Acknowledgments -- List of contributors -- Preface : Why is genetics important? -- ch. 1. What are genes? -- DNA -- DNA can be specifically stained and observed in cells -- DNA determines genetic properties in bacteria -- DNA is a double helix -- Transfer of genetic information to progeny -- DNA can be replicated in the test tube -- Summary -- Try this at home : extract DNA from vegetables in your kitchen -- Box 1.1 : PCR and identification -- ch. 2. Inheritance of single-gene traits -- Plants are good organisms for the study of inheritance -- Genes do not blend -- Rules of inheritance -- Behavior of chromosomes -- The Punnett square -- Incomplete dominance -- Sex is also determined by inheritance rules -- Summary -- ch. 3. Mendelian traits in humans -- Blood types -- Sex-linked traits : hemophilia -- Sex-linked traits : color blindness -- Prostate and breast cancer -- Genetic metabolic diseases -- Sickle-cell anemia -- Hemochromatosis -- Another sex-influenced trait : male pattern baldness -- Dominant genetic diseases -- Pedigree analysis -- Summary -- Try this at home : pedigree game -- Box 3.1 : Warning on diet products. ch. 4. From genes to phenotype -- Transcription -- Translation -- Changes in DNA modify the amino acid sequences of proteins -- Gene regulation -- Summary -- Try this at home : DNA replication, transcription, and translation game -- Box 4.1 : Why people are saving their babies' cord blood -- ch. 5. Using bacteria as protein factories -- Tools for manufacturing proteins -- Using restriction enzymes and plasmids to clone a gene -- Producing human proteins in E. coli -- Medically important human proteins made in E. coli -- Summary -- ch. 6. Genetically modified plants -- What are genetically modified organisms (GMOs)? -- Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer -- Biolistics -- Genetic modifications -- Genetically modified nonfood plants -- Ecological issues -- Labeling issues and food safety -- Summary -- Box 6.1 : Detecting foreign genes in genetically modified plants -- ch. 7. When things go wrong -- Errors in chromosome number -- Multiple sets of chromosomes -- Looking at our chromosomes -- Changes in the DNA base sequence -- Triplet repeat errors -- Summary. ch. 8. Mutagens, teratogens, and human reproduction -- Spontaneous mutations -- Mutagens -- How do we detect mutagens? -- Teratogens -- Human reproduction -- Summary -- Box 8.1 : Why there were few thalidomide-caused birth defects in the United States -- ch. 9. Linkage and mapping : gene discovery -- There are many genes on each chromosome -- Independent assortment of genes -- Linkage -- Recombination -- Linkage to a DNA marker -- The human genome project and others -- Discovering disease genes in humans -- Summary -- Try this at home : independent assortment of chromosomes and the making of a unique individual -- Try this at home : Explore genetics databases -- Box 9.1 : Identifying disease genes using restriction fragment length polymorphism -- Box 9.2 : Identifying a disease-resistance gene in barley through map-based cloning. ch. 10. Genetics of populations and genetic testing -- Why don't we observe 3 to 1 rations of dominant versus recessive traits in populations? -- Predicting the genotype of the next generation using the Punnett square -- Conditions for observing constant gene and genotype frequencies -- Another application of the Hardy-Weinberg law -- Predicting gene frequency for a recessive trait -- Gene frequencies vary in different populations -- Newborn testing and conditional probability -- Predicting genotype frequency for sex-linked traits -- Summary -- ch. 11. Survival of the fittest? -- What is meant by fitness? -- Selection requires variation -- Selection can result in reduced genetic diversity -- Natural selection determined skin color in humans -- Fitness depends upon the environment -- Selection and antibiotic-resistant bacteria -- Heterozygous advantage -- Why do dominant genetic diseases exist? -- Small populations -- Summary -- Box 11.1 : DNA sequences provide clues to human evolution : the founder effect in prehistoric Africa -- Try this at home : Demonstrations of the effects of small population size. ch. 12. Nature versus nurture -- Polygenic traits are addictive -- Polygenic traits exhibit continuous variation in phenotype -- Polygenic traits are influenced by the environment -- Measuring variance in traits and estimating heritability -- Twin studies are helpful in studying polygenic traits in humans -- Quantitative traits in medicine and agriculture -- Summary -- ch. 13. Genetically modified animals and the applications of gene technology for humans -- Cloing animals by the nuclear-transfer technique -- Genetically modifying animals using embryonic stem cells -- Uses of genetically modified animals -- Human gene therapy -- Human reproductive cloning -- Human therapeutic cloning -- Summary -- Appendix A : Internet resources -- Appendix B : Glossary of scientific names of organisms -- Appendix C : Glossary of human genetic diseases -- Appendix D : Glossary of terms -- Index.