Human Heredity : Principles and Issues (with InfoTrac)

Book Description
The clear, readable, concise, highly polished and refined writing is a traditional strength of HUMAN HEREDITY: PRINCIPLES AND ISSUES. Complex topics and important concepts are presented with great clarity and precise logic, without oversimplifying the topic. In this beautifully illustrated and thoroughly revised new edition, Michael Cummings guides students toward understanding the hows and whys of genetic topics and new discoveries. Using an accessible writing style to explain complex concepts, Cummings includes the right balance of detail at the right level for nonscience students. In addition, he helps student see the social, cultural, and ethical implications associated with the use of genetic technology. In light of the recent developments in these fields (completion of the human genome), Cummings has incorporated such newly acquired "knowledge" and the resulting modern methods and& technology not only in Chapter 13, but also throughout the book, wherever applicable, as a kind of "thematic update." (Before, genetics was research/experiment-driven. Now, it has become data-driven, hence the term "data mining." This edition will also feature a significantly stronger Web integration, mostly built around providing students with the appropriate tools to master the thinking skills needed to learn human genetics. The earlier chapters will feature a web-based "toolbox" which will walk students through the process of understanding, analyzing, and working out problems, and which will in turn enable them to understand the various difficult genetics concepts in the later chapters.

Book Info
Introductory textbook on the basic concepts of human genetics. For undergraduates with little or no background in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Previous edition: c1994. Softcover.

About the Author
Michael Cummings is the author and co-author of a number of widely used college textbooks, including "Concepts of Genetics " (co-authored with Klug) and "Essentials of Genetics." He has also written sections on genetics for the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, and has published a newsletter on advances in human genetics for instructors and students. He received his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Northwestern University. His doctoral work, conducted in the laboratory of Dr. R.C. King, centered on ovarian development in Drosophila melanogaster. At the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he has been teaching and doing research for more than 25 years, his current research interests involve the role of the short arm/centromere region of human chromosome 21 in chromosomal aberrations. His laboratory is working on constructing a physical map of this region to explore molecular mechanisms of chromosome interactions. Michael's interest in scientific literacy prompted him to organize a course in human genetics for non-majors. He still teaches this course at present, in addition to genetics for biology majors and general biology.


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The Fifth Edition of Human Heredity addresses the needs of human genetics for students and instructors as never before. Michael Cummings, a leading author in genetics education, uses student-friendly writing to explain complex concepts, including the correct amount of detail at an appropriate level for non-science students. The text's organization is flexible for instructors to choose the order of chapters to fit their courses. After Chapter 3, Transmission of Genes from Generation to Generation, instructors may assign the chapters in any order. Also, each chapter is outlined to easily identify the central ideas.New features for the Fifth Edition include Case Histories at the end of each chapter and references to the many available genetics databases, which makes the material even more accessible and meaningful for students. New and revised Internet Activities, also at the end of each chapter, allow students to use web technology to enhance your learning experience.Gene Discovery Lab CD-ROM and web site is available for students to explore a molecular biology laboratory. This virtual lab allows students to make the connection between the lab and classroom. Text correlations in the experiments reinforce the relationship between scientific concepts and how science is conducted. You can manipulate live data from GenBank (available through a search engine) to perform virtual cutting-edge research.Opening vignettes and Guest Essays also help students to learn and relate to human genetics.


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