Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
SECTION 1: The Basics of Heredity
1. Slaying Molecular Dragons: Brenda’s Tale
2. The Answer in a Nutshell: Genes, Proteins, and the Basis of Life
3. Mendel and the Concept of the Gene
4. Human Mendelian Genetics
5. One Man’s Trait Is Another Man’s Disease
SECTION 2: The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology
6. DNA: The Genetic Alphabet
7. The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology: How Genes Encode Proteins
8. Splicing the Modular Gene
9. Orchestrating the Human Genome
SECTION 3: How Chromosomes Move
10. So What are Chromosomes Anyway?
11. How Cells Move Your Genes Around
12. Passing Genes Between Generations
13. The Chromosomal Basis of Heredity
SECTION 4: Mutation
14. Absent Essentials and Monkey Wrenches
15. How We Detect Mutations
16. We Are All Mutants
17. What Constitutes Normal?
18. Mutations in Mammoth Genes
19. Expanded Repeat Traits
SECTION 5: Genes, Chromosomes, and Sex
20. The X and Y Chromosomes: The Odd Couple
21. Genetics of Sex, Gender, and Orientation
22. Aneuploidy: When Too Much or Too Little Counts
SECTION 6: Breaking the Rules
23. Imprinting
24. Imitating Heredity: One Trait, Many Causes
SECTION 7: The Human Genome Landscape
25. The Human Genome Project
26. There’s Cloning and Then There’s Cloning
27. The Human Genome Sequence
28. Finding Genes in the Human Genome
SECTION 8: Complex and Heterogeneous Traits
29. Genotype Phenotype Correlations
30. How Complex Can It Get?
31. Quantitative Traits
32. The MAOA Gene: Is There a Genetic Basis for Criminality?
33. The Multiple-Hit Hypothesis: The Genetics of Cancer
SECTION 9: Genetic Testing and Therapy
34. Genetic Testing and Screening
35. Magic Bullets: The Potential for Gene Therapy
SECTION 10: Fears, Faith, and Fantasies
36. Heroes Among Us
37. Fears, Faith, and Fantasies