Tara Rodden Robinson - Genetics For Dummies

Genetics For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Tara Rodden Robinson

Genetics For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier!, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The contents of this work are intended to further general scientific research, understanding, and discussion only and are not intended and should not be relied upon as recommending or promoting a specific method, diagnosis, or treatment by physicians for any particular patient. The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation any implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. In view of ongoing research, equipment modifications, changes in governmental regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to the use of medicines, equipment, and devices, the reader is urged to review and evaluate the information provided in the package insert or instructions for each medicine, equipment, or device for, among other things, any changes in the instructions or indication of usage and for added warnings and precautions. Readers should consult with a specialist where appropriate. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. No warranty may be created or extended by any promotional statements for this work. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any damages arising herefrom.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010924590

ISBN: 978-0-470-55174-5

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

Tara Rodden Robinson, RN, BSN, PhD, is a native of Monroe, Louisiana, where she graduated from Ouachita Parish High School. She earned her degree in nursing at the University of Southern Mississippi and worked as a registered nurse for nearly six years (mostly in surgery) before running away from home to study birds in the Costa Rican rain forest. From the rain forests, Tara traveled to the cornfields of the Midwest to earn her PhD in biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She conducted her dissertation work in the Republic of Panama, where she examined the social lives of song wrens. She received her postdoctoral training in genetics with Dr. Colin Hughes (then at the University of Miami) and through a postdoctoral fellowship at Auburn University. Dr. Robinson received a teaching award for her genetics course at Auburn and was twice included in Whos Who Among Americas Teachers (2002 and 2005).

Currently, Tara teaches genetics via distance education on behalf of the biology program at Oregon State University. On the research side, Dr. Robinson has conducted research on birds in locations all over the map, including Oregon, Michigan, Yap (part of the Federated States of Micronesia), and the Republic of Panama. Examples of her work include using paternity analysis to uncover the mysteries of birds social lives, examining the population genetics of endangered salmon, and using DNA to find out which species of salmon that seagoing birds like to eat.

When not traveling to exotic places with her husband, ornithologist W. Douglas Robinson, Tara enjoys hiking the Coast Range of Oregon with her two dogs in training for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. You can find out more about her at www.thegeneticsprofessor.com.

Dedication

For Douglas: You are my Vitamin D.

Authors Acknowledgments

I extend thanks to my wonderful editors at Wiley: Elizabeth Rea, Chad Sievers, Todd Lothery, Stacy Kennedy, Lisa J. Cushman, and Mike Baker (first edition). Many other people at Wiley worked hard to make both editions of this book a reality; special thanks go to Melisa Duffy, Lindsay MacGregor, Abbie Enneking, Grace Davis, and David Hobson.

Many colleagues and friends provided help. I enjoyed lively discussions with and gained much insight into the nature of the epigenome from Jonathan Weitzman. I thank Doug P. Lyle, MD, Walter D. Smith, Benoit Leclair, Maddy Delone, and Jen Dolan of the Innocence Project; and Jorge Berreno (Applied Biosystems, Inc.), Paul Farber (Oregon State University), Iris Sandler (University of Washington), Robert J. Robbins (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center), and Garland E. Allen (Washington University in St. Louis) for assistance in preparing the first edition. I am indebted to Peter and Rosemary Grant for figure-use permission. I also want to thank my postdoctoral mentor, Colin Hughes (now of Florida Atlantic University). I send a hearty War Eagle! to my friends, former students, and colleagues from Auburn University, especially Mike and Marie Wooten, Sharon Roberts, and Shreekumar Pulai.

My deepest gratitude goes to my husband, Douglas, who hikes with me, makes me laugh, and keeps my perspective balanced. Finally, I thank my mom and dad for love, support, prayers, and gumbo.

Publishers Acknowledgments

Were proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.