Genetics for Dummies

This book is wonderful. I am taking a genetics course in college, and this has been a lifesaver. It does a wonderful job of teaching the material in a clear, concise, and organized manner. I highly recommend this product!

This is a wonderful book that not only covers the whole field of genetics, but does so with just the right amount of detail and reiteration so that you find yourself grasping the terms. Very clear drawings illuminate the text and take the complexity out of everything from Mendelian inheritance to mRNA transcription. Not once did I find myself wondering what something meant. When I finished I felt fully briefed and was amazed at how easy it was to understand what I had always felt was a baffling subject. Want to know how cancer occurs? Why people are worried about genetically modified foods? How mutation is always occurring and can be a good thing? How "junk" DNA is distinguished from the genes that are read to create the protein that composes our bodies? How DNA can compact itself in the cell? How crime labs can find the culprit through a genetic fingerprint? It's all here and much much more. You'll have a hard time reading any one page without exclaiming "wow!", "no kidding!" or "so THAT'S how it works!" I eagerly began each chapter because the titles always made me think, "Yeah, I was wondering about that!" The humor, thank goodness, is mostly in the subtitles (Cloning: There Will Never Be Another You) and the text is largely free of attempts to make you laugh. That's good because when you get so excited to find out more, humor just gets in the way. Terms that are introduced in one place will be mentioned again later with a reference if you have forgotten a definition. Just when you might be getting confused, the author will tell you how the subject might differ from what was covered before. When you are done you will be awed by what you've learned: that all the complexity of life is based on simple chemical bonds within structures that have become elaborated over 100's of millions of years. If there is one subject that we will probably never comprehend, and that no Dummies book will be able to reveal, it is time itself. PS: I recommend Richard Dawkins new book "The Ancestor's Tale" after reading this book.

I have a PhD in science from MIT and I have bought and read a number of books on genetics. This is one of the best introductory books, and most will be impressed with the scope, the size, the graphics, and the overall presentation. This must be one of the better "Dummies" books. The only other similar book is "Genetics" (2002) by Guttman et al, but it has less applications than the present book. Overall I would rate the present book as the best introductory book on the market today. I bought about 10 books including the present book. What I like about the book is the shotgun approach. The author (not a relative) has five basic parts, i.e.: - 1. Genetics Basics, - 2. DNA: The Genetic Material, - 3. Genetics and Your Health, - 4. Generics and Your World, - 5. The Part of Tens (genetic history and hot topics). The first two parts are a general introduction to genetics. This is at a fairly sophisticated level, but made simple by good graphics and excellent writing. The third part describes some of the 200 cancers and how some common cancers are related to genetics. The are other topics here including Down's syndrome. Part 4 is on applications, such as human history, forensic DNA, cloning, ethics, and other topics. The last part describes major events in the development of genetics. The author has presented a good index at the end along with a good guide to Web Sites so the reader can follow up some of the details. Tara Robinson has managed to put together an excellent introduction with great graphics that is suitable for the average reader. Highly recommend: 5 stars.

This is a great book. Textbooks of the future will be, or should be, like this: clear, up to date and affordable. I have been a biologist for thirty years but admit that my knowledge of genetics has fallen behind. Genetics has undergone extraordinary developments over the last few decades, and many have had profound impact on society. Tara Robinson covers it all and does it expertly. I know Tara and she's a great scientist - I admire her skill in writing a book that is both informative and readable. The historical anecdotes bring added relevance to the topic.

Genetics is dominating our lives in the 21st century. Everybody who takes decisions - even just about your own health insurance - must know some basic genetics these days. For example, what is `genetic engineering' and what are `stem cells'?? Robinson's book is fulfilling an exceedingly important niche - to explain a vast scientific field to `dummies' like you and me. I highly recommend this excellent book, for citizens, senators and presidents. Prof. Martin Wikelski, Princeton University