The Genome Generation

The year 2001 marked more than just the beginning of Stanley Kubrick's Space Odyssey, it marked the beginning of the genome era. That was the year scientists first read the 3 billion letters of DNA that make up the human genome. This was followed by a veritable Noah's Ark of genomesandmdash;sponges and worms, dogs and cows, rice and wheat, chimps and elephantsandmdash;180 creatures aboard so far. So what have we learned from all this? How has it changed the way we practise medicine, grow crops and breed livestock? What have we learned about evolution? These are the questions science writer and molecular biologist Elizabeth Finkel asked herself four years ago. To find the answers she travelled the science frontier from Botswana to Boston, from Warracknabeal to Mexico and tracked down scientists working in the field. Their stories, told here, paint the picture of what it means to be part of the genome generation. 'The Genome Generation is absolutely riveting. These tales from the frontier are a 'must read' for everyone who wishes to understand our pastandmdash;the logic of evolutionandmdash;or take a peep into our exciting future at the creation of 'super plants' through 'digital agriculture'.'andmdash;R.A. Mashelkar, CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow and India President, Global Research Alliance

Written by an international team of experts, Somatic Genome Variation presents a timely summary of the latest understanding of somatic genome development and variation in plants, animals, and microorganisms. Wide-ranging in coverage, the authors provide an updated view of somatic genomes and genetic theories while also offering interpretations of somatic genome variation. The text provides geneticists, bioinformaticians, biologist, plant scientists, crop scientists, and microbiologists with a valuable overview of this fascinating field of research.

Featuring extensive references, updated for this paperback edition, Longevity, Senescence, and the Genome constitutes a landmark contribution to biomedicine and the evolutionary biology of aging. To enhance gerontology's focus on human age-related dysfunctions, Caleb E. Finch provides a comparative review of all the phyla of organisms, broadening gerontology to intersect with behavioral, developmental, evolutionary, and molecular biology. By comparing species that have different developmental and life spans, Finch proposes an original typology of senescence from rapid to gradual to negligible, and he provides the first multiphyletic calculations of mortality rate constants.

Cheap and plentiful genome sequence data is transforming biology, and will surely transform systematics. This volume explores how.

Genetic Transparency? tackles the question of who has, or should have access to personal genomic information. Genomics experts and scholars from the humanities and social sciences discuss the changes in interpersonal relationships, human self-understandings, ethics, law, and the health systems.

The popular introduction to the genomic revolution for non-scientists—the revised and updated new edition Welcome to the Genome is an accessible, up-to-date introduction to genomics—the interdisciplinary field of biology focused on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of an organism's complete set of DNA. Written for non-experts, this user-friendly book explains how genomes are sequenced and explores the discoveries and challenges of this revolutionary technology. Genomics is a mixture of many fields, including not only biology, engineering, computer science, and mathematics, but also social sciences and humanities. This unique guide addresses both the science of genomics and the ethical, moral, and social questions that rise from the technology. There have been many exciting developments in genomics since this book's first publication. Accordingly, the second edition of Welcome to the Genome offers substantial new and updated content to reflect recent major advances in genome-level sequencing and analysis, and demonstrates the vast increase in biological knowledge over the past decade. New sections cover next-generation technologies such as Illumina and PacBio sequencing, while expanded chapters discuss controversial ethical and philosophical issues raised by genomic technology, such as direct-to-consumer genetic testing. An essential resource for understanding the still-evolving genomic revolution, this book: Introduces non-scientists to basic molecular principles and illustrates how they are shaping the genomic revolution in medicine, biology, and conservation biology Explores a wide range of topics within the field such as genetic diversity, genome structure, genetic cloning, forensic genetics, and more Includes full-color illustrations and topical examples Presents material in an accessible, user-friendly style, requiring no expertise in genomics Discusses past discoveries, current research, and future possibilities in the field Sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History, Welcome to the Genome: A User's Guide to the Genetic Past, Present, and Future is a must-read book for anyone interested in the scientific foundation for understanding the development and evolutionary heritage of all life.

Rigor and Reproducibility in Genetics and Genomics: Peer-reviewed, Published, Cited provides a full methodological and statistical overview for researchers, clinicians, students, and post-doctoral fellows conducting genetic and genomic research. Here, active geneticists, clinicians, and bioinformaticists offer practical solutions for a variety of challenges associated with several modern approaches in genetics and genomics, including genotyping, gene expression analysis, epigenetic analysis, GWAS, EWAS, genomic sequencing, and gene editing. Emphasis is placed on rigor and reproducibility throughout, with each section containing laboratory case-studies and classroom activities covering step-by-step protocols, best practices, and common pitfalls. Specific genetic and genomic technologies discussed include microarray analysis, DNA-seq, RNA-seq, Chip-Seq, methyl-seq, CRISPR gene editing, and CRISPR-based genetic analysis. Training exercises, supporting data, and in-depth discussions of rigor, reproducibility, and ethics in research together deliver a solid foundation in research standards for the next generation of genetic and genomic scientists. Provides practical approaches and step-by-step protocols to strengthen genetic and genomic research conducted in the laboratory or classroom Presents illustrative case studies and training exercises, discussing common pitfalls and solutions for genotyping, gene expression analysis, epigenetic analysis, GWAS, genomic sequencing, and gene editing, among other genetic and genomic approaches Examines best practices for microarray analysis, DNA-seq, RNA-seq, gene expression validation, Chip-Seq, methyl-seq, CRISPR gene editing, and CRISPR-based genetic analysis Written to provide trainees and educators with highly applicable tools and strategies to learn or refine a method toward identifying meaningful results with high confidence in their reproducibility

This book reviews the latest advances in multiple fields of plant biotechnology and the opportunities that plant genetics, genomics and molecular biology have offered for agriculture improvement. Advanced technologies can dramatically enhance our capacity in understanding the molecular basis of traits and utilizing the available resources for accelerated development of high yielding, nutritious, input-use efficient and climate-smart crop varieties. In this book, readers will discover the significant advances in plant genetics, structural and functional genomics, trait and gene discovery, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, nanotechnology and analytical & decision support tools in breeding. This book appeals to researchers, academics and other stakeholders of global agriculture.