What's Wrong with My Mouse?: Behavioral Phenotyping of Trangenic and Knockout Mice
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Valuable Book
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  • Expert Review
  • Review
  • an excellent resource
What's Wrong with My Mouse?: Behavioral Phenotyping of Trangenic and Knockout Mice
Jacqueline N. Crawley
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471471925

Book Description

Dr. Jacqueline N. Crawley, author of the First and Second Editions of What’s Wrong with My Mouse? Behavioral Phenotyping of Transgenic and Knockout Mice,continues to field calls and e-mails from molecular geneticists who ask: how do I run behavioral assays to find out what’s wrong with my mouse?

Turn to What’s Wrong with My Mouse? to discover the wealth of mouse behavioral tasks and to get the guidance you need to select the best methods and necessary controls. Chapters are organized by behavioral domain, including measurements of general health, motor functions, sensory abilities, learning and memory, feeding and drinking, reproductive, social, emotional, and reward behaviors in mutant mice. Throughout the chapters, new behavioral tasks and new research discoveries have been added, bringing the Second Edition up to date with the latest science. In addition, the Second Edition includes two new chapters:

"Neurodevelopment and Neurodegeneration" discusses mouse behavioral tasks relevant to neurodevelopmental diseases, such as mental retardation and autism, and to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Huntingtons, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

"Putting It All Together" recommends strategies for optimizing a battery of behavioral phenotyping tests to address your specific hypotheses about gene functions.

The final chapter, "The Next Generation," examines new and emerging technologies.

Throughout the book, the use of behavioral testing equipment is illustrated with photographs, diagrams, and representative data. Examples of behavioral tasks successfully applied to transgenic and knockout mouse models are provided, as well as references to the primary literature and step-by-step methods protocols. These features, along with a comprehensive index, listings of database and vendor websites, and an extensive list of references, make this book a valuable and practical resource for students and researchers.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Valuable Book.......2002-11-19

"...this valuable book is currently the most complete overview of behavioral procedures available...it is a must have and a must read book..." (Genes, Brain, and Behavior, 2002)

5 out of 5 stars Essential Book.......2001-07-24

"I would recommend that every behavioral scientist has at least two copies, one for their own use and one that will be on permanent loan to their students, post-doctoral students and colleagues in molecular biology." -- TRENDS in Pharmacological Sciences (Gerard R. Dawson, Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories)

5 out of 5 stars Expert Review.......2001-07-24

"[T]his volume succeeds as a useful introduction to the realm of behavioral phenotyping for those interested in creating or using the large and increasing number of promising targeted mutant mice." -- TRENDS in Neurosciences (John K. Belknap, Oregon Health Sciences University)

5 out of 5 stars Review.......2000-06-15

It is a much prized addition... and fulfills a heretofore unmet need for a comprehensive sourcebook of mutant mouse literature and procedures. In addition to its reference utility, Dr. Crawley's text can exert a valuable influence on the future of transgenic and knockout mouse research by standardizing behavioral phenotyping methods according to the present state-of-the-art. --Stephen C. Heinrichs, Ph.D., Boston College

5 out of 5 stars an excellent resource.......2000-06-08

Very timely given the increasingly recognized importance of providing behavioral phenotypes of mutant mice. I would recommend the book with enthusiasm. --Eric Nestler, Yale University School of Medicine
Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life (Life and Mind: Philosophical Issues in Biology and Psychology)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A hic-up revision
  • Well written, but unnecessarily long
  • Evolution in Four Dimensions
  • Great Book. Wish it Were Better.
  • What goes around comes around
Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life (Life and Mind: Philosophical Issues in Biology and Psychology)
Eva Jablonka , and Marion J. Lamb
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0262600692

Book Description

Ideas about heredity and evolution are undergoing a revolutionary change. New findings in molecular biology challenge the gene-centered version of Darwinian theory according to which adaptation occurs only through natural selection of chance DNA variations. In Evolution in Four Dimensions, Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb argue that there is more to heredity than genes. They trace four "dimensions" in evolution -- four inheritance systems that play a role in evolution: genetic, epigenetic (or non-DNA cellular transmission of traits), behavioral, and symbolic (transmission through language and other forms of symbolic communication). These systems, they argue, can all provide variations on which natural selection can act. Evolution in Four Dimensions offers a richer, more complex view of evolution than the gene-based, one-dimensional view held by many today. The new synthesis advanced by Jablonka and Lamb makes clear that induced and acquired changes also play a role in evolution.

