Read Books Online and Download eBooks, EPub, PDF, Mobi, Kindle, Text Full Free.
Cellular Senescence In Health Disease And Aging Blessing Or Curse
Download Cellular Senescence In Health Disease And Aging Blessing Or Curse full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Cellular Senescence In Health Disease And Aging Blessing Or Curse ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!
Book Synopsis Cellular Senescence in Health, Disease and Aging by : Markus Riessland
Download or read book Cellular Senescence in Health, Disease and Aging written by Markus Riessland and published by Mdpi AG. This book was released on 2021-11-08 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dear Colleagues, When Hayflick and Moorhead coined the term "cellular senescence" (CS) almost 60 years ago, this phenomenon was understood as a mechanism, usually induced by activation of the DNA-repair machinery, to prevent uncontrolled proliferation. Meanwhile, additional beneficial roles for CS have been identified, such as embryonic development and wound healing. The senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP) activated in most senescent cells (SC) signals to the immune system "come here and remove me". In organisms with young and functional immune systems, occurring SC are usually detected and removed. If SC remain in the tissue expressing the SASP, this will cause not just a damaging local inflammation but can also induce remodeling and regeneration of the surrounding tissue as well as spreading of senescence. Old organisms show reduced regenerative potential and immune function which leads to accumulation of SC. Accordingly, accumulation of SC was observed in tissues of aged individuals, but importantly also in the context of age-related disorders, neurodegenerative, or cardiovascular diseases and others. Because of its detrimental effect of the surrounding tissue, accumulation of SC is not just a consequence, but can rather been understood as a major driver of aging. In line with this, recent studies described that removal of SC showed beneficial effects on healthspan and lifespan. This exciting research led to the discovery of "senolytics", drugs which can kill SC. Given the heterogeneity of cell types that show senescence-like phenotypes, including heart muscle and post-mitotic neuronal cells, further research is required to unravel the molecular background that renders a cell type vulnerable to senesce. Additionally, it will be important to understand how senescence is cell type-specifically induced and which molecules serve as drug targets to prevent senescence and its spreading, or actively kill SC. This special issue will shed light on the molecular pathways of CS and inflammaging and on possible strategies to interfere with these processes. Dr. Markus Riessland Guest Editor
Book Synopsis Cellular Ageing and Replicative Senescence by : Suresh I.S. Rattan
Download or read book Cellular Ageing and Replicative Senescence written by Suresh I.S. Rattan and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-05-09 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book covers the origins and subsequent history of research results in which attempts have been made to clarify issues related to cellular ageing, senescence, and age-related pathologies including cancer. Cellular Ageing and Replicative Senescence revisits more than fifty-five years of research based on the discovery that cultured normal cells are mortal and the interpretation that this phenomenon is associated with the origins of ageing. The mortality of normal cells and the immortality of cancer cells were also reported to have in vivo counterparts. Thus began the field of cytogerontology. Cellular Ageing and Replicative Senescence is organized into five sections: history and origins; serial passaging and progressive ageing; cell cycle arrest and senescence; system modulation; and recapitulation and future expectations. These issues are discussed by leading thinkers and researchers in biogerontology and cytogerontology. This collection of articles provides state-of-the-art information, and will encourage students, teachers, health care professionals and others interested in the biology of ageing to explore the fascinating and challenging question of why and how our cells age, and what can and cannot be done about it.
