| The
Bluffer's Guide to Genetics |
| By
Gwen Acton |
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| Extracts
from the book |
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| A
snip off the old block |
| Geneticists,
like most scientists, love to use complicated terminology in what
might otherwise be perfectly straightforward explanations. So, throw
out a few choice terms, such as SNPs (pronounced 'snips') and therapeutic
cloning, follow some simple bluffing strategies, such as avoiding
certain topics altogether, and you will be well on your way to improving
your social prospects. |
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| Every
sperm is sacred |
| Fast
forward to the 1700s when Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek
(Lay-van-hook) was able to use an early microscope to study sperm.
What he saw convinced him that each sperm contained a 'homunculus',
a very tiny version of a human curled up inside (which is not far
off when you come to think of it). This led to a movement called
the spermists ... |
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| Blessed
are the peas makers |
| Mendel
mated (but always say crossed) male green peas with female yellow
peas, and female green peas with male yellow peas. He discovered
that these so-called reciprocal crosses didn’t make a darned
bit of difference to the outcome. |
|
| DNA
- Do Not Attempt at home |
| ...
technology had progressed to the point where it was possible to
contemplate deciphering the complete human 'Book of Life'. To give
some sense of the enormity of the project, make the point that it
would take about 100 years to read out loud (without stopping) all
the bases in a person's genome sequence if you read one base per
second. |
|
| I
say tomato you say Flavr Savr tomato |
| In
1994, the first genetically modified (GM) food product, the Flavr
Savr tomato, gained approval for sale in the United States. Its
modification was that one of the ripening genes was turned off,
resulting in firmer, more flavourful tomatoes that could be left
on the vine longer before shipping and still show up intact on the
grocery shelves. |
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| Reviews |
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| Table
of Contents |
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Introduction
Early history
Greek guesses
Births and blends
The marvel that was Mendel
Nature versus nurture
Genes
DNA basics
DNA unravelled
Packing DNA
How genes work, or don't
Later history
Heredity heretics
The basis of bases
The molecular era
The human genome project
Playing with genes
Forms of genes
Two are better than one
Determinedly dominant
The eyes have it
Changeable genes
Genetic relations
All in the family
The end of privacy
Reading human history
Genghis Khan's kin
Engineering genes
Genetically modified crops
Designer babies
Cloning
Dolly
Stem cells
Genetic research
Human genetics
Pedigrees
Diseases
Population genetics
The measure of genes
Fitness
Buddy chromosomes
Mighty mitochondria
Sex chromosomes
Sex linkage
Inactivating Xs
Altered chromosomes
Topics to avoid
Glossary
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Fortune
Telling