After discussing each of the four inheritance systems in detail, Jablonka and Lamb "put Humpty Dumpty together again" by showing how all of these systems interact. They consider how each may have originated and guided evolutionary history and they discuss the social and philosophical implications of the four-dimensional view of evolution. Each chapter ends with a dialogue in which the authors engage the contrarieties of the fictional (and skeptical) "I.M.," or Ifcha Mistabra -- Aramaic for "the opposite conjecture" -- refining their arguments against I.M.'s vigorous counterarguments. The lucid and accessible text is accompanied by artist-physician Anna Zeligowski's lively drawings, which humorously and effectively illustrate the authors' points.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars A hic-up revision.......2007-05-13

The refreshing part of the book is that Darwin is postulated to trump the Modern Synthesis by offering a broader and vaguer model. Mostly however, allusions and overinterpretations of re-hashed phenomena and a few recent twists like siRNA, are offered as still-unconvincing examples in a systematic attempt to argue epigenetics as having important biological and evolutionary roles. Yes, some aspects of biology and evolution are somewhat complex, but vague hand waving about epigenetics does not clarify them.

4 out of 5 stars Well written, but unnecessarily long.......2007-03-26

This book provides a comprehensive but not overly technical survey of our state of knowledge as to how evolution proceeds and, in particular, why change is not totally random. They point out that there is an evolutionary bias to select organisms whose DNA is conducive to evolution, because they are more likely to have "random" mutations which are favorable; that mutation rates increase under stress such as a change in the environment; that the folding properties of DNA insure that it is the more active sections of DNA that are likely to have mutations.

The thrust of this book, however, and the material most likely to be unfamiliar to lay students of the subject, is in support of a neo-Lamarckian viewpoint, in which environment can more directly impact inheritable change. There is one beautiful experiment which illustrates the neo-Larmarckian view, with flies: stress causes genetic mutation resulting, in some flies, in a particular deformity; if these flies are selected for further breeding (as if that mutation were a successful adaptation), and this is done for 16 generations, you finally get flies which have this deformity in the absence of the stressor. The theory is that organisms accumulate genetic differences which do not impact phenotype, in fact phenotypes tend to be insensitive to many mutations, but once there is sufficient environmental stress these genetic differences manifest themselves.

While epigenetics is a hot topic in the study of development, this book makes a case for epigenetic mutation as a basis for evolution. It also talks about what I would term a generalization of cultural inheritance wherein the inherited behavior does not depend on teaching or watching: for example, a young rabbit learns what is good to eat through the effects in the womb of what his mother eats, and what is in the mother's feces while the youngster is in the burrow.

The authors write very well, and are clearly mindful of the reader's comprehension. The discussion of the material at the end of each chapter is a wonderful idea. Still, I would have preferred a shorter work, without so much emphasis on philosophical subtleties: an idea like the "selfish gene" is not a scientific theory to be debated, but a way of looking at things which can be suggestive and lead to new findings, but of course has its limitations. A picture, or an experiment, is worth a thousand words. Currently, unfortunately, the evidence to support the book's ideas is often thin, in fact one objective of the authors is certainly to encourage more research. In one very interesting case they seem to make too little of the evidence: the author's accept that a young bonobo, watching experimenters teaching language to his mother, developed the understanding of a 2.5 year old human, including word order and other grammatical structures, but did not mention this in their initial discussions of language or really come to terms with it.

4 out of 5 stars Evolution in Four Dimensions.......2007-01-10

With this book the authors expand the conventional 20th century view of the theory of evolution to include epigenetic, psychological and sociological evolution. The most interesting "inherited" addition for me is epigenetic evolution: the theory that many of our human qualities were passed down from ancestors without involving genetic variation. I can myself think of candidate markers that would best fit into the authors's theory. All in all, the book is very well written; my only criticism is that I could have done without some of the stick-figure drawings. But it is still a very good read for anyone who thinks evolution is a well-established scientific fact and who is not afraid to intellectually challenge the majority-held belief in the "absolute" truths of religious doctrines and dogma.