Book Synopsis Senolytics in Disease, Ageing and Longevity by : Daniel Muñoz-Espin
Download or read book Senolytics in Disease, Ageing and Longevity written by Daniel Muñoz-Espin and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-04-27 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers comprehensive information on the new and rapidly evolving science of identifying and targeting senescent cells, and on the exciting prospect of new diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities for stopping, and even reversing, the progression of disease and the deterioration of the human body due to ageing. According to recent United Nations data, by 2050 one in six people worldwide will be older than age 65, with peaks rising to one in four people in Europe and North America. Remarkably, the number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple, from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050. First documented in the 1960s, the concept of cellular senescence as an underlying cause of ageing has been established in the course of the last decade. Using genetically engineered mouse models, researchers have demonstrated that the selective elimination of senescent cells can block and even reverse a number of age-related dysfunctions and pathologies, promoting both better health and longer life in the elderly. These include cardiovascular diseases; neurological disorders; type 1 and type 2 diabetes; inflammatory diseases; fibrosis; geriatric syndromes; chronic diseases resulting in organ dysfunction; the integrity of the musculoskeletal system; and cancer. Some senolytic agents have already progressed into trials. These include UBX0101 for the treatment of osteoarthritis (now in phase II), a cocktail of dasatinib and quercetin for the management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and chronic kidney disease, and ABT-263 in combination with senescence-inducing chemotherapies for the treatment of advanced solid tumours. In addition, the book discusses pathways to early phase clinical trials and translational approaches in medicine and ageing, highlighting new opportunities as well as current limitations, challenges and alternatives. Given its scope, it will benefit a broad audience of advanced educators, researchers, graduate students and practitioners.
Book Synopsis The Role of Cellular Senescence in Health and Disease by : Isabel Varela-Nieto
Download or read book The Role of Cellular Senescence in Health and Disease written by Isabel Varela-Nieto and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2022-03-09 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Cells, Aging, and Human Disease by : Michael B. Fossel M.D.
Download or read book Cells, Aging, and Human Disease written by Michael B. Fossel M.D. and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2004-06-10 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cells, Aging, and Human Disease is the first book to explore aging all the way from genes to clinical application, analyzing the fundamental cellular changes which underlie human age-related disease. With over 4,000 references, this text explores both the fundamental processes of human aging and the tissue-by-tissue pathology, detailing both breaking research and current state-of-the-art clinical interventions in aging and age-related disease. Far from merely sharing a common onset late in the lifespan, age-related diseases are linked by fundamental common characteristics at the genetic and cellular levels. Emphasizing human cell mechanisms, the first section presents and analyzes our current knowledege of telomere biology and cell senescence. In superb academic detail, the text brings the reader up to date on telomere maintenance, telomerase dynamics, and current research on cell senescence--and the general model--cell senescence as the central component in human senescence and cancer. For each human malignancy, the chapter reviews and analyzes all available data on telomeres and telomerase, as well as summarizing current work on their clinical application in both diagnosis and cancer therapy. The second edition, oriented by organs and tissues, explores the actual physiological impact of cell senescence and aging on clinical disease. After a summary of the literature on early aging syndromes--the progerias--the text reviews aging diseases (Alzheimer's dementia, osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis, immune aging, presbyopia, sarcopenia, etc.) in the context of the tissues in which they occur. Each of the ten clinical chapters--skin, cardiovascular system, bone and joints, hematopoetic and immune systems, endocrine, CNS, renal, muscle, GI, and eyes--examines what we know of their pathology, the role of cell sensescence, and medical interventions, both current and potential.
Book Synopsis Aging of Cells in and Outside the Body by : S. Kaul
Download or read book Aging of Cells in and Outside the Body written by S. Kaul and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2003-10-31 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides updated knowledge on the basic features and mechanisms of cellular aging established since its first manifestation at cellular level 40 years ago. Contributions of genetic and environmental factors, failure of genetic and cellular repair mechanisms, and the epigenetic modifications determine the final lifespan of cells. This book also provides an understanding on how aging mechanisms in mice, a most frequently used model, differ with that of humans who receive better tumor surveillance because of stringent controls on aging mechanisms. It also appraises the use of modern technology for aging studies and its intervention. This book serves as an excellent reading on cellular aging for undergraduate students, researchers and experts of this area.
