In order to encourage applicants to the 2016 Xenopus Course at Cold Spring Harbor, we able to offer substantial support to offset course costs thanks to support from the NICHD, Helmsley Charitable Trust, and HHMI to eligible candidates. We are particularly interested in scientists with an interdisciplinary or non-traditional background, or scientists new to Xenopus.

In addition to the traditional skills taught in the Xenopus course, this year, we hope to emphasize two approaches: CRISPR based gene modification and biological imaging. We plan to ask students for genes of interest, help them design CRISPR targeting constructs, and phenotype embryos after CRISPR mediated depletion of the gene product using all of the power of Xenopus. This was a big hit last year, and we hope will continue to be motivating for students to bring their own projects to the course.

In addition, we have the good fortune of overlapping with the Quantitative Imaging (QI) course at CSH. We plan to build interactions between our groups to image Xenopus embryos using the latest imaging methods. This was a huge success last year and offers the possibility to try light-sheet, high-speed live confocal, and super-resolution imaging methods.

Important Dates:
Course – April 5-18, 2016
Application Due Date: February 21st, 2016

https://meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx?course=c-xeno&year=16

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

The launch of a new partnership between EMBO and India made me think about what international connections mean to European research.

One of the pleasures of being a research scientist is the opportunity to travel and explore different parts of the world. I’ve visited many countries and I have friends living and working all over, from LA to Tokyo. But this was my first trip to India. I was part of a delegation from EMBO and we were in India to celebrate the launch of a new bioscience partnership in which India has become an associate member of EMBO.

Even before the plane touched down I knew we had reached Mumbai. As we descended, the smell of smoke and traffic fumes started to spread through the cabin. The sensory overload continued throughout the week I was there. I soon realised that most of the things I’d heard and read about India were true and sometimes real life outdid the clichés. The sights, sounds, colour were as vivid as I could hope. The food is outstanding and the cities as crowded and as frenetic as I’d been led to believe, and the traffic…  I’m still too traumatised to talk about the driving. But mostly what I remember from the trip are the people I met and their excitement and enthusiasm for science.

We went to biology research institutes in each city we visited and from the subtropics of Bangalore to the foothills of the Himalayas in Chandigarh we gave our research seminars to full lecture theatres. I’d like to think that some of the audience had come to hear me but I expect they were there for Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard who, speaking after me, talked about her latest work on pigmentation patterning in zebrafish and the ‘Evolution of beauty’.

Everywhere, from long established institutes, such as the Tata Institute in Mumbai, to newer places, such as NCBS and the IISERs, it was evident that research, and biology in particular, is on the rise. Student programmes are expanding, more investigators are being recruited and new buildings constructed. That’s not to say we didn’t hear complaints. A recurring theme were delays and increased expense of reagents compared to Europe and the US, and as in many other countries, there was concern about the balance of funding allocated to basic and translational research. Nevertheless, what most people wanted to talk about was their research and to ask us questions about our work.

Before the trip colleagues had asked me why India, 4000 miles away from Europe, was becoming a member of EMBO. To be honest, I also wondered the same.  But I began to understand the reason as I travelled between research institutes. EMBO was conceived and established in the 1960s and 70s, during the Cold War. Its mission was not only to support and strengthen the new field of molecular biology but also to promote cooperation and exchange between European countries. The geopolitics have changed over the last 40-50 years but I think the importance of EMBO’s mission remains. Despite its small size and budget, EMBO has been enormously influential for biology in Europe. I think this is in large part down to EMBO’s operating principles: funding is focused on promoting scientific exchange and the quality of the science is the only thing that counts.

As I talked to PhD and Masters students and learned about the research at various institutes I realised the potential of some of EMBO’s programmes. I expect that EMBO long term fellows, with their two years post-doc funding, will still mostly result in newly graduated Indian students moving to European labs, rather than the other way round, at least for the time being. However, for other programmes I anticipate there will be increasing two way traffic. Short term fellowships, which provide funding for a stay of up to three months in a host lab in order to initiate or continue a collaboration, will allow European based scientists to visit labs in India and vice versa, establishing new connections and undertaking projects not possible in their home labs. Likewise I hope the Courses & Workshop programme, which supports small focused scientific conferences and practical courses, leads to more cutting edge meetings in India that introduce further European scientists (and the rest of the world) to the range and quality of research now going on in India. And I don’t expect it to be long before we see EMBO Young Investigators with their labs in India. EMBO’s insistence that excellence as the only criterion for the success of a funding application offers a clear standard to all applicants, European and Indian alike, and a clear signal of quality when successful. I am sure that these types of exchanges will not only benefit bioscience in India but also strengthen and advance research in Europe. If the initiative pays off, and I hope it does, it will have been a significant boost to EMBO’s objective of promoting international cooperation while supporting high quality science. Time will tell and I look forward to seeing the results.

