Since its inception, this book has been known for its engaging writing style and its focus on the key concepts in genetics.
By presenting these key concepts clearly and by helping students make connections between them, Pierce enables students to study the big picture of genetics. The fourth edition includes new coverage on epigenetics, the first synthetic organism, our relationship to Neanderthals, microRNAs, and many other updates and recent discoveries.
The popular Chapter-Opening Stories engage students with interesting real-life examples and have been updated. Almost half the stories are new, including new stories on "The Strange Case of Platypus Sex", "Death Cap Poisoning", "Helping the Blind to See" and more. The end-of-chapter problems have also been revised and updated, giving students great new exercises to test their understanding.
The text is supported by a companion website which provides helpful problem-solving videos and interactive animated tutorials and podcasts on key concepts and processes.
Introduction to Genetics
Chromosomes and Cellular Reproduction
Basic Principles of Heredity
Sex Determination and Sex-Linked Characteristics
Extensions and Modifications of Basic Principles
Pedigree Analysis, Applications, and Genetic Testing
Quantitative Genetics
Linkage, Recombination, and Eukaryotic Gene Mapping
Bacterial and Viral Genetic Systems
Chromosome Variation
DNA: The Chemical Nature of the Gene
Chromosome Structure and Transposable Elements
DNA Replication and Recombination
Transcription
RNA Molecules and RNA Processing
The Genetic Code and Translation
Control of Gene Expression in Prokaryotes
Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes
Gene Mutations and DNA Repair
Molecular Genetic Analysis and Biotechnology
Genomics and Proteomics
Organelle DNA
Developmental Genetics and Immunogenetics
Cancer Genetics
Population Genetics
Evolutionary Genetics
Reference Guide to Model Genetic Organisms
BENJAMIN PIERCE is Professor of Biology and holder of the Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair at Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas, USA. He is a population geneticist who conducts ecological and evolutionary research on amphibians. Ben has authored a number of articles in research journals and several other books, including: The Family Genetics Sourcebook; Genetics Essentials; and Transmission and Population Genetics. He is a member of the steering committee of the 21st Century Science Coalition, a group of scientists who support strong science standards for Texas public schools; the President of the Texas Academy of Science; and a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. He also currently serves on the editorial board of Bioscience. Ben has received research and teaching grants from the Natural Science Foundation, the W. M. Keck Foundation, the 3M Foundation, the National Park Service, the Williamson County Conservation Foundation, and the National Geographic Society.