Book Synopsis Cellular Senescence in Disease by : Manuel Serrano
Download or read book Cellular Senescence in Disease written by Manuel Serrano and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2021-12-02 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research in the field of senescence has boomed recently due to the gradual realization that senescent cells are associated with a significant number of diseases. The genetic or pharmacological elimination of senescent cells can cause widespread benefits and improves outcomes for most of those diseases. Cellular Senescence in Diseases presents an updated review of the role of cellular senescence in multiple pathologies. Focus is given to those diseases where the implication of senescence has been more extensively documented, such as (cancer, lung and liver diseases, diabetes, Neurodegenerative diseases and others). The Editors recruited a group of worldwide experts in each individual pathology to review the role of cellular senescence in each one of them, aiming at identifying potential therapeutic pathways. The first two chapters provide an overview of the cellular senescence principles. Next, the chapters are divided into specific diseases. Cancer, including premalignant lesions (OIS), Advanced disease (TIS), and Metastasis are covered. The following condition covered is Lund diseases, including IPF, COPD, and Pulmonary Hypertension. Next Liver Diseases are covered, including Fibrosis and Cirrhosis, and Fatty liver disease. Next there is coverage for Kidney implications, including fibrosis and transplantation. Vascular diseases are covered next including infarction and hear fibrosis, and atherosclerosis. Both diabetes types 1 and 2 are covered next. Following chapters cover Obesity, Sarcopenia, and Bone and Cartilage disorders, respectively. Neurodegenerative diseases are covered next, focusing on Alzheimer and Parkinson. The next chapter discusses accumulation of senescent cell in tissues during aging. The two final chapters cover current developments and conclusions. Cellular Senescence in Diseases is designed for researchers and clinicians with a focus on the cellular mechanisms of diseases. All chapters cover current experimental therapeutic approaches to eliminate or cancel the pathological effects of senescent cells. Pharmaceutical scientists may also benefit from the contents of the book in the exploration of novel therapeutic opportunities. Provides a thorough introduction to Cellular Senescence Covers all major pathologies for which cellular senescence has shown evidence of involvement Focuses on possible therapeutic pathways Edited and authored by worldwide experts
Book Synopsis Cellular Senescence and Inflammation in Aging and Age-related Disease by : Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Download or read book Cellular Senescence and Inflammation in Aging and Age-related Disease written by Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Ageing Slowly, Living Longer by : Vinod Nikhra, M D
Download or read book Ageing Slowly, Living Longer written by Vinod Nikhra, M D and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-11 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF LONGEVITYThe world today is fast progressing and we live in the unprecedented times. There is a boom of advances in every field, from the art to the science and technology. This includes health science, too. The wonderful advances in the field of medical science make it possible to cure acute disorders and, thus, avoiding untimely demise. The chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. can be efficiently managed leading to virtual freedom from their complications. There is, in general, an appreciable increase in life expectancy and lifespan. The ideology apart, health is the prime instrument that lets us enjoy life. The preservation of health is the best formula for longevity. A healthy food, adequate physical activity and wholesome lifestyle keep the daily attrition-related damage at minimum and retard ageing. An optimal healthcare adds further. An individual's life course may appear unpredictable, but it is not. The genetic and environmental factors, both being of equal importance, and behavioral patterns can successfully predict the life expectancy. The longer life is not separate from ageing slowly. They are mutually related.The life is an eternal truth. We are because we live. We find people ageing; we ourselves age and grow older. The phenomenon of ageing is universal in the kingdom of living. With time, all living beings age. Yet, ageing is an enigma. We do not understand it. We do not exactly know, what makes us age and grow old, finally losing vitality of life? Living a healthy and long life is a common dream. All of us nourish the dream; all of us wish to realize it. But various disorders and infirmities annihilate the dream. Falling prey to them, we lose our health and fitness, and pass through an abridged life. There have been immense developments in scientific research, including medical science. There has evolved a whole novel understanding of the biology of ageing. A vast body of knowledge can explain the changes that take place with ageing at molecular and cellular level. At the same time, the progress in healthcare and technology makes it possible to slow ageing. The science has progressed and there are futuristic visions of achieving significant longevity. There are possibilities of being able to reverse the ageing process. The eternal dream of immortality, is on the verge of becoming a reality. This book aims to provide answers to the questions related to ageing. It aims to explain ageing and charts out a program for slowing ageing. It also gives a peep into the futuristic visions of longevity and suggests scientific ways for a long life. Simultaneously, it is designed to educate you for fitness and to lead a healthy life. As you read through the book, you will find long-held views interspersed with shattering myths, and scientific facts intermingled with results from research and studies, which are still not out of the lab doors. It may seem at times, but the book is not a fiction. Neither, it is a concocted dream. The book is based on current state of scientific knowledge and gerontological research. I intend to share with you the current state of knowledge relating to ageing and gerontology. There are, to share with you, the facts and visions more eloquent than imaginations, and amazing thoughts amounting to the reality-pregnant-early-morning dreams. You will notice few things as you read through the book. Using certain words has been avoided. You will only rarely find the words like aged, old, etc. The words like elderly have been used very sparingly. This has been done purposely and is well in line with the central thought of the book, which is to come out of our age-old prejudices against the old age. So, I request you to read on. After all, theme of the book ageing slowly and living longer, as indicated by the title chosen, is of the prime concern to all of us. Your partner in healthy long life, Dr Vinod Nikhra, M.D.