The trip also made me reflect on science in Europe. Heading home after the exhilarating and intense tour I worried that as researchers we take for granted that science is global and we assume that the free exchange of ideas and mobility of people is a given. But we shouldn’t be complacent about this. In the UK the prospect of a vote on membership of the EU is looming and in many countries distinctly more isolationist and nationalistic politics seem to be gaining ground. This trip convinced me that we need to be more cooperative not more insular and I hope that organisations such as EMBO continue to demonstrate that openness is win-win for those involved; both sides benefit from cooperation and interaction. On a personal level I have many memories of a hugely enjoyable trip, many new friends and a much deeper knowledge of research in India. I hope to be back soon and I also hope, almost certainly in vain, that next time I visit the driving will have improved.

For the official details of the India-EMBO partnership see:

http://www.embo.org/news/press-releases/press-releases-2016/india-to-become-second-embc-associate-member-state

And for details of the India-EMBO symposia:

http://india.embo.org/

(2 votes)

Loading...

Applications are still open for the Comparative Invertebrate Embryology course at the Friday Harbor Labs. It’s a great opportunity to work with diverse animal embryos. We attempt to provide an integrated view of animal development, bridging cell and molecular mechanisms with ecological and evolutionary processes. Marine invertebrate development can provide new perspectives on developmental mechanisms, eco-devo, evo-devo, regeneration, and tissue engineering.

Please see the course description at: http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/studentSummer2016.html#SumA-2

Applications are needed before Feb. 29th. Financial aid may be available.

The course runs from June 13 – July 15, 2016 (5 weeks).

The Friday Harbor Labs give access to an extraordinary variety of organisms from diverse marine habitats, and provide opportunities to interact with a broad community of biologists.

The focus of the course is hands-on observation of living embryos and larvae from over a dozen animal phyla. Techniques students will learn may* include:

• Spawning and culture of embryos and larvae from diverse phyla.
• Confocal microscopy and SEM
• Microinjection
• Methods for measuring cell/embryo mechanical properties

Students will also have the opportunity to compare embryos by mapping their development over time.

Instructors include Dr. Sally Leys and myself. Dr. Leys is an expert on sponge development and the evolution of animal body plans. My research focuses on the roles of biomechanics in development-environment interactions. We will also have guest lectures from experts on diverse topics and taxa, including Drs. Brad Shuster, Richard Strathmann, Sophie George, Tony Pires, and others TBD.

*Depending on student interests.

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

Applications are now open for the British Science Association’s Media Fellowship scheme.

To apply for 2016’s placements, please fill out the online application form by the 18th March at www.britishscienceassociation.org/media-fellows-applications

The Media Fellowships provide a unique opportunity for practising scientists, clinicians and engineers to spend two to six weeks working at the heart of a media outlet such as the Guardian, BBC Breakfast or the Londonist.

Every year up to ten Media Fellows are mentored by professional journalists and learn how the media operates and reports on science, how to communicate with the media and to engage the wider public with science through the media.

After their media placement Fellows attend the British Science Festival in September, which provides an opportunity to gain valuable experience working alongside a range of media organisations from all over the UK in our dedicated Press Centre. The Festival also offers opportunities to learn from a wide range of public engagement activities and network with academics, journalists and science communicators.

Any queries, please e-mail mediafellows@britishscienceassociation.org

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

REF: PUPSMD-04-INT-15-16

Start date: October 2016

A 3-year PhD studentship is available in the group of Dr. Claudia Barros, Peninsula School of Medicine, Plymouth University, UK. The project will examine the role of novel candidates genes in brain tumour initiation and growth, following a single-cell transcriptome screen performed in the laboratory. Drosophila will be used to test candidate genes in the conversion of normal neural stem lineage cells into brain tumour initiation cells, via genetic gain and loss of function assays. Translation of findings into human-based systems will be performed by assessing human gene orthologues in glioma samples and patient-derived glioblastoma stem cell lines.

