Michael R. Cummings

This book will look at behavior in a different way. Have you heard of the phrase nature vs nurture? Simply, it asks what influences our behavior? This has been a debated topic since early man. Nature is usually defined as what is given to us before we are born, specifically, as discussed in this text, genetics. Nurture means learning that we acquire from our environment–parents, friends, and other influences.In this book, we will look at the newest scientific work, how both genetics and environment effect how we behave. Science, specifically genetics, is now finding its way into all areas of everyday life, criminal law, politics, and how our brain is involved in our actions.

Illness is a part of life. For many years we have known about disease. But we were not always so smart. The Black Plague ravaged Europe between 1347-1352 and killed 30-80 MILLION people. No one knew how people caught the condition and lots of ideas failed–people just died. But not everyone died; possibly their immune systems help them fight off these "invaders".Today we know about bacteria, viruses, cancers and other invaders and we usually let them run their course. That is because our bodies detect and fight them. That is immunity.

This book reveals amazing examples of what has and is happening with science and DNA forensics.The public now knows the DNA molecule by sight and how it can assist in solving crimes such as murder and sexual assaults. In this book, the authors demonstrate how DNA forensics has developed over the years.DNA has assisted in finding criminals and releasing those who were wrongly accused, including prisoners on death row and a few who were already executed!

The topic of this book, biotechnology, is about gene manipulation. The authors will explain how genetic modification can enhance and repair DNA at the molecular level to cure genetic conditions, better plant growth, diagnose and fix major genetic disorders, and cancer, as well as learning about the human genome. In addition, some ethical and legal cases are presented and a new tool, CRISPR, is explained. It will move biotechnology along on a brisk yet comprehensible pace.

It is hard to avoid hearing about genetic testing. It is advertised, discussed, debated, and offered to patients. Some are over the counter, such as paternity testing, testing for risk for diabetes and others. Others are offered by private companies and still others by drug companies, These tests may or may not show a distinct answer, so it important for patients to understand these results. Early in 1920s a Eugenics movement began in the United States, courts decided which person had undesirable traits and would be sterilized so they could not pass these traits to their children. The idea here was to create a population with better genes (therefore healthier and richer). Families who were chosen received awards and people began to see the importance of genetics. But little did they know how it would EXPLODE! This book will look at genetic testing as it applies today and how the serious decisions that it demands, cannot be ignored.

It is hard to avoid hearing about genetic testing. It is advertised, discussed, debated, and offered to patients. Some are over the counter, such as paternity testing, testing for risk for diabetes and others. Others are offered by private companies and still others by drug companies. These tests may or may not show a distinct answer, so it important for patients to understand these results. Early in 1920s a Eugenics movement began in the United States, courts decided which person had undesirable traits and would be sterilized so they could not pass these traits to their children. The idea here was to create a population with better genes (therefore healthier and richer). Families who were chosen received awards and people began to see the importance of genetics. But little did they know how it would EXPLODE! This book will look at genetic testing as it applies today and how the serious decisions that it demands, cannot be ignored.

It seems simple to create a baby, after all everyone does it. Even simpler is the definition of fertility. For a successful conception, you need only three things: egg, sperm, and uterus. However, all of these components have to work together to produce a healthy baby, but what happens if one of these parts is not working properly, or is missing altogether? In this book, we will be discussing normal fertility, infertility, and treatment developed in the last 30 years to help with a problem that is almost an epidemic in some countries. These treatments, called assisted reproduction for infertility, have led scientists to find ways to place the sperm and egg as close together as possible so that they fuse and begin development of an embryo.