Genetics For Dummies

A plain-English guide to this fascinating topic

Want to know more about genetics? This practical guide gets you up to speed on all the fundamentals and the most recent discoveries. From dominant and recessive inherited traits to the DNA double helix, you get clear explanations in easy-to-understand terms. Plus, you'll see how people are applying genetic science to fight disease, develop new products, solve crimes . . . and even clone cats.

-Jump into genetics — get the 411 on how genetic information is divvied up during cell division and how trait inheritance works

-Dig into DNA — discover how your DNA is put together, how it gets copied, and how the building plans for your body are encoded in the double helix

-Toast to health — understand how genetics affects your health and get the lowdown on the latest developments in genetic counseling, inherited diseases, genetics and cancer, and chromosome disorders

-Get in the know — learn about the impact of genetics on hot topics like population genetics, evolution, forensics, cloning, ethical issues, and more

Open the book and find:

-The basics of cell biology

-The laws of inheritance

-A plain-English explanation of traits

-The genetics of sex

-How DNA is replicated

-A tour of the double helix

-The genetics of diseases

-How gene therapy can treat genetic diseases

-The use of DNA to solve crimes

-Controversial topics in genetics

Learn to:

-Grasp the latest developments in genetics

-Understand the latest on stem cell research

-Get up to speed on molecular genetics, genetic counseling, and more

-Explore ethical issues as they apply to genetics

Part I: The Lowdown on Genetics: Just the Basics.

Chapter 1: What Genetics Is and Why You Need to Know Some.

Chapter 2: Basic Cell Biology.

Chapter 3: Visualize Peas: Discovering the Laws of Inheritance.

Chapter 4: Law Enforcement: Mendel’s Laws Applied to Complex Traits.

Chapter 5: Differences Matter: The Genetics of Sex.

Part II: DNA: The Genetic Material.

Chapter 6: DNA: The Basis of Life.

Chapter 7: Replication: Copying Your DNA.

Chapter 8: Sequencing Your DNA.

Chapter 9: RNA: DNA’s Close Cousin.

Chapter 10: Translating the Genetic Code.

Chapter 11: Gene Expression: What a Cute Pair of Genes.

Part III: Genetics and Your Health.

Chapter 12: Genetic Counseling.

Chapter 13: Mutation and Inherited Diseases: Things You Can't Change.

Chapter 14: Taking a Closer Look at the Genetics of Cancer.

Chapter 15: Chromosome Disorders: It’s All a Numbers Game.

Chapter 16: Treating Genetic Disorders with Gene Therapy.

Part IV: Genetics and Your World.

Chapter 17: Tracing Human History and the Future of the Planet.

Chapter 18: Solving Mysteries Using DNA.

Chapter 19: Genetic Makeovers: Fitting New Genes into Plants and Animals.

Chapter 20: Cloning: You’re One of a Kind.

Chapter 21: Giving Ethical Considerations Their Due.

Part V: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 22: Ten Defi ning Events in Genetics.

Chapter 23: Ten Hot Issues in Genetics.

Chapter 24: Ten Hard-to-Believe Genetics Stories.

Glossary.

Index.