We are looking for a highly motivated graduate with a degree in biomedical Sciences or related field (1^st class or 2:1 equivalent), and preferably with a relevant Masters qualification. International students must also have an IELTS score of 7.0 or above (or equivalent qualification). Experience in genetics, molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, cell culture, protein work and/or imaging is desired. A high interest in neural stem cells and brain tumour biology is essential.

For enquires regarding the project, please contact Dr. Claudia Barros (claudia.barros@plymouth.ac.uk).

To apply:

Follow the link: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/study/postgraduate and click ‘Apply’ to access the application form. Please mark the application for the attention of Bernice Wilmshurst and indicate the project Reference. Please Note: you do not need to submit a project proposal with your application.

Funding notes: The stipend will be £14,057 (based on full time 2015/16 rate). Tuition fees will be paid at the home/EU rate. Candidates who are not eligible for Home/EU fees will be liable for the difference between ‘home student fees’ and ‘international student fees’. For the 15/16 academic year the difference in fee is £10,800. If you are selected you will be required to provide financial assurances.

Closing date for applications: Noon 21^st March 2016. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications. Applicants that have not been contacted by 11^th May 2016 should consider their application unsuccessful on this occasion.

(1 votes)

Loading...

In Spring 2015, just a couple of months into my PhD, I started to settle with my new surroundings in Zürich, making friends in my PhD lab of Dr. Christian Mosimann, and learning the fine details of early zebrafish development. That is when suddenly one morning Christian casually asked me how I’d feel about moving to Dresden in Germany for a while…

My key interest is the molecular control of cell migration and rearrangements. In our lab, we use the zebrafish (Danio rerio) to investigate the cell fate determination of the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM). The LPM is a fascinating mesoderm lineage that gives rise to the heart, blood, vessels, kidneys, and limbs. After gastrulation, the LPM in zebrafish arranges in tiers of cells at the lateral edge of the developing embryo. How the LPM originally arises from the remaining mesoderm, what common molecular program links its vast array of cell fates, and how early LPM cells arrange at their lateral positions remain unclear. I am particularly interested in the cell migration dynamics and migration control of the early LPM. To visualize the emerging LPM, the Mosimann lab has generated several novel transgenic zebrafish strains that mark the LPM cells at all stages of development. Nonetheless, traditional confocal imaging only enables imaging of small parts of the LPM and not of the whole embryo in its entirety.

A great solution to image the entire zebrafish embryo is selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM), also called lightsheet microscopy. While we do have a local SPIM setup, processing the huge amounts of data accumulated is time-consuming. The lab of Jan Huisken, at the Max Planck Institute (MPI-CGB) in Dresden (Germany) is pioneering the development of high-speed fluorescence microscopy to enable systematic studying of developmental processes. Their selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM) allows imaging several zebrafish embryos at the same time, overnight, and enables visualizing the whole zebrafish early development.

Gopi Shah, a senior grad student in the Huisken lab, had given a great presentation on panoramic SPIM at the European Zebrafish meeting in 2013, and Christian was immediately hooked. After several discussions between Jan and Christian and trading postdoc stories from their times at opposite coasts in the USA, Jan generously offered to have me come to his lab in Dresden and use their unique lightsheet setup to image our unique transgenic zebrafish lines. I was immediately enthusiastic about this great opportunity as I could learn a new technique, apply it to fascinating biology, and learn more about cell migration dynamics in vivo.

As the whole panoramic SPIM setup is too bulky to quickly ship to Switzerland, I moved for a month to Dresden. My arrival in the lab was warm and welcoming. Gopi introduced me into their lightsheet setup and supported me greatly with the imaging. Also the rest of the lab unconditionally helped me out during my stay. Although research with zebrafish is always an adventure, my zebrafish cooperated really well and I could gather more data than I had hoped for: I successfully managed to image over 60 zebrafish embryos.

Despite the many hours spend “behind” (or rather next to and around) the SPIM setup and on data processing, I also had the opportunity to fully explore beautiful Dresden, visit the Elbe Valley with its castles, and hike in the surrounding nature, especially in the national park referred to as Sächische Schweiz (Saxonian Switzerland).

Already just looking at the imaging provides us with new insights about the emerging LPM and early zebrafish development. For the first time, can we see the migration and organization of the whole LPM from its onset during gastrulation. This unique data set is a key fundament for my future studies of LPM patterning and for deciphering the cell migration dynamics in the emerging LPM. We have already lined up follow-up experiments coordinated between our both labs, and I continue to receive great help from the Huisken lab with analyzing all the data.