Book Synopsis Two Faces of Evil: Cancer and Neurodegeneration by : Thomas Curran
Download or read book Two Faces of Evil: Cancer and Neurodegeneration written by Thomas Curran and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-05-29 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Homeostasis involves a delicate interplay between generative and degenerative processes to maintain a stable internal environment. In biological systems, equilibrium is established and controlled through a series of negative feedback mechanisms driven by a range of signal transduction processes. Failures in these complex communication pathways result in instability leading to disease. Cancer represents a state of imbalance caused by an excess of cell proliferation. In contrast, neurodegeneration is a consequence of excessive cell loss in the nervous system. Both of these disorders exhort profound tolls on humanity and they have been subject to a great deal of research designed to ameliorate this suffering. For the most part, the topics have been viewed as distinct and rarely do opportunities arise for transdisciplinary discussions among experts in both fields. However, cancer and neurodegeneration represent yin-yang counterpoints in the regulation of cell growth, and it is reasonable to hypothesize that key regulatory events mediated by oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in cancer may also affect neurodegenerative processes
Book Synopsis Membrane Biogenesis by : Jos A.F. Op den Kamp
Download or read book Membrane Biogenesis written by Jos A.F. Op den Kamp and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many individual aspects of the dynamics and assembly of biological membranes have been studied in great detail. Cell biological approaches, advanced genetics, biophysics and biochemistry have greatly contributed to an increase in our knowledge in this field.lt is obvious however, that the three major membrane constituents - lipids, proteins and carbohydrates- are studied, in most cases separately and that a coherent overview of the various aspects of membrane biogenesis is not readily available. The NATO Advanced Study Institute on "New Perspectives in the Dynamics of Assembly of Biomembranes" intended to provide such an overview: it was set up to teach students and specialists the achievements obtained in the various research areas and to try and integrate the numerous aspects of membrane assembly into a coherent framework. The articles in here reflect this. Statting with detailed contributions on phospholipid structure, dynamics, organization and biogenesis, an up to date overview of the basic, lipidic backbone of biomembranes is given. Extensive progress is made in the research on membrane protein biosynthesis. In particular the post- and co-translational modification processes of proteins, the mechanisms of protein translocation and the sorting mechanisms which are necessary to direct proteins to their final, intra - or extracellular destination have been characterized in detail. Modern genetic approaches were indispensable in this research area: gene cloning, hybrid protein construction, site directed mutagenesis and sequencing techniques elucidated many functional aspects of specific nucleic acid and amino acid sequences.
Book Synopsis No Aging in India by : Lawrence Cohen
Download or read book No Aging in India written by Lawrence Cohen and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1998-07-30 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the opening sequence, in which mid-nineteenth-century Indian fishermen hear the possibility of redemption in an old woman's madness, No Aging in India captures the reader with its interplay of story and analysis. Drawing on more than a decade of ethnographic work, Lawrence Cohen links a detailed investigation of mind and body in old age in four neighborhoods of the Indian city of Varanasi (Banaras) with events and processes around India and around the world. This compelling exploration of senility—encompassing not only the aging body but also larger cultural anxieties—combines insights from medical anthropology, psychoanalysis, and postcolonial studies. Bridging literary genres as well as geographic spaces, Cohen responds to what he sees as the impoverishment of both North American and Indian gerontologies—the one mired in ambivalence toward demented old bodies, the other insistent on a dubious morality tale of modern families breaking up and abandoning their elderly. He shifts our attention irresistibly toward how old age comes to matter in the constitution of societies and their narratives of identity and history.
