objects than an anthropology of scientists or an ethnography of the laboratory. McGonigle bases his untraditional project on traditional anthropological methods, including participant observation. Some of the most persuasive data in the book are from public records, legal and historical sources, published scientific papers, institutional reports, websites, and brochures. McGonigle discusses biological understandings of Jewishness, especially in relation to the intellectual history of Zionism and Jewish political thought, and considers the possibility of a novel application of genetics in assigning Israeli citizenship. He also describes developments in genetic medicine in Qatar and analyzes the Qatari Biobank in the context of Qatari nationalism and state-building projects. Considering possible consequences of findings on the diverse origins of the Qatari population for tribal identities, he argues that the nation cannot be defined as either a purely natural or biological entity. Rather, it is reified, reinscribed, and refracted through genomic research and discourse.

Author : Simon Mawer
Publisher : Other Press, LLC
ISBN 13 : 1590516249
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.49/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Mendel's Dwarf written by Simon Mawer and published by Other Press, LLC. This book was released on 2012-12-11 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like his great-great-great-uncle, geneticist Gregor Mendel, Dr. Benedict Lambert struggles to unlock the secrets of heredity and genetic determinism. However, Benedict's mission is particularly urgent and particularly personal, for he was born with achondroplasia--he's a dwarf. He's also a man desperate for love and acceptance, and when he finds both in Jean, a shy librarian, he stumbles upon an opportunity to correct the injustice of his own, at least to him, unlucky genes. Entertaining and tender, this witty and surprisingly erotic novel reveals the beauty and drama of scientific inquiry as it informs us of the simple passions against which even the most brilliant mind is rendered powerless.

Author : Amy Boesky
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421410974
Total Pages : 356 pages
Book Rating : 4.75/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Story Within written by Amy Boesky and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2013-10-10 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A compelling collection of essays that address the experiences of many who have genetically based illnesses.” —Library Journal The contributors to The Story Within share powerful experiences of living with genetic disorders. Their stories illustrate the complexities involved in making decisions about genetic diseases: whether to be tested, who to tell, whether to have children, and whether and how to treat children medically, if treatment is available. More broadly, they consider how genetic information shapes the ways we see ourselves, the world, and our actions within it. People affected by genetic disease respond to such choices in varied ways. These writers reflect that breadth of response, yet they share the desire to challenge a restricted sense of what “health” is or whose life has value. They write hoping to expand conversations about genetics and identity—to deepen debate and generate questions. They or their families are affected by Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, genetic deafness or blindness, schizophrenia, cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, fragile X, or Fanconi anemia. All of their stories remind us that genetic health is complicated, dynamic, and above all, deeply personal. Contributors include: Misha Angrist, Amy Boesky, Kelly Cupo, Michael Downing, Clare Dunsford, Mara Faulkner, Christine Kehl O’Hagan, Charlie Pierce, Kate Preskenis, Emily Rapp, Jennifer Rosner, Joanna Rudnick, Anabel Stenzel, Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, Laurie Strongin, Patrick Tracey, Alice Wexler

Author : Robin Jequier
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 : 9781720860242
Total Pages : 428 pages
Book Rating : 4.46/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Gene Deal written by Robin Jequier and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-07-11 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is 2001 and Capsella-Biotech, a genetic research firm operating in Berlin and New Jersey, has joined the international race to complete the first ever map of the human genome. Controlled by a disturbed Afghan war veteran Dr Alexander Grishin, the firm's unique research technology puts it ahead of the others. Ambitious financier Guy Shepherd is hired to invest in Capsella-Biotech, but he uncovers something sinister. He takes dangerous risks to prevent suspected abuse of genetic engineering, and rouses the anger of his boss as well as the brutal ministrations of the unstable Dr Grishin. When Guy's girlfriend goes missing in New York following the 9/11 attacks, can he discover her fate, settle his differences with her father and work out a plan to prevent wholesale catastrophe? With a psychic element added to the mix, this is a powerful tale of science, high finance and greed. www.robinjequier.com

Author : Eugene Thacker
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 9780262250306
Total Pages : 450 pages
Book Rating : 4.06/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Global Genome written by Eugene Thacker and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2006-09-08 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How global biotechnology is redefining "life itself." In the age of global biotechnology, DNA can exist as biological material in a test tube, as a sequence in a computer database, and as economically valuable information in a patent. In The Global Genome, Eugene Thacker asks us to consider the relationship of these three entities and argues that—by their existence and their interrelationships—they are fundamentally redefining the notion of biological life itself. Biological science and the biotech industry are increasingly organized at a global level, in large part because of the use of the Internet in exchanging biological data. International genome sequencing efforts, genomic databases, the development of World Intellectual Property policies, and the "borderless" business of biotech are all evidence of the global intersections of biology and informatics—of genetic codes and computer codes. Thacker points out the internal tension in the very concept of biotechnology: the products are more "tech" than "bio," but the technology itself is fully biological, composed of the biomaterial labor of genes, proteins, cells, and tissues. Is biotechnology a technology at all, he asks, or is it a notion of "life itself" that is inseparable from its use in the biotech industry? The three sections of the book cover the three primary activities of biotechnology today: the encoding of biological materials into digital form—as in bioinformatics and genomics; its recoding in various ways—including the "biocolonialism" of mapping genetically isolated ethnic populations and the newly pervasive concern over "biological security"; and its decoding back into biological materiality—as in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Thacker moves easily from science to philosophy to political economics, enlivening his account with ideas from such thinkers as Georges Bataille, Georges Canguilhem, Michel Foucault, Antonio Negri, and Paul Virilio. The "global genome," says Thacker, makes it impossible to consider biotechnology without the context of globalism.

Author : Robin Hobb
Publisher : Spectra
ISBN 13 : 0553898728
Total Pages : 881 pages
Book Rating : 4.29/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Fool's Fate written by Robin Hobb and published by Spectra. This book was released on 2004-02-03 with total page 881 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Complex . . . an atmosphere-filled adventure . . . with a fair quota of surprises . . . a winning combination of strong characters and colorful societies.”—Kirkus Reviews In the final book in the Tawny Man Trilogy, Fitz and the Fool are tested more severely than ever in a book the Monroe News-Star calls “a breathtaking ride from beginning to end.” FitzChivalry Farseer has become firmly ensconced in the queen’s court. Along with his mentor, Chade, and the simpleminded yet strongly skilled Thick, Fitz strives to aid Prince Dutiful on a quest that could secure peace with the Out Islands—and win Dutiful the hand of the Narcheska Elliania. The Narcheska has set the prince an unfathomable task: to behead a dragon trapped in ice on the isle of Aslevjal. Yet not all the clans of the Out Islands support their effort. Are there darker forces at work behind Elliania’s demand? Knowing that the Fool has foretold he will die on the island of ice, Fitz plots to leave his dearest friend behind. But fate cannot so easily be defied.