Genetics for Dummies

INTRODUCTION: Genetics affects every aspect of life on earth. As a science, it’s one of the fastest growing fields because it has untold potential — for good and for ill. Although complicated and diverse, all genetics comes down to basic principles of heredity and how DNA is put together. So it turns out that genetics, in many ways, is surprisingly accessible. Genetics is a bit like taking a peek behind a movie’s special effects to find a deceptively simple and elegant system running the whole show. I may sound like a geek, but genetics is my favorite subject. If you’d told me I’d end up feeling this way when I took my first genetics course, I would have laughed. At first, I hated genetics (and I barely passed!). But as I learned more, I was hooked. Now, my career follows the genetics of birds in hopes of helping to conserve the natural beauty that makes our world such a wonderful place to be. In the pages to come, I hope that I communicate my genuine enthusiasm for this fascinating subject so that you, too, can appreciate the marvels of this complex science. ABOUT THIS BOOK: Genetics For Dummies is an overview of the entire field of genetics. My goal is to explain each topic in such a way that anyone, even someone without any genetics background at all, can follow the subject and understand how it works. In an effort to make the book as current as possible, I’ve included many examples from the frontiers of research. I’ve also made sure that the book has detailed coverage of some of the hottest topics that you hear about in the news: cloning, gene therapy, and forensics. Most genetics texts don’t cover these subjects in depth, if at all. I’ve also addressed the practical side of genetics: how it affects your health and the world around you. In short, this book is designed to be a solid introduction to genetics basics as well as to provide some details on the subject. حق تکثیر: 2005 Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada