Genetics

Benjamin Pierce received a B.S. in Biology from Southern Methodist University and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. Ben is currently Professor of Biology and holder of the Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair at Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX. He is a population geneticist who conducts ecological and evolutionary research on amphibians. Ben has authored a number of articles in research journals and several books, including: The Family Genetics Sourcebook, a guide to genetics for the layperson; Genetics: A Conceptual Approach, a general genetics textbook; Genetics Essentials: Concepts and Connections, a brief genetics textbook; and Transmission and Population Genetics: A Short Course, a textbook for courses in transmission and population genetics.  Ben is a member of the steering committee of the 21st Century Science Coalition, a group of scientists who support strong science standards for Texas public schools. He is the President of the Texas Academy of Science, is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, and is a Fellow of the Texas Academy of Science. He currently serves on the editorial board of Bioscience. He has received research and teaching grants from the Natural Science Foundation, the W. M. Keck Foundation, the 3M Foundation, the National Park Service, the Williamson County Conservation Foundation, and the National Geographic Society.

Chapter ​1: Introduction to Genetics.- Chapter 2: Chromosomes and Cellular Reproduction.- Chapter 3: Basic Principles of Heredity.- Chapter 4: Sex Determination and Sex-Linked Characteristics.- Chapter 5: Extensions and Modifications of Basic Principles.- Chapter 6: Pedigree Analysis, Applications, and Genetic Testing.- Chapter 7: Linkage, Recombination, and Eukaryotic Gene Mapping.- Chapter 8: Chromosome Variation.- Chapter 9: Bacterial and Viral Genetic Systems.- Chapter 10: DNA: The Chemical Nature of the Gene.- Chapter 11: Chromosome Structure and Organelle DNA.- Chapter 12: DNA Replication and Recombination.- Chapter 13: Transcription.- Chapter 14: RNA Molecules and RNA Processing.- Chapter 15: The Genetic Code and Translation.- Chapter 16: Control of Gene Expression in Prokaryotes.- Chapter 17: Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes.- Chapter 18: Gene Mutations and DNA Repair.- Chapter 19: Molecular Genetic Analysis and Biotechnology.- Chapter 20: Genomics and Proteomics.- Chapter 21: Epigenetics.- Chapter 22: Developmental Genetics and Immunogenetics.- Chapter 23: Cancer Genetics.- Chapter 24: Quantitative Genetics.- Chapter 25: Population Genetics.- Chapter 26: Evolutionary Genetics.