The Evolution of Genetics

The Evolution of Genetics provides a review of the development of genetics. It is not intended as a history of the science of heredity. By a brief and general survey, however, it seeks to show the connections of past to present research, and of current discoveries to future investigations. The book opens with a chapter on the legacy of classical genetics. This is followed by separate chapters on the use of microorganisms in molecular genetics; the structure and replication of genetic material; mutation and recombination of genetic material; the heterocatalytic function of genetic material; and concludes with a discussion of the future of genetics. Undergraduates considering a career of teaching or research in biology, students who are embarking on graduate studies in biology, professional biologists working in fields other than genetics but interested in current research on heredity, and laymen who have had some education in biology and have a continued interest in biological science may find something useful in this book.