Author :Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Publisher :Food & Agriculture Org. ISBN 13 :9251098603 Total Pages :244 pages Book Rating :4.2/5 (51 download)
Book Synopsis Crop ecology, cultivation and uses of cactus pear by : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Download or read book Crop ecology, cultivation and uses of cactus pear written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cactus plants are precious natural resources that provide nutritious food for people and livestock, especially in dryland areas. Originally published in 1995, this extensively revised edition provides fresh insights into the cactus plant’s genetic resources, physiological traits, soil preferences and vulnerability to pests. It provides invaluable guidance on managing the resource to support food security and offers tips on how to exploit the plant’s culinary qualities.
Book Synopsis Alternatives to Animal Use in Research, Testing, and Education by :
Download or read book Alternatives to Animal Use in Research, Testing, and Education written by and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Beyond Therapy by : President's Council on Bioethics (U.S.)
Download or read book Beyond Therapy written by President's Council on Bioethics (U.S.) and published by Harper Perennial. This book was released on 2003-12-02 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: explores the profound ethical and social consequences of today's biotechnical revolution. Almost every week brings news of novel methods for screening genes and testing embryos, choosing the sex and modifying the behavior of children, enhancing athletic performance, slowing aging, blunting painful memories, brightening mood, and altering basic temperaments. But we must not neglect the fundamental question: Should we be turning to biotechnology to fulfill our deepest human desires? We want better children -- but not by turning procreation into manufacture or by altering their brains to gain them an edge over their peers. We want to perform better in the activities of life -- but not by becoming mere creatures of chemistry. We want longer lives -- but not at the cost of becoming so obsessed with our own longevity that we care little about future generations. We want to be happy --
Book Synopsis The Best Care Possible by : Ira Byock
Download or read book The Best Care Possible written by Ira Byock and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2013-03-05 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A doctor on the front lines of hospital care illuminates one of the most important and controversial social issues of our time. It is harder to die in this country than ever before. Though the vast majority of Americans would prefer to die at home—which hospice care provides—many of us spend our last days fearful and in pain in a healthcare system ruled by high-tech procedures and a philosophy to “fight disease and illness at all cost.” Dr. Ira Byock, one of the foremost palliative-care physicians in the country, argues that how we die represents a national crisis today. To ensure the best possible elder care, Dr. Byock explains we must not only remake our healthcare system but also move beyond our cultural aversion to thinking about death. The Best Care Possible is a compelling meditation on medicine and ethics told through page-turning life-or-death medical drama. It has the power to lead a new national conversation.
Download or read book The Genetic Gods written by John C. Avise and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: They mastermind our lives, shaping our features, our health, and our behavior, even in the sacrosanct realms of love and sex, religion, aging, and death. Yet we are the ones who house, perpetuate, and give the promise of immortality to these biological agents, our genetic gods. The link between genes and gods is hardly arbitrary, as the distinguished evolutionary geneticist John Avise reveals in this compelling book. In clear, straightforward terms, Avise reviews recent discoveries in molecular biology, evolutionary genetics, and human genetic engineering, and discusses the relevance of these findings to issues of ultimate concern traditionally reserved for mythology, theology, and religious faith. The book explains how the genetic gods figure in our development--not just our metabolism and physiology, but even our emotional disposition, personality, ethical leanings, and, indeed, religiosity. Yet genes are physical rather than metaphysical entities. Having arisen via an amoral evolutionary process--natural selection--genes have no consciousness, no sentient code of conduct, no reflective concern about the consequences of their actions. It is Avise's contention that current genetic knowledge can inform our attempts to answer typically religious questions--about origins, fate, and meaning. The Genetic Gods challenges us to make the necessary connection between what we know, what we believe, and what we embody. Table of Contents: Preface Prologue 1. The Doctrines of Biological Science 2. Geneses 3. Genetic Maladies 4. Genetic Beneficence 5. Strategies of the Genes 6. Genetic Sovereignty 7. New Lords of Our Genes? 