Darwinian Detectives: Revealing the Natural History of Genes and Genomes

by Norman A. Johnson

Overview

Biology is often viewed today as a bipartisan field, with molecular level genetics guiding us into the future and natural history (including ecology, evolution, and conservation biology,) chaining us to a descriptive scientific past. In Darwinian Detectives, Norman Johnson bridges this divide, revealing how the tried and true tools of natural history make sense of the newest genomic discoveries. Molecular scientists exploring newly sequenced genomes have stumbled upon quite a few surprises, including that only one to ten percent of the genetic material of animals actually codes for genes. What does the remaining 90-99% of the genome do? Why do some organisms have a much lower genome size than their close relatives? What were the genetic changes that were associated with us becoming human? As molecular biologists uncover these and other new mysteries, evolutionary geneticists are searching for answers to such questions. Norman Johnson captures the excitement of the hunt for our own genetic history. Through lively anecdotes, he explores how researchers detect natural selection acting on genes and what this genetic information tells us about human origins.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195306750
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/06/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	9.47(w) x 6.61(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Norman A. Johnson, an evolutionary geneticist, is the author of numerous research publications, mainly in the genetics and evolution of reproductive isolation between nascent species. Johnson has taught at the University of Chicago, University of Texas at Arlington, and the University of Massachusetts, where he is currently an Adjunct Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences.

Table of Contents

1. The Baby with the Baboon Heart: Why Evolution Still Matters2. Why Intelligent Design Is Not ScienceInterlude 1: Natural Selection3. Negative Selection and the Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution4. Detecting Positive Selection5. Balancing Selection and DiseaseInterlude 2: Human Origins and Evolution6. Finding Our Roots: Did "Eve" Know "Adam"? 7. Who were the Neanderthals? 8. Are We the Third Chimpanzee? 9. What are the Genetic Differences that Made Us Human? 10. Clicks, Genes, and Languages11 Who Let the Dogs in? The Domestication of Animals and Plants.12. Size Matters: Toward Understanding the Natural History of Genomes

Editorial Reviews

"Just about every topic under the banner "why genetics is important to understand and still amazing to many professional biologists" is covered in this compact book. What a delight to read about some well-chosen examples, glittering in succinct detail and presented in a manner designed to intrigue and captivate a general audience."—Reports of the National Center for Science Education

"Along with addressing issues like ID and creation science, Johnson goes on to show how molecular biology confirms and extends the conclusions that scientists have used to support evolution. This is why this book is such a good read. Through his antidotal way of writing, Johnson is able to explain how researchers have discovered the ways natural selection work on gene, but he does it in a way that one just starting in their study of evolutionary biology can understand."—The American Biology Teacher

"This volume is a worthwhile update for anyone who wants to see where comparative genomics is taking us."—Quarterly Review of Biology

From the Publisher