5 out of 5 stars Great Book. Wish it Were Better........2006-09-25

This is such a good book, I wish it were better. In particular, I wish that the authors had not spent so much time discussing the effects of informational and symbolic transmission on evolution (most of which is fairly obvious) and spent more time on the fascinating topics of epigentic transmission and genetic control systems, which are extremely complex and difficult issues, and go by too fast.

The authors pose a question that evolutionary scholar rarely broach: If evolution produces and preserves adaptive traits, why does it not produce the trait that is the most adaptive of all -- the ability to directly transmit acquired adaptive characteristics to offspring? Ironically, despite their qualified claim that organisims do have such an ability, the authors provide an excellent Darwinian reason why this trait is so limited -- because a species which possesses it (like, say, humans) is so likely to "crash and burn" if it mistakenly adopts a trait which turns out to be maladaptive.

Jablonski and her co-author are neo-Lamarkians; that is, they believe (or want to believe) in the inheritance of acquired characterists. Lamarkism is deeply distrusted by evolutionary biologists for two very good reasons: there is not much evidence for it, and a mechanism for transmitting acquired characteristics seems biochemically impossible. The authors present some good arguments why this might not be so. Particulary impressive is their discussion of epigenetics -- biochemical processess not involving genes which nonethelesss affect an organism's development. Epigenetic processes pretty clearly can be affected by environmental factors, and so environmental factors do have a direct impact on bodily devlopment, and hence evolution. More relevantly, epigentic developments can apparently be directly incorporated into the organism's germ line (the system which involves reproduction), and hence heredity, without the necessity of mutation. This issue is deep and difficult probably deserved a whole book of its own.

The writing is clear and the illustrations are helpful, if a bit "cute." This book is a wonderful introduction to a problematical subject. Persons who are suspicious of classical Darwinism, but suspect that intelligent design theory is nonsense will love this book.

5 out of 5 stars What goes around comes around.......2006-02-19

In 1829 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who wrote voluminous evolutionary ideas, was buried, virtually penniless, in a rented grave. There was no rest for the weary or the dead when decades later August Weismann cut off the tails of twenty-two generations of mice, discrediting Lamarck's idea of acquired characteristics and driving yet another nail into the poor man's coffin. (For more about Lamarck's life and ideas see J. B. Lamarck, Zoological Philosophy, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1984 and the insightful comments by Richard W. Burkhardt and David Hull therein).

As Lamarck was interred, his daughter remarked that the future would avenge him. It appears that time has come. Eva Jablonka and Marion J. Lamb's Evolution in Four Dimensions provides an extraordinary explication and synthesis of hereditary mechanisms (genetic, epigenetic, behavioral and symbolic) that may be called Neo-Lamarckian - the set of ideas that extend heritable, adaptive changes beyond natural selection to include "...internal (evolved) systems that generate "intelligent guesses" in response to the conditions of life." (p. 361). The mechanisms Jablonka and Lamb explore include, but go well beyond, the 20th century concepts that locked inheritance inside Mendel's merkmal or Crick's Central Dogma or Morgan's Drosophila chromosomes and observable traits. In so doing, the authors make an important contribution to the 21st century paradigm about heredity that is a-building. (Other contributions include: Mary Jane West-Eberhard's Developmental Plasticity and Evolution, Oxford Univ. Press, 2003; Massimo Pigliucci's Phenotypic Plasticity, Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2001; Gilbert Gottlieb's Synthesizing Nature-Nurture, Lawrence Erlbaum, 1997).

