This is the authoritative introduction to the concepts and techniques of recombinant DNA research and their dramatic results. The book explores core concepts in molecular biology in a contemporary inquiry-based context, building its coverage around the landmark experiments that redefined our understanding of DNA. As a result, students learn how working scientists make real high-impact discoveries. Included are chapters on applications to human diseases, cancer, and forensics.

Author Biography

JAMES D. WATSON is the Chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and was awarded the Nobel Prize (1962) for his discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids. AMY A. CAUDY is a Lewis-Steiger Fellow, at the Lewis-Steiger Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University. Combining methods from genomics, and biochemistry, her research seeks to understand the regulation of mitochondrial replication and abundance. RICHARD M. MYERS is the Stanford W. Ascherman Professor and Chairman of the Department of Genetics at Stanford University. He studies the structure, function and evolution of the human genome to understand roles that genes play in human diseases such as Huntington disease, Parkinson disease, hypertension, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis. JAN A. WITKOWSKI is the Executive Director of the Banbury Center, the Editor-in-chief of "Trends in Biochemical Sciences" and a professor at the Watson School of Biological Sciences. Prior to his role at Cold Spring Harbor, he ran a research lab focused on the DNA-based diagnosis of human genetic diseases.