My collaborative visit was a definite success based on the amount of data I collected, the new ideas and immediate follow-up experiments, and the new contacts and friends that I made. It was a great experience to be in a lab focused on a different discipline, but with the same greater goal in mind: studying the molecular and cellular processes of early development. I am very grateful to Dr. Jan Huisken for giving me the possibility to use his lab’s infrastructure and hospitality, and to The Company of Biologists for the support in form of a Development Travelling Fellowship.

(10 votes)

Loading...

Aneuploid cells—that is to say those with an abnormal number of chromosomes—are found in most human tumours.

A study conducted at IRB Barcelona on the fly Drosophila reveals how surviving aneuploid cells favour tumour development.

Barcelona, Thursday 9th February 2016.- A recent analysis of 43,205 human tumours unveiled that 68% of solid tumours are aneuploid, that is to say, they have an altered number of chromosomes. In recent years, scientists have attempted to clarify whether this aneuploidy contributes to tumour development or whether it is a co-lateral effect of the genomic instability of cancer cells, which increase the rate of mutations and the likelihood of cancer.

A study by the group headed by ICREA researcher Marco Milán, at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), published in this week’s issue of Developmental Cell provides details of the relationship between genomic instability, aneuploidy, and cancer.

The study, which has also involved the collaboration of ICREA researcher Angel R. Nebreda, in the Oncology’s programme at the same institute, explains how the molecular and cellular mechanisms triggered by aneuploid cells can give rise to tumours.

The research on aneuploidy and tumorigenesis has been performed using the wing primordia of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model. This tissue is an epithelium organised into a single layer and that grows by 20 to 30,000 cells in a few days. Given these features, this tissue is an ideal system in which to generate genomic instability and to dissect the cell and molecular mechanisms that elicit aneuploid cells in a proliferating tissue.

Aneuploid cells: first step, suicide

The team of researchers observed that aneuploid cells first activate apoptosis (or programmed cell suicide). At the same time, in an attempt to counteract the imminent loss of cells, they send signals to neighbouring ones instructing them to divide and proliferate further to ensure the development of normal tissue—in this case the fly wing. Next, they also activate a series of DNA repair signals and also anti-tumour protection in order to prevent further aneuploidy.

“We have described the cascade of cell and molecular processes, and repair defence and compensation mechanisms which, simultaneously or sequentially, are triggered in and by aneuploid cells,” explains the postdoctoral researcher Marta Clemente, first author of the study.

But what happens if aneuploid cells manage to survive? After preventing the cells from dying, the researchers observed that the proliferation signals derived from aneuploid cells, which previously served to maintain healthy tissue, now favoured tumour development.

This study widens the Darwinian perspective of genomic stability in the development of cancer, “perhaps an incomplete view of the role of genomic stability in tumorigenesis” says Milán. Such a perspective is based on a random increase in tumour-promoting genes and a loss of tumour-supressing genes, which ultimately favours the tumour cell.

“Somehow the aneuploidy derived from this genomic instability also causes metabolic stress, which in turn leads to the expression of a series of signals that can enhance tumour growth and development”.

Given that aneuploidy is common to most cancers, Marco Milán considers that searching for treatments directed exclusively at removing aneuploid cells may provide a good strategy to tackle them.

“This basic biology research provides new information about the molecular links triggered by aneuploid cells, and this is the step prior to studying possible therapies to combat cancer,” says the IRB Barcelona researcher.

Reference article:

Gene dosage imbalance contributes to chromosomal instability-induced tumorigenesis

Marta Clemente-Ruiz, Juan M. Murillo-Maldonado, Najate Benhra, Lara Barrio, Lidia Pérez,

Gonzalo Quiroga, Angel R. Nebreda, and Marco Milán.

Developmental Cell (2016): doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2016.01.008

This article was first published on the 9th of February 2016 in the news section of the IRB Barcelona website

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

Postdoctoral position to study development of the diaphragm muscle and congenital diaphragmatic hernias (CDH) using mouse genetics, in vivo and in vitro studies, 2 photon imaging of live embryos, and genomic data from CDH patients.

