Further Readings
- Ahmad, W., et al. Alopecia Universalis Associated with a Mutation in the Human hairless Gene. Science, January 30, 1998. A sixth-generation pedigree was used in this research on a genetic disease affecting hair growth.
- Bamshad, M. J., and S. E. Olson. Does Race Exist? Scientific American, December 2003. Researchers can use some genetic information to group individuals into clusters with medical relevance.
- Beardsley, T. Fetal Checkup. Scientific American, January 1997. Fetal cells for testing can be obtained from the mother's blood, without the need for amniocentesis or CVS.
- Cattaneo, E., D. Rigamonti, and C. Zuccato. The Enigma of Huntington's Disease. Scientific American, December, 2002. Nearly 10 years after scientists have isolated the gene responsible for Huntington's disease, they are still searching for how it wreaks its devastation.
- Glazier, A. M., J. H. Nadeau, and T. J. Aitman. Finding Genes That Underlie Complex Traits. Science, December 20, 2002. This article proposes standards by which recently developed, powerful computing techniques can identify genes associated with complex traits.
- Hamer, D. Rethinking Behavior Genetics. Science, October 4, 2002. The author argues that expecting a simple linear relation between individual genes and behaviors is a wrong assumption that hampers our ability to understand the rich complexity of human thought and emotion.
- Horgan, J. Eugenics Revisited. Scientific American, June 1993. Discusses controversies centered on the genetics of human behavior. With the ongoing identification of more and more genes affecting behavior, this older article is increasingly relevant.
- Jablonski, N. G., and G. Chaplin. Skin Deep. Scientific American, October 2002. Human skin color (a polygenically inherited trait) has evolved to be dark enough to prevent sunlight from destroying the nutrient folate but light enough to foster vitamin D production.
- Krieger, M. J. B., and K. G. Ross. Identification of a Major Gene Regulating Complex Social Behavior. Science, January 11, 2002. This article characterizes a particular gene that functions to maintain colony queen number in fire ants.
- Marx, J. Gene Mutation May Boost Risk of Heart Arrhythmias. Science, August 23, 2002. This article discusses research reported in another article in this issue, suggesting that a variant of a gene, dubbed SCN5A, might increase the risk of heart rhythm disturbances.
- Seppa, N. Cluster Buster: Might a Simple Sugar Derail Huntington's? Science News, January 24, 2004. A sugar called trehalose may be able to inhibit the aggregation of protein believed to be responsible for Huntington's disease.
- Wheelwright, J. Reading the Language of Our Ancestors. Discover, February 2002. This article discusses Victor McKusick's work on genetic diseases among the Old Order Amish of Pennsylvania, and how the recent advances in genome sequencing has greatly speeded up the pace of his work.
- Wilson, J. H., and S. J. Elledge. BRCA2 Enters the Fray. Science, September 13, 2002. This Perspectives article establishes the context for another article in this issue describing evidence that the BRCA2 gene product is involved in DNA repair. About half of all familial cases of breast and ovarian cancers are caused by mutations in this gene or the BRCA1 gene.
