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DNA Technology, Second Edition, is a survey of biotechnology written to enlighten readers about the breakthroughs made possible by the science and technologies associated with current DNA research. Ed Alcamo gives the educated layperson a survey of DNA by presenting a brief history of genetics, a clear outline of techniques that are in use, and indications of breakthroughs in cloning and other DNA advances. Appropriate for a wide range of courses for non-biology majors, including a ?’DNA for Lawyers course or allied health and nursing courses. * An introductory treatment of aspects of DNA technology written to enlighten the reader about the breakthroughs made possible by the science and technologies associated with DNA* Emphasizes the practical implications and applications of the new genetic technologies; readers will come away saying, "So that's what DNA technology is all about!"* Helps students, business people, lawyers, and jurists gain more confidence in their ability to to understand and appreciate DNA technology and human genetics* Persons with genetic diseases will gain a clearer understanding of their afflictions and understand the bases for possible cures* Agriculturists will have insight into the genetic basis for gene-altered plants and animals* The general public will better appreciate the nature and reasons for the Human Genome Project now in progress
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TECHNOLOGY
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TECHNOLOGY _ _ _
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I. E d w a r d A l c a m o State University of New York at Farmingdale Farmingdale, New York
HARCOURT
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Cover image: John Labbe/The Image B a n k 9 1999.
This book is printed on acid-free paper. ( ~ Copyright 9 2001, 1996 by ACADEMIC PRESS All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be mailed to: Permissions Department, Harcourt Inc., 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777
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Harcourt/Academic Press 200 Wheeler Road, Burlington, MA 01803 http://www.harcourt-ap.com Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 99-68792 International Standard Book Number: 0-12-048920-1 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 01 02 03 04 05 06 CO 9 8 7 6
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Dedication I am pleased to dedicate this book to the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli, as it is commonly known). For over a half-century E. coli has been the hammer-and-nail of DNA technology. Scientists used it as a model organism in the 1950s to prove that DNA is the hereditary material; they employed it during the 1960s to learn how genes work and to decipher the genetic code; in the 1970s, E. coli was the first organism to have its genes altered biochemically; in the 1980s, molecular biologists put it to work as a living factory to produce an array of genetically-engineered drugs and medicines; during the 1990s, scientists used it to develop transgenic animals and plants; and now, in the twenty-first century, E. coli continues to illustrate how bacteria and other microorganisms play key roles in the interest of science and for the betterment of humanity.
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