Dr. Jablonka, Professor of Biology at the acclaimed Cohn Institute in Israel and Ms. Lamb, formerly Senior Lecturer, Birkbeck College, University of London, extend the ideas in their previous work (Epigenetic Inheritance and Evolution, Oxford Univ. Press, 1995; The changing concept of epigenetics, New York Academy of Sciences, 2002, 981, 82-96.) The book is divided into three parts. In the first, the authors provide a fine summary of the modern development of evolutionary ideas, and the most detailed and extensive description of genetic mechanisms that I have found in a book aimed at a general readership. Almost certainly, anyone reading Chapter Two (From Genes to Characters) and Chapter Three (Genetic Variation: Blind, Directed, Interpretive?) will eschew conventional notions of "The gene for...." that are everyday fare in the media.

Chapter Four on epigenetics brings us back to those long-suffering mouse families whose tails were chopped off. As the experiments Jablonka and Lamb cite here indicate, had Herr Docktor Weismann manipulated a molecule during development, instead of a machete, he would have been able to alter the intergenerational transfer of characters. Chapter Five describes and analyzes behavioral inheritance systems particularly social learning and Chapter Six does the same for symbolic inheritance systems including cultural evolution and symbolic communication. Chapter Seven integrates genetic and epigenetic inheritance systems. Chapter Eight accomplishes the same for genes, behavior and language. Chapter Nine presents a Neo-Lamarckian perspective on heredity and evolutionary theory that might well have warmed Charles Darwin's heart because it is based on a closely reasoned collection of empirical data rather than the less well grounded speculations that are associated with Lamarck. Throughout, the authors take us on an intellectual journey from inside the cell up the abstraction ladder to the cultures we live in. For a related treatment cf. A.R. Cellura, The Genomic Environment and Niche-Experience, Cedar Springs Press, 2005.

There are two other features of Evolution in Four Dimensions that are particularly noteworthy. Implicit in most modern scientific theorizing is the notion of challenging hypotheses that Popper made idiomatic with his Conjectures and Refutations (Harper & Row, 1963). Consistent with this, Jablonka and Lamb aim at further insight through a dialogue at the end of each chapter between Ifcha Mistabra (Aramaic for opposite conjecture) and themselves. Also, it would be hugely neglectful not to mention the imp that got out of the ink bottle - the delightful drawings of Anna Zeligowski that illustrate key points in the text.

Evolution in Four Dimensions is a jewel readily accessible to educated readers with an interest in human adaptation over the short and the long haul.
Nature And Nurture: An Introduction To Human Behavioral Genetics.
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    Nature And Nurture: An Introduction To Human Behavioral Genetics.
    Robert Plomin
    Manufacturer: Wadsworth Pub Co
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    ASIN: 0534651127
    Genes and Behavior: Nature-Nurture Interplay Explained
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Best Introduction
    • A Brilliant Book by a Brilliant Individual
    • Good Layman's Explanation of How Genes Work
    Genes and Behavior: Nature-Nurture Interplay Explained
    Michael Rutter
    Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
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    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 1405110619

    Book Description

    In recent years, the subject of genes and their influence on human behavior has become increasingly controversial as concerns about the racist use of genetics, discriminatory eugenics, and neurogenetic determinism have grown. In this major new book, eminent scientist Professor Sir Michael Rutter gets behind the hype to provide a balanced and authoritative overview of the genetic revolution and its implications for understanding human behavior.Rutter sets out in layman's terms what genetic science has discovered to date, explaining exactly what genes do, how much is nature and how much is nurture. He argues that nature and nurture are not truly separate, giving powerful illustrations of how the two interact to determine our behavior. He also considers the implications of genetic findings for policy and practice. This thought-provoking account will inform public debate about the implications of the Human Genome Project and, more broadly, the field of genetic science.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Best Introduction.......2007-08-17

