The epigenetics revolution
Subtitle: how modern biology is rewriting our understanding of genetics, disease, and inheritance
By: Nessa Carey
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 339
ISBN-13: 9780231161169
Subjects: Genetic Epigenesis; Epigenomics; Molecular Evolution
Description: "Epigenetics can potentially revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on Earth. It explains why mapping an organism's genetic code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Surveying the twenty-year history of the field while also highlighting its latest findings and innovations, this volume provides a readily understandable introduction to the foundations of epigenetics. Nessa Carey, a leading epigenetics researcher, connects the field's arguments to such diverse phenomena as how ants and queen bees control their colonies; why tortoiseshell cats are always female; why some plants need cold weather before they can flower; and how our bodies age and develop disease. Reaching beyond biology, epigenetics now informs work on drug addiction, the long-term effects of famine, and the physical and psychological consequences of childhood trauma. Carey concludes with a discussion of the future directions for this research and its ability to improve human health and well-being."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: An ugly toad and an elegant man; title: How we learned to roll uphill; title: Life as we knew it; title: Life as we know it now; title: Why aren't identical twins actually identical?; title: The sins of the fathers; title: The generations game; title: The battle of the sexes; title: Generation x; title: The message is not the medium; title: Fighting the enemy within; title: All in the mind; title: The downhill slope; title: Long live the queen; title: The green revolution; title: The ways ahead.