Fundamentals of Genetics Leslie Vega & Bret White

Genetics is the study of genes-what they are, what they do, and how they work. Genes inside the nucleus of a cell are strung together in such a way that the sequence carries information: that information determines how living organisms inherit various features. For example, offspring produced by sexual reproduction usually look similar to each of their parents because they have inherited some of each of their parents’ genes. Genetics identifies which features are inherited, and explains how these features pass from generation to generation. The fundamentals of genetics has been designed with the objective of providing a sound understanding of the fundamentals and basic principles of genetics. An attempt has been made to present the subject matter as simple, concise, and explicit. Elements of genetics is intended to meet the needs of the shorter more applied course in introductory genetics. The aim of this text is to focus on the basics of genetics and presents those fundamentals as clearly and concisely as possible. In addition to inheritance, genetics studies how genes are turned on and off to control what substances are made in a cell-gene expression; and how a cell divides-mitosis or meiosis. Another example is a person’s height: it is determined by both genetics and nutrition. This unique presentation on basic of applied genetics is of immense use to teachers, students, researches and general readers.