The Human Genome: A User's Guide provides a concise discussion of contemporary and relevant topics in human genetics. It begins coverage of the fundamental concepts of genetics and heredity, then illustrates these concepts as they relate to the development of human sexual differentiation and sexuality. The book describes the role of the X and Y chromosomes, the role of hormone-controlled differential gene expression in sex determination, and the role of genetics in sexual orientation and sex-role development. The Human Genome discusses the interface between science and society, covering the basic intellectual processes that underlie genetic analysis and gene therapy. It also looks at the use of cloning techniques to search for genes responsible for such human disease states as cystic fibrosis, cancer, AIDS, and mental illness. Written in an inviting and engaging style, The Human Genome meets the interests and answers the questions of today's students.

Key Features:
* Offers a concise discussion of contemporary human genetics and relevant topics
* Accessible to the reader with no formal science background
* Reviews the fundamental principles that und

R. Scott Hawley (PhD, Genetics, University of Washington) is an American Cancer Society Research Professor and Investigator at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. He has served as President of the Genetics Society of America in 2010 and in 2008 he received that society's Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Teaching. He widely known for his teaching, for his research on meiosis and for the authorship of numerous textbooks and research papers.

The Basics of Heredity:
The Answer in a Nut Shell: Genes, Proteins, and the Meaning of Life.
Mendel and the Concept of the Gene.
How Genes Work: The Story of How Genes Encode Proteins or "The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology."
How Genes Move: Chromosomes and the Physical Basis of the Laws of Mendel.
Absent Essentials and Monkey Wrenches: How Mutations Produce a Phenotype.
How Genes Determine Our Sex.
Sex and Chromosomes, Sex and Hormones, Sex and.... Sex Causes Problems: The Inactivation of the Second X Chromosome.
Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation.
When Meiosis or Mendelian Inheritance Fails.
Failed Chromosome Segregation and the Etiology of Down's Syndrome.
Extreme Mutation: Triplet Repeat Syndromes. Imprinting or Epigenetic Changes in Genes and Chromosomes.
Human Genes.
Introduction to Gene Cloning.
DNA Polymorphisms as Genetic Markers in Humans (and the Miracle of PCR).
Human Gene Mapping: A General Approach.
Cystic Fibrosis,
Mammoth Genes: Muscular Dystrophy and Neurofibromatosis.
Genes and Cancer.
Interactions of Genes and the Environment.
Multifactorial Inheritance: Towards Finding the Genes for Manic Depression and Schizophrenia.
The Monoamine Oxidose A Gene and a Genetic Basis for Criminality?
Genetics of the Human AIDS Virus.
Prenatal Diagnosis.
Methods of Prenatal Diagnosis.
Potential for Gene Therapy.
Epilogue: Fears, Faith and Fantasies.