The Evolution Of Molecular Biology

The Evolution of Molecular Biology: The Search for the Secrets of Life provides the historical knowledge behind techniques founded in molecular biology, also presenting an appreciation of how, and by whom, these discoveries were made. It deals with the evolution of intellectual concepts in the context of active research in an approachable language that accommodates readers from a variety of backgrounds. Each chapter contains a prologue and epilogue to create continuity and provide a complete framework of molecular biology. This foundational work also functions as a historical and conceptual supplement to many related courses in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, genetics and history of science. In addition, the book demonstrates how the roots of discovery and advances–and an individual’s own research–have grown out of the history of the field, presenting a more complete understanding and context for scientific discovery. Expands on the development of molecular biology from the convergence of two independent disciplines, biochemistry and genetics Discusses the value of molecular biology in a variety of applications Includes research ethics and the societal implications of research Emphasizes the human aspects of research and the consequences of such advances to society

Every day it seems the media focus on yet another new development in biology--gene therapy, the human genome project, the creation of new varieties of animals and plants through genetic engineering. These possibilities have all emanated from molecular biology. A History of Molecular Biology is a complete but compact account for a general readership of the history of this revolution. Michel Morange, himself a molecular biologist, takes us from the turn-of-the-century convergence of molecular biology's two progenitors, genetics and biochemistry, to the perfection of gene splicing and cloning techniques in the 1980s. Drawing on the important work of American, English, and French historians of science, Morange describes the major discoveries--the double helix, messenger RNA, oncogenes, DNA polymerase--but also explains how and why these breakthroughs took place. The book is enlivened by mini-biographies of the founders of molecular biology: Delbrück, Watson and Crick, Monod and Jacob, Nirenberg. This ambitious history covers the story of the transformation of biology over the last one hundred years; the transformation of disciplines: biochemistry, genetics, embryology, and evolutionary biology; and, finally, the emergence of the biotechnology industry. An important contribution to the history of science, A History of Molecular Biology will also be valued by general readers for its clear explanations of the theory and practice of molecular biology today. Molecular biologists themselves will find Morange's historical perspective critical to an understanding of what is at stake in current biological research.

This work provides a unified theory that addresses the important problem of the origin and maintenance of genetic variation in natural populations. With modern molecular techniques, variation is found in all species, sometimes at astonishingly high levels. Yet, despite these observations, the forces that maintain variation within and between species have been difficult subjects of study. Because they act very weakly and operate over vast time scales, scientists must rely on indirect inferences and speculative mathematical models. However, despite these obstacles, many advances have been made. The author's research in molecular genetics, evolution, and bio-mathematics has enabled him to draw on this work, and present a coherent and valuable view of the field. The book is divided into three parts. The first consists of three chapters on protein evolution, DNA evolution, and molecular mechanisms. This section reviews the experimental observations on genetic variation. The second part gives a unified treatment of the mathematical theory of selection in a fluctuating environment. The final two chapters combine the earlier assessments in a treatment of the scientific status of two competing theories for the maintenance of genetic variation. Steeped in the enormous advances population genetics has made over the past 25 years, this book has proven highly popular among human geneticists, biologists, evolutionary theorists, and bio-mathematicians.

This book examines the toxicological and health implications of environmental epigenetics and provides knowledge through an interdisciplinary approach. Included in this volume are chapters outlining various environmental risk factors such as phthalates and dietary components, life states such as pregnancy and ageing, hormonal and metabolic considerations and specific disease risks such as cancer cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable diseases. Environmental Epigenetics imparts integrative knowledge of the science of epigenetics and the issues raised in environmental epidemiology. This book is intended to serve both as a reference compendium on environmental epigenetics for scientists in academia, industry and laboratories and as a textbook for graduate level environmental health courses. Environmental Epigenetics imparts integrative knowledge of the science of epigenetics and the issues raised in environmental epidemiology. This book is intended to serve both as a reference compendium on environmental epigenetics for scientists in academia, industry and laboratories and as a textbook for graduate level environmental health courses.