8. Meaning Epilogue Notes Glossary Index Reviews of this book: Our genes, [Avise] says, are responsible not only for how we got here and exist day to day, but also for the core of our being--our personalities and morals. It is our genetic make-up that allows for and formulates our religious belief systems, he argues. Avise does not eschew spirituality but seeks a more informed, less confrontational approach between science and the pulpit. --Science News Reviews of this book: For the general scientific reader, the book is an excellent distillation of a broad and increasingly important field, a course of causation that cannot be ignored. From advising expectant parents to getting innocent people off death row, genetics increasingly dominates our lives. The sections on genetics are expertly written, particularly for those readers without in-depth knowledge. The author explains slowly and carefully just how genetics operates, using multiple metaphors. His genetic discourse proceeds in a neighborly fashion, as one might tell stories while sitting in a rocking chair at a country store. He seems to be invigorated by genes and just can't wait to tell about them. --David W. Hodo, Journal of the American Medical Association Reviews of this book: As a whole, this book is quite informative and stimulating, and sections of it are beautifully written. Indeed, Professor Avise has a real gift for prose and scientific expositions, and I would suspect that he must be a formidable lecturer...At its core, [The Genetic Gods] is a survey, and a very nice one at that, of evolutionary genetics, the field of the author's major research interests. There is a strong sociobiological cast to the arguments, and the work and ideas of E. O. Wilson figure prominently. The presentation of evolutionary genetics is imbedded in a more general discussion of modern human and molecular genetics...However, this book is, most of all, a philosophical treatise that attempts, admittedly with the bias of a biologist, to examine the intersection of the fundamental premises of evolution and religion. Professor Avise has given us plenty to think about in this book [and]...it was a real pleasure to wrestle with the ideas he was presenting. I would suggest that other readers give it a try. --Charles J. Epstein, Trends in Genetics Reviews of this book: [Avise's] account of the role genes play in shaping the human condition is wholly involving, paying particular attention to issues of reproduction, aging and death. In addition to presenting ample biological information in a form accessible to the nonspecialist, Avise does a superb job of discussing many of the ethical implications that have arisen from our growing knowledge of human genetics. Just a few of the topics covered are genetic engineering, the patenting of life, genetic screening, abortion, human cloning, gene therapy and insurance-related controversies. --Publishers Weekly Reviews of this book: Avise explains thoroughly how evolution operates on a genetic level. His goal is to show that humans can look to this information as a way to answer fundamental questions of life instead of looking to traditional religious beliefs...Avise includes some very interesting discussions of ethical concerns related to genetic issues. --Eric D. Albright, Library Journal This is a splendid account of a subject that affects us all: the breathtaking increase in understanding of human genetics and the insight it provides into human evolution. John Avise speaks with authority of molecular evolutionary genetics and with affecting compassion of what it might mean. --Douglas J. Futuyma, State University of New York at Stony Brook The Genetic Gods is many things. It is a wonderful introduction to modern molecular biology, by a man who knows his subject backwards. It is a stimulating account of the ways in which genetics impinges on human nature--our thinking and our behavior. It is a remarkably level-headed and sympathetic account of the implications of our new findings for traditional and not-so-traditional issues in philosophy and religion. In an age of genetic counseling, cloning, construction of new life forms, the book is worth its weight in gold for this alone. But most of all, it is a huge amount of fun to read--you want to applaud or argue with the author on nigh every page. Highly recommended! --Michael Ruse, University of Guelph The Genetic Gods makes a valuable contribution to the on-going task of sorting out the implications of evolutionary biology and genetics for human self-understanding. Avise addresses, with authority and grace, the most consequential intellectual issues of our time. A challenging and insightful book. --Loyal Rue, Harvard University A wonderfully informative and engaging book. Avise offers a lucid, accessible primer on our genes, angelic and demonic, and examines religious and ethical issues, all too human, now confronted by genetic science. He makes a compelling case that anyone seeking to 'Know Thyself' should study the DNA molecular scriptures, our most ancient and universal legacy. --Dudley Herschbach, Harvard University, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
