Genetics

From SkepticWiki

[edit] Introduction

Genetics is the study of biological inheritance.

This subject is much too rich and fascinating to summarize in a single article. Instead, we have arranged and written the articles linked to below in such a way that, if they are read in the suggested order, they constitute a short introductory textbook on genetics.

Our primary intention is that this textbook should supply as much genetics as is necessary to understand the theory of evolution. For this reason, we have been able to omit some subjects that the reader will find in a fuller textbook:

We have tended to give a functional rather than a biochemical account of the various mechanisms of the cell, focusing, for example, on the fact and consequences of DNA replication rather than on the chemistry of DNA polymerase which underlies it.

We have omited the customary textbook descriptions of the classic experiments and observations that led, for example, to the discovery of the base-pairing mechanism, or the cracking of the genetic code. This is rather a shame, as these are good examples of how to do science: we may yet remedy this deficiency in an appendix.

Finally, we have left out all mention of the applications of genetics, with the exception of applications to the study of evolutionary history: so the reader will not learn here about, for example, cloning, or genetic modification, or genetic fingerprinting.

These restrictions make the textbook concise and suitable for its purpose of giving the reader a good grounding in evolutionary theory: but for the reader with a further interest in the field, we suggest the acquisition of a good old-fashioned paper-and-ink textbook.