During the last ten years, remarkable progress has occurred in the study of molecular evolution. Among the most important factors that are responsible for this progress are the development of new statistical methods and advances in computational technology. In particular, phylogenetic analysis of DNA or protein sequences has become a powerful tool for studying molecular evolution. Along with this developing technology, the application of the new statistical and computational methods has become more complicated and there is no comprehensive volume that treats these methods in depth. Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics fills this gap and present various statistical methods that are easily accessible to general biologists as well as biochemists, bioinformatists and graduate students. The text covers measurement of sequence divergence, construction of phylogenetic trees, statistical tests for detection of positive Darwinian selection, inference of ancestral amino acid sequences, construction of linearized trees, and analysis of allele frequency data. Emphasis is given to practical methods of data analysis, and methods can be learned by working through numerical examples using the computer program MEGA2 that is provided.

This book describes the models, methods and algorithms that are most useful for analysing the ever-increasing supply of molecular sequence data, with a view to furthering our understanding of the evolution of genes and genomes.

Genes, genetic codes, and mutation. Dynamics of genes in populations. Evolutionary change in nucleotide sequences. Rates and patterns of nucleotide substitution. Molecular phylogenetics. Gene duplication, exon shuffling, and concerted evolution. Evolution by transposition. Genome evolution. Spatial and temporal frameworks of the evolutionary process. Basics of probability.

Studies of evolution at the molecular level have experienced phenomenal growth in the last few decades, due to rapid accumulation of genetic sequence data, improved computer hardware and software, and the development of sophisticated analytical methods. The flood of genomic data has generated an acute need for powerful statistical methods and efficient computational algorithms to enable their effective analysis and interpretation. Molecular Evolution: a statistical approach presents and explains modern statistical methods and computational algorithms for the comparative analysis of genetic sequence data in the fields of molecular evolution, molecular phylogenetics, statistical phylogeography, and comparative genomics. Written by an expert in the field, the book emphasizes conceptual understanding rather than mathematical proofs. The text is enlivened with numerous examples of real data analysis and numerical calculations to illustrate the theory, in addition to the working problems at the end of each chapter. The coverage of maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods are in particular up-to-date, comprehensive, and authoritative. This advanced textbook is aimed at graduate level students and professional researchers (both empiricists and theoreticians) in the fields of bioinformatics and computational biology, statistical genomics, evolutionary biology, molecular systematics, and population genetics. It will also be of relevance and use to a wider audience of applied statisticians, mathematicians, and computer scientists working in computational biology.

Evolutionary biology has increasingly relied upon tools developed in molecular biology that allow for the structure and function of macromolecules to be used as data for exploring the patterns and processes of evolutionary change. Integrated Molecular Evolution, Second Edition is a textbook intended to expansively and comprehensive review evolutionary studies now routinely using molecular data. This new edition has been thoroughly updated and expanded, and provides a basic summary of evolutionary biology as well as a review of current phylogenetics and phylogenomics. Reflecting a burgeoning pedagogical landscape, this new edition includes nearly double the number of chapters, including a new section on molecular and bioinformatic methods. Dedicated chapters were added on: Evolution of the genetic code Mendelian genetics and population genetics Natural selection Horizontal gene transfers Animal development and plant development Cancer Extraction of biological molecules Analytical methods Sequencing methods and sequencing analyses Omics Phylogenetics and phylogenetic networks Protein trafficking Human genomics More than 400 illustrations appear in this edition, doubling the number included in the first edition, and over 100 of these diagrams are now in color. The second edition combines and integrates extensive summaries of genetics and evolutionary biology in a manner that is accessible for students at either the graduate or undergraduate level. It also provides both the basic foundations of molecular evolution, such as the structure and function of DNA, RNA and proteins, as well as more advanced chapters reviewing analytical techniques for obtaining sequences, and interpreting and archiving molecular and genomic data.