evolution

In this edition, the author dramatically departs from the last one, both in content and order of presentation, and in the author's enthusiasm. He is clearly very excited about the developments in genetics that have taken place in the last decade, and this shows up everywhere in his writing. The book would be of interest to anyone interested in genetics, whether they are students, curious laymen, or mathematicians or physicists interested in the molecular biology behind genetics. The only minus to the book is the lack of exercises, the absence of which makes the understanding of the material more time consuming. A good background in biochemistry would be very helpful in the reading of the book.

The book is a sizable one, and space does not permit a detailed review, but there are some areas in the book that stand out as being exceptionally well-written, thought-provoking, or helpful. As someone interested in bioinformatics, mathematical genetics, and mathematical modeling of metabolic processes, I read this book from the standpoint of these interests. With this in mind, some of the more interesting discussions in the book include: 1. The author constantly asks questions throughout the book, which help to clarify the issues and motivate the concepts in the book. He also points out the questions that are unanswered up to the date of publication, giving the research-oriented reader opportunities for further investigation. 2. The discussion on mutations, with the author pointing out the difference between point mutations and insertions/deletions, the role of revertants, and the occurrence of silent mutations. I wish he would have elaborated in more detail on the experiments that identified the mutations responsible for Mendel's famous wrinkled-pea mutants, i.e. the inactivation of the gene for a starch branching enzyme. 3. The discussion on the C-value paradox and the presence of large amounts of noncoding DNA in the larger genomes. This is an interesting problem for optimization theory. 4. The discussion on the mechanisms for gene reorganization. Again, this is an interesting question in optimization theory, especially the divergence between introns as a stabilizing factor that suppresses the occurrence of unequal crossing-over. The author gives examples of the effects of unequal crossing-over, such as human globin gene clusters. 5. The crossover fixation model and the time scales needed relative to mutation. 6. Satellite DNAs and their role in DNA fingerprinting. From an information theory standpoint, satellite DNAs are interesting since they are essentially long strings of DNA of low complexity. 7. The life cycle of mRNA and the neat electron micrograph illustrating beautifully the dynamics of gene expression. 8. The accuracy of translation; the author outlining the critical stages at which errors can be made. 9. The discussion on phage strategies. The dynamics of phages is very amenable to mathematical modeling. 10. They topological manipulation of DNA. Some results from the mathematical theory of knots, such as the writhing and twisting numbers, are playing a role here. 11. The discussion on transposons. The author speaks of the mobility of transposons, and the physical mechanisms employed for their transfer are elaborated on in detail. The theory of transposons has to rank as one of the most fascinating in all of genetics. 12. DNA rearrangements and their consequence, such as the creation of new genes and the switching of expression of one gene to another. The discussion on Crown gall disease is particularly interesting. 13. The discussion on the visualization of genes during transcription and the differences in the experimental results. 14. The regulation of transcription and the control mechanisms for eukaryotes. 15. RNA editing and how information is extracted from various sources. 16. The discussion on the development process in Drosophila. This chapter should begin to satisfy the reader who is curious about the molecular basis of development.

Because of its high quality, this book will no doubt continue to be one of the canonical texts in genetics to be used now and in the future to prepare students and researchers in genetics. The career opportunities opening up in bioinformatics and genetic engineering have mushroomed in recent years, a lot of this driven by the needs of drug discovery and development. In this connection, the author asks the following question in the book: "If we could read out the entire sequence of DNA comprising the genome of some organism and interpret it in terms of proteins and regulatory regions, could we then construct an organism by controlled expression of the proper genes?" One can only hope that the answer to this question will be yes, as this will create one of the most exciting of all professions in the 21st century: the genetic designer.

This book is well written and provides an excellent introduction to the subject matter. It's a comprehensive text for anyone who wishes to gain a thorough exposure to the genes, genomes and gene regulation. However, this book does have it's drawbacks. Recent advances in genomics maybe covered on a later textbook. Perfect for an undergraduate or a beginning grad student. I suggest this book as a companion for a more comprehesive text such MBOC by alberts et al. If you are faced with a choice of either alberts or Genes VII, I suggest alberts. For the seasoned molecular biologist I urge you to look elsewhere.

In my opinion it is the best book i have partly read by far and every time when i have a free time i intrestingly like to read this book. In fact, i have found it very usefull to undrestand basic meaning of celular and molecular phenomenons and genes.