Overview

The field of genetics continues to advance at an ever-accelerating pace, marked by numerous extraordinary achievements in recent years: BLThe human genome project was completed BLBreakthroughs in public health have been achieved in relation to newly available genome sequences for parasitic vectors. BLDNA microarrays have taken the study of gene expression and genetic variation to a global, genome-wide scale. BLThe proteomes of key model organisms have been comparatively analyzed in amazing detail. Such momentous advances in genetics have been accompanied by a deluge of new experimental techniques, computational technologies, databases, Internet sites, periodicals, books, and of course, concepts and terms. As new terminology emerges, many old terms recede from use or require revision. New material for this new edition of both the dictionary and its appendices has accumulated more rapidly than in the past. In the proposed new edition the term ""genetics"" itself is re-defined, reflecting recent technical advances, and with them, the convergence of classical and molecular genetics. Genetics today is no longer simply the study of heredity in the old sense (the study of the inheritance of biological traits from one generation to the next) but also the study of the basic units of heredity, or genes. Geneticists of the post-genomics era identify genetic elements using forward or reverse genetics and decipher the molecular nature of genes, how they function, and how genetic variation - whether introduced in the lab or present in natural populations - affects the phenotype of the cell or organism. With widespread applications, today's genetics thus also unify the biological sciences, medical sciences, and evolutionary studies. As compared with the current sixth edition, the seventh edition will have many more new and revised entries. The sixth edition had 6,580 definitions; the seventh has 511 new and 980 revised definitions - a 23% change in content.

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9780195307627

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Reviews

The latest edition of A Dictionary of Genetics is a fantastic reference and very useful to me. It is by far the most scholarly dictionary I have had the pleasure of using that strongly interfaces with evolutionary biology. -- Bruce G. Baldwin, Curator of the Jepson Herbarium, Integrative Biology, University of California at Berkeley.<br> King, Stansfield and Mulligan defeat the notion of a dull dictionary. If you look up a definition you get carried away and find dozens of other things that you want to read about. It is equally useful and stimulating for young students and old timers working in the field. --Walter J. Gehring, Division of Cell Biology, University of Basel<br> This latest edition is a welcome update of the most useful and reliable reference work in the area. --Joseph G. Gall, Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution of Washington<br> There are many new terms, modifications of some previous definitions, plus very worthwhile expansions of the previous appendices. The authors' meticulous editing and succinct writing provides a well organized global coverage of genetics, cellular, developmental, molecular, and evolutionary biology. --Ellen Rasch, J. M. Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University<br> A Dictionary of Genetics is a fascinating collection. Its remarkable breadth of coverage ensures that a simple flip through the pages will be educational, yet the information is detailed enough to make the book a valuable reference for the specialist. The chronology of biological discoveries provides a true sense of the excitement and rapid pace of progress in modern biology. --Paul Lasko, Department of Biology, McGill University<br> This is themost useful book on my genetics bookshelf! King, Stansfield, and Mulligan have updated the outstanding 6th edition to produce an amazing 7th edition. I recommend this well-organized and easy to read reference to students and faculty alike. --Susanne M. Gollin, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh<br>

<br> The latest edition of A Dictionary of Genetics is a fantastic reference and very useful to me. It is by far the most scholarly dictionary I have had the pleasure of using that strongly interfaces with evolutionary biology. -- Bruce G. Baldwin, Curator of the Jepson Herbarium, Integrative Biology, University of California at Berkeley.<br> King, Stansfield and Mulligan defeat the notion of a dull dictionary. If you look up a definition you get carried away and find dozens of other things that you want to read about. It is equally useful and stimulating for young students and old timers working in the field. --Walter J. Gehring, Division of Cell Biology, University of Basel<br> This latest edition is a welcome update of the most useful and reliable reference work in the area. --Joseph G. Gall, Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution of Washington<br> There are many new terms, modifications of some previous definitions, plus very worthwhile expansions of the previous appendices

Author Information

Robert C. King is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology, Northwestern University. William D. Stansfield is an Emeritus Professor in the Biological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University. Pamela K. Mulligan is a developmental geneticist with an extensive research background and numerous publications.

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