    This is arguably the best introduction to the complex world of how genes affect human personality and behavior. It is far from an easy "read" and doesn't shy from the use of technical terms (an advantage for those who wish to go further but an impediment to more casual readers). The prose is somewhat leaden. Still -- it is a remarkable achievement. Rutter is a distinguished psychiatrist who has made major contributions to our understanding of psychiatric disorders and is well respected across the psychology-psychiatry divide.
    The book accomplishes several goals. First, it provides a limited but useful survey of what is presently known about the genetic basis of mental disorders and personality/intelligence. Second (and more usefully) it discusses the logic of genetic causality and surveys the various methods used to uncover same. Third (and most importantly), it provides a balanced and nuanced discussion of all the ways that genes and environmental factors interact to produce human psychology. As such it provides a useful corrective to those who believe that genes are destiny and that there is a "gene (or genes)" for most human characteristics. The human genome project and associated research has now made it clear that the various ways genes affect humans are far more complex than anyone realized even 20 years ago. Unfortunately this has not become part of the popular wisdom, and so this book becomes essential reading for those interested in this fascinating and important topic. The study of psychology will increasingly be dominated by genetic science (and its sister discipline of neurobiology) and lay people as well as professionals will need a book such as this to help them on their way to a more complete understanding of how this is likely to play out. There are many books on the genetic underpinnings of psychological processes, but most are either simplistic or too technical for general consumption. An exception would be the books by Matt Ridley. The Rutter book is less accessible that the Ridley books, but more technically accomplished.

    5 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Book by a Brilliant Individual.......2006-09-18

    I was once in the cafeteria having lunch with some friends, when Sir Michael Rutter came in for a moment to get a sandwich. One of our group leaned over and said, "That man's written more books than I've read. See, he doesn't even have time to sit down for lunch!"

    It was said in jest, but my friend had a point: Mike has been re-creating several fields of psychology and psychiatry since the 1960s. Although best known as a child psychiatrist, he has made enormous contributions to the study of child development and the interactions between genes and the environment.

    This book is a superb summary of some of the enormous changes that have transformed our understanding of genetics over the last two decades by someone who has been in the thick of it, as an investigator, mentor and teacher.

    One of the biggest problems in psychology has been the polarization between the proponents of Nature and Nurture. Most folk psychology is driven by the notion that human behavior can be explained by a combination of learning and the environment, and largely neglects the role of genetics. So in that view, an alcoholic develops the illness because he observed alcohol abuse in the family, and genetics have nothing to do with it. The other extreme view is that the whole of human behavior can be reduced to sets of interacting genes. Both positions are unhelpful. The tension between psychosocial researchers and behavior geneticists has been sustained by the different theoretical perspectives that the two use to describe similar concepts. Most experts now understand that the key to understanding problems like the susceptibility and resilience to mental illness is to understand the interaction of genes and the environment over the lifespan of an individual. This book shows exactly how we can do that.

    What this book does, and what makes it unique, is that it presents in non-technical language some of the fundamental assumptions that underlie much of the biological, psychological and social research into human behavior. Mike treats us to a short account of modern genetic concepts, illustrated how genes may influence behavior, and also highlights the limitations of simple genetic explanations.

    There are few examples of physical or psychological illness that can be traced to a single gene or to a single environmental event: the vast majority show clear evidence of both genetic and environmental influences. Temperament, cognition and mood all have genetic and environmental contributions. What will surprise many readers is that some socially defined behaviors such as criminality and divorce also have genetic and environmental components. Some genetically influenced behaviors affect the extent to which individuals are exposed to environmental risk. We might think of people who do extreme sports or smoke. Another example would be where a parent is genetically predisposed to antisocial behavior, and his behavior disrupts the normal functioning of a family. This is turn would contribute to a child's risk of developing antisocial behavior.

    Genes may also contribute to a person's vulnerability to environmental stress. There are genes that increase a person's risk of developing, but only if the person is exposed to certain types of stress.

    The notion that genes "cause" behavior - genetic determinism - is all but dead. Genes have indirect effects on behavior that are largely mediated by the environment.

    If you have any interest in understanding how genes and the environment affect human behavior, you will find a goldmine of fascinating information in this highly readable book.

    Highly recommended.

    5 out of 5 stars Good Layman's Explanation of How Genes Work.......2006-03-17

    This is a broad introduction to the current scientific thoughts on the impact of genes and human behavior. The book is written in laymen's terms explaining what genes do and don't do in humans.

    Dr. Rutter further investigates the effects of a child's upbringing on his life. He makes it clear that nature and nurture are really two sides of the same coin. They interact to determine our behavior. As he further explains the interplay between nature and nurture, he relates the current status of research in various areas and points out where such research is continuing and some ideas where it might lead.