The diaphragm is the most essential mammalian skeletal muscle – vital for respiration and a critical barrier between the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Defects in diaphragm development are the cause of CDH – a common and often lethal birth defect. Despite the diaphragm’s functional importance and the frequency and severity of CDH, how the diaphragm develops and the etiology of CDH are only just beginning to be understood. The goals of this postdoctoral position are to build upon our recent research insights (Merrell et al. Nature Genetics 2015 and highlighted in the New York Times) and explore the genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms regulating the development of the diaphragm and determine how these processes are mis-regulated in CDH.

We are seeking a motivated, enthusiastic, and hard-working postdoctoral fellow to join our research team. The position is in the lab of Gabrielle Kardon (http://kardon.genetics.utah.edu/). The lab is located in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, providing a strong and collaborative research community, comfortable lifestyle, and ample opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Looking for postdoc to start anytime between Feb and Dec 2016. Please contact Gabrielle Kardon (gkardon@genetics.utah.edu) with CV, list of references, and a brief statement about why you are interested in the position. PhD in biology or biochemistry is required.

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

Here is February’s round-up of some of the interesting content that we spotted around the internet!

News & Research

– The end of 2015 saw the usual collection of articles highlighting the best of the past year. Nature listed their top 10 people who mattered and the science events that shaped 2015, while Science named CRISPR as their 2015 Breakthrough of the Year.

– And it seems that CRISPR will continue to make headlines in 2016. Just last week the lab of Kathy Niakan at the Crick Institute received the first licence to edit the genome of human embryos in the UK.

– Are biological databases like FlyBase, WormBase and ZFIN at risk of no longer being funded? Article in the Genes to Genome GSA blog discusses the issue.

– Science4Refugees is a new initiative to help refugee scientists and researchers find suitable employment in Europe.

– Why are certain science myths so enduring, and how are they holding back science?

– How scientists are helping movie writers make films ‘plausible-ish’- in The Wall Street Journal

– Sometimes the best a PhD adviser can do is let a student find their own way.

– There are still places available for this year’s EMBO lab management courses.

– Have you also had to battle the bureaucracy hydra?

–  And the SDB has announced the winners of their 2016 Awards, including the SDB Lifetime Achievement Award to David McClay (Duke University) and the Conklin Medal to Kathryn Anderson (Sloan Kettering Institute). Meanwhile, the BSDB announced that the first Cheryll Tickle Medal will be awarded to Abigail Tucker (King’s College London).

Weird & Wonderful

– Are you a Star Wars fan? Make your science feel EPIC by converting your abstract into a Star Wars crawl!

– What do you call a group of developmental biologists? Plenty of ideas in the hashtag #scientistherdnames.

– What would nursery rhymes look like if they were published in medical journals?

– Gary shared this (very geeky) Christmas jumper!

– And we spotted this fabulous cake for a postdoc leaving the Petermann lab.

Cool cake to say goodbye to a postdoc leaving the Petermann lab! – RT @EvaPetermann via @Alexis_Verger pic.twitter.com/MqrBVrZ5Fg #Sciencecakes

— the Node (@the_Node) January 6, 2016

Beautiful & Interesting images

– Gregory Dunn is an artist that paints beautiful scrolls of neurons in the Asian Sumi-e style.

– Check out this great image of a transgenic Xenopus tadpole, one of the winners of the 2015 Nikon Small World competition.

– And how about these induced pluripotent stem cells:

@NatureNews My Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: neurons and Schwann cells #ShowUsYourScience pic.twitter.com/CHEBDmQTK3

— Beckie Nutbrown (@BeckieNutbrown) January 11, 2016

Videos worth watching:

– This cool video shows a motorized ‘spermbot’, helping the sperm reach the egg!

– And John Gurdon explains why and how he created the first animal clones:

(1 votes)

Loading...

Modern biology is impossible to understand without genetics. Students today would struggle to understand Mendelian inheritance without the idea of the gene, and labs worldwide use molecular biology and genetic techniques to study different organisms and processes. Genetics has revolutionised the study of biology in the past century, and the study of genetic material keeps providing insights into fields such as developmental biology and evolution. However, genetics has also brought with it many new words, from abstract concepts to names for processes or structures, and to the untrained, it can sometimes seem daunting to approach technical texts for lack of definitions. “Decoding the Language of Genetics”, by David Botstein, attempts to address this problem.

