Advanced Genetic Analysis: Finding Meaning in a Genome [Paperback]

R. Scott Hawley (Author), Michelle Y. Walker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1405103361 | ISBN-13: 978-1405103367 | Publication Date: January 2003 | Edition: 1

Advanced Genetic Analysis brings a state-of-the-art, exciting new approach to genetic analysis. Focusing on the underlying principles of modern genetic analysis, this book provides the 'how' and 'why' of the essential analytical tools needed. The author's vibrant, accessible style provides an easy guide to difficult genetic concepts, from mutation and gene function to gene mapping and chromosome segregation. Throughout, a balanced range of model organisms and timely examples are used to illustrate the theoretical basics.

• Basic principles - Focuses students attention on the 'how' and 'why' of the essential analytical tools.
  
• Vibrant, accessible style provides an easy guide through difficult genetic concepts and techniques.
  
• Text boxes highlight key questions and timely examples.
  
• Boxes of key information in each chapter, chapter summaries and extensive references - prompt the student to synthesise and reinforce the chapter material.
  
• Special reference section addressing a range of model organisms to help provide a particularly relevant context for students' research interests.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...succeeds in provoking students to think like geneticists...its emphasis on foundational principles sets it apart from many of its contemporaries. I heartily recommend it. Although the book is intended for advanced undergraduates, its analytical approach, combined with a strong emphasis on principles, could lend itself to reading by first-year students." Paul B. Rainey, Times Higher Education Supplement, March 2004

"Necessarily the text is detailed and highly technical in content, but the literary style is direct, lively and personal...Overall, this book is an accessible and well-presented reference resource." Chris Clegg, Journal of Biological Education, August 2003

"This is a book that you will want to own. It is the only text in which I have found definitive explanations of several key concepts that are presented in the course. The primary author, Scott Hawley, is an accomplished Drosophila geneticist who takes the education of new geneticists very seriously." Steve Mount, University of Maryland

"Geneticists are certain to go on devising further ingenious screens and methods for analysis, exploiting advances in technology and novel ideas, but always building on the same basic strategies. This book should help to inspire new and deeper experimentation; I recommend it strongly to any serious practitioner of genetics, and particularly to any graduate student embarking on research in genetics." Jonathan Hodgkin, University of Oxford, BioEssays, June 2004

Book Description

Advanced Genetic Analysis brings a state-of-the-art, exciting new approach to genetic analysis. Focusing on the underlying principles of modern genetic analysis, this book provides the 'how' and 'why' of the essential analytical tools needed. The author's vibrant, accessible style provides an easy guide to difficult genetic concepts, from mutation and gene function to gene mapping and chromosome segregation. Throughout, a balanced range of model organisms and timely examples are used to illustrate the theoretical basics.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405103361
• ISBN-13: 978-1405103367
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.6 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent textbook for the research scientist, February 2, 2006

By 

Brent Cochran (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Advanced Genetic Analysis: Finding Meaning in a Genome (Paperback)

This is the first book I've encountered that discusses genetics from the point of view of the research scientist. I use it in my first year graduate genetics class. For instance, chapter 2 is entirely devoted to mutant hunts. Another chapter covers extragenic suppressors- even allele specific suppression. Chapter 5 covers epistasis and mosaic analysis. Alas, there is even a comprehensible discussion of LOD scores. This is all great stuff that any geneticist will love.

However, any book falls short on something. The emphasis is on non-mammalian model organisms. Thus, there is very little discussion of the use and pitfalls of dominant negatives and RNAi and no discussion of gene targeting in mice. The book would also benefit by a discussion of modern genomic methods.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding text, October 16, 2008

By 

spoethig (Philly, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Advanced Genetic Analysis: Finding Meaning in a Genome (Paperback)

This is an outstanding textbook for a course in (surprise) Advanced Genetic Analysis. As previous reviewers have indicated, it is a book any practicing geneticist should love. It describes the logic, and well as the methodology of genetic analysis, and provides brief descriptions of various model organisms (including Arabidopsis!). Furthermore, the writing is beautiful--Hawley and Walker should be complemented for producing a genetics textbook that is both entertaining to read as well as informative. My only complaint is that it is too brief and a little uneven. Some topics are missing or are dealt with in only a few sentences (e.g. positional cloning/molecular markers, genetic analysis of natural variation, mapping tools such as RILs) and others (meiotic recombination--the author's specialty) receive a bit too much emphasis. Hopefully, these minor flaws will be corrected in a new edition. I wish I had stumbled across this text when it first came out. It would have saved me a lot of photocopying.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent text for grad level genetics, May 14, 2008

By 

Y. Chen (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Advanced Genetic Analysis: Finding Meaning in a Genome (Paperback)

This is an excellent, concise text for classical genetics. While most introductory texts like "Introduction to Genetic Analysis" is 90% molecular biology and 10% genetics, this book assumes that the reader has enough background to skip the usual obligatory exposition on DNA and translation, etc., and jumps straight to topics such as designing mutagenesis screens and epistatic analysis. This book is particularly strong in presenting genetics formalism to new students, and concepts usually glossed over in other texts (eg. dominant/recessive alleles, complementation) are explained in great detail, and possible pitfalls in experiment or interpretation are frequently discussed.
Researchers and students working on specific model organisms may find this book a little too general, but it is the perfect text for new grad students interested in genetics.