    The writing style in this book is well thought out and clearly explains the points he is making. At the same time, this is not a dumbed down book. It is written intelligently and for adults that have at least some understanding and interest in the subject.
    Behavioral Genetics: A Primer (Series of Books in Psychology)
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      Behavioral Genetics: A Primer (Series of Books in Psychology)
      Robert Plomin , John C. Defries , and Gerald E. McClearn
      Manufacturer: W H Freeman & Co (Sd)
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      ASIN: 0716720566
      Stem Cells and The Future Of Regenerative Medicine
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        Stem Cells and The Future Of Regenerative Medicine
        Committee on the Biological and Biomedical Applications of Stem Cell Research , Commission on Life Sciences , National Research Council , Board on Neuroscience and Behavioral Health , and Institute of Medicine
        Manufacturer: National Academies Press
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        Book Description

        Recent scientific breakthroughs, celebrity patient advocates, and conflicting religious beliefs have come together to bring the state of stem cell research—specifically embryonic stem cell research—into the political crosshairs. President Bush's watershed policy statement allows federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but only on a limited number of stem cell lines. Millions of Americans could be affected by the continuing political debate among policymakers and the public.

        Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine provides a deeper exploration of the biological, ethical, and funding questions prompted by the therapeutic potential of undifferentiated human cells. In terms accessible to lay readers, the book summarizes what we know about adult and embryonic stem cells and discusses how to go about the transition from mouse studies to research that has therapeutic implications for people. Perhaps most important, Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine also provides an overview of the moral and ethical problems that arise from the use of embryonic stem cells. This timely book compares the impact of public and private research funding and discusses approaches to appropriate research oversight. Based on the insights of leading scientists, ethicists, and other authorities, the book offers authoritative recommendations regarding the use of existing stem cell lines versus new lines in research, the important role of the federal government in this field of research, and other fundamental issues.
        Behavioral Genetics: The Clash of Culture and Biology
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • The Clash: Biology Calling
        Behavioral Genetics: The Clash of Culture and Biology

        Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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        ASIN: 0801872308

        Book Description

        Scientists conducting human genome research are identifying genetic disorders and traits at an accelerating rate. Genetic factors in human behavior appear particularly complex and slow to emerge, yet are raising their own set of difficult ethical, legal, and social issues. In Behavioral Genetics: The Clash of Culture and Biology, Ronald Carson and Mark Rothstein bring together well-known experts from the fields of genetics, ethics, neuroscience, psychiatry, sociology, and law to address the cultural, legal, and biological underpinnings of behavioral genetics. The authors discuss a broad range of topics, including the ethical questions arising from gene therapy and screening, molecular research in psychiatry, and the legal ramifications and social consequences of behavioral genetic information. Throughout, they focus on two basic concerns: the quality of the science behind behavioral genetic claims and the need to formulate an appropriate, ethically defensible response when the science turns out to be good.

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars The Clash: Biology Calling.......2000-11-14

        This book provides a very useful introduction to key debates in and about behavioral genetics. A nice range of topics and perspectives is provided, many by leaders in the fields of biology, psychology, sociology, ethics, etc. Several articles (such as those by tobin, duster, and carson) are extremely insightful and informative, and purchase of the book is worthwhile for the articles alone.

        (If only it were in paperback!)