“Decoding the Language of Genetics” is a difficult book to categorise. It is not a textbook, in that it is readable, peppered with personal comments from the author, and at times avoids going into complex subjects in order not to confuse the reader, but it is also not a “popular science” book. It is very clearly an attempt to teach: not just to make science available, but to make it understood. Instead of running away from jargon, it attempts to explain it. In the introduction, David Botstein explains that he wanted to write a book that would allow the non-geneticist to understand the geneticists’ technical vocabulary, allowing them to access technical writing by geneticists. This implies that the book is not aimed at the general public, but rather intended for those with a reasonably robust knowledge of biology in general, but not of genetics specifically.

The book starts with a very valuable introduction to basic concepts in genetics (phenotype, genotype, etc.), but failing to define gene (Botstein describes the history of the word, but does not give a formal definition, possibly because he will later define locus and functional gene, and at that early stage the preliminary concepts needed to define gene have not yet been presented). Botstein then proceeds to define commonly used acronyms in modern genetics and explain the experimental origin of such acronyms. The book proceeds in this fashion, explaining not just the vocabulary, but also why it is needed (and in some cases, why it is not). As it continues, the book goes from explaining specific concepts to explaining complex experiments and the effects they have had in both the science of genetics and in its vocabulary. Botstein often gives reasons as to why certain words are used over others, and occasionally explains his own preference for certain expressions, usually based on their clarity or specificity. As an example, he favours using synthetic phenotype over epistasis when talking about the phenotypic consequences of interactions between several genes simply because epistasis has been used very differently by different people, and he has found that the word can be confusing for his students.

The book excels where it explains concepts and supports their explanation with clear descriptions of the experiments performed to arrive at those concepts. A particularly enjoyable example of this is the chapter on functional suppression (rescue of a mutant phenotype via a mutation in a second gene that compensates for the original mutation). Botstein first gives a general definition of the concept, comparing it to previously described informational suppression. He then proceeds to name different types of functional suppressors, giving specific examples and explaining how they were discovered. He uses Georgopoulos’ and Herskowitz’s experiments with λ phage and Escherichia coli to illustrate ; Jarvik’s and Moir’s experiments with heat and cold sensitive mutants to talk about suppressors with novel phenotypes; Hodgkin’s experiments on sex determination in to describe recessive functional suppressors; and yet others’ experiments to make bypass suppression, dosage suppression and mutual interaction suppression understood. It is not surprising, therefore, that the books’ weakest points are when the author fails to give examples to illustrate a concept, or to fully explain why something occurs. This happens specially in the chapter about recombination and linkage mapping, where (to give one example) Botstein writes about the frequency of recombination: “F_rec = (number of recombinant gametes)/(total gametes). This parameter can vary from 0 to 0.5”. However, he fails to give an explanation as to why the maximum is 0.5 and not 1. It may be that Botstein thought his readership would know that that these numbers are the result of an experimental observation, but having explained simpler concepts earlier in the book, it was surprising he did not provide a short sentence making this clear.

“Decoding the language of genetics” is laid out in a hierarchical fashion: starting off with basic definitions, it moves on to concepts of increasing complexity. Although this is a fantastic approach, since it allows the less knowledgeable reader to build on their knowledge, an academic audience may find the first few chapters rather basic, and give up on the book without realising that the explanations provided are necessary to understand the rest of the work. This approach also means that Botstein occasionally fails to give a definition early in the text (even though he is using the word and discussing it’s meaning, as in the case of “gene”) in favour of giving a more complete one at a later point, and this can make the reader feel that definitions are missing and, therefore, that the book is failing to do what it claims.

When I started reading “Decoding the Language of Genetics”, I didn’t understand who it was meant for very well. I found the concepts described too basic for the academic reader, but the tone too academic for the lay person. As I continued, I started to realise I was learning new things, and by the end of the book I came to a conclusion. It is the perfect book for any bioscience researcher who will encounter genetics vocabulary in their work, but who hasn’t had a thorough training in genetics. Some of the concepts at the beginning will seem basic, because the researcher will almost certainly have studied genetics at some point, but they are definitions that need to be made explicit for the concepts to be used later on. The emphasis on detailing how classical genetics experiments were performed, and how conclusions about gene and genome structure were extracted from these experiments, becomes a fantastic lesson, not only in the history of genetics, but also in experimental design and interpretation.

This is a review of “Decoding the Language of Genetics“, by David Botstein. Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press in 2015. ISBN: 978-1-621820-92-5. 

(3 votes)

Loading...