        But, like many edited volumes that cover "hot" topics, this book suffers from a lack of coherence. As noted by the professional reviewer, one must wonder to what "clash" the editors refer - even when contained in the same volume, authors of different perspectives seem to talk past each other rather than "clash," and the editors don't really put the debates in a perspective that illuminates the perceived relationship between the two constructs of biology and culture. Indeed, the book jacket reveals the focus to be quite different than advertised: "Throughout, [the authors] focus on two basic concerns: the quality of the science behind behavioral genetic claims and the need to formulate an appropriate, ethically defensible response when the science turns out to be good." While this is certainly a worthwhile topic, it is not nearly as intellectually challenging or interesting as the title promises. Nevertheless, some selections deliver.
        Behavioral Genetics
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Excellent introduction
        Behavioral Genetics
        John C. DeFries , Peter McGuffin , Gerald E. McClearn , and Robert Plomin
        Manufacturer: Worth Publishers
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        Similar Items:
        1. Behavioral Genetics in the Postgenomic Era Behavioral Genetics in the Postgenomic Era
        2. Human Genetics for the Social Sciences (Advanced Psychology Text Series) Human Genetics for the Social Sciences (Advanced Psychology Text Series)
        3. Genes and Behavior: Nature-Nurture Interplay Explained Genes and Behavior: Nature-Nurture Interplay Explained
        4. Entwined Lives: Twins and What They Tell Us About Human Behavior Entwined Lives: Twins and What They Tell Us About Human Behavior
        5. Nature and Nurture: An Introduction to Human Behavioral Genetics Nature and Nurture: An Introduction to Human Behavioral Genetics

        ASIN: 0716751593

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction.......2007-01-05

        This is an excellent introduction to a potentially complex paradigm. The concepts are presented in clear and simple language. Examples are used from the current literature to illustrate the points being discussed.

        I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Behavioural Genetics
        Wrestling with Behavioral Genetics: Science, Ethics, and Public Conversation
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Wrestling with Behavioral Genetics: Science, Ethics, and Public Conversation
          Erik, Ed. Parens
          Manufacturer: John Hopkins University Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

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          Similar Items:
          1. Choosing Children: Genes, Disability, and Design (Uehiro Series in Practical Ethics) Choosing Children: Genes, Disability, and Design (Uehiro Series in Practical Ethics)
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          3. The Troubled Dream of Genetic Medicine: Ethnicity and Innovation in Tay-Sachs,Cystic Fibrosis, and Sickle Cell Disease The Troubled Dream of Genetic Medicine: Ethnicity and Innovation in Tay-Sachs,Cystic Fibrosis, and Sickle Cell Disease
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          ASIN: 0801882249

          Book Description

          Hardly a month goes by without a media report proclaiming that researchers have discovered the gene for some complex human behavior or trait -- intelligence, dyslexia, shyness, homosexuality. The practical implications of genetic research can bring great good -- relieving parents of self-blame for a child's schizophrenia or autism and possibly treating genetic diseases in the future. Other findings -- or pernicious interpretations of them -- can cause great harm, for example, by establishing flawed connections between genetics, race, and educational attainment.

          Wrestling with Behavioral Genetics brings together an interdisciplinary group of contributors -- human geneticists, humanists, social scientists, lawyers, and journalists -- to discuss the ethical and social implications of behavioral genetics research. The essays give readers the necessary tools to critically analyze the findings of behavioral geneticists, explore competing interpretations of the ethical and social implications of those findings, and engage in a productive public conversation about them.

          This volume provides an accessible introduction to a fascinating and controversial science and the societal and individual implications of its continuing development.

          Genes, Behavior, and the Social Environment: Moving Beyond the Nature/Nurture Debate
          Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
          • Research in Genetics vs. Environment
          Genes, Behavior, and the Social Environment: Moving Beyond the Nature/Nurture Debate
          Behavioral, and Genetic Factors in Health Committee on Assessing Interactions Among Social
          Manufacturer: National Academies Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

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          ASIN: 0309101964

          Customer Reviews:

          5 out of 5 stars Research in Genetics vs. Environment.......2007-04-06

          For many years there has been a great deal of discussion and research as to the importance of genetics (i.e. nature) vs. upbringing (nurture) as determinants of a persons behavior.

          This book is a summary of that research bringing together scientists from the social, behavioral and biological sciences. In addition to the summary of existing research, the book presents a variety of suggestions how future research, transdisciplinary in nature, can contribute to the science of gene-social environment interactions and to explaining individual and population health and health disparities.

          One example of such interaction is a person having a genetic predisposition to lung cancer who also has the environmental factor of smoking. The identification and further understanding of such interactions may yield to breakthroughs in the treatment of these diseases.

          This book is published by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, advisors to the Nation on Science, Engineering and Medicine.

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