As a child, I spent all my summers in a rural environment outside the metropolitan area. This "immersion" in nature shaped my interests and hobbies, centering them on different aspects of watching and understanding life. Expectedly therefore, my formal education also focused on biology, biochemistry, and cell biology. Being a scientist is not just a profession; it is a calling, a profession, and a hobby. Biology books—strictly dry and professional and more engaging and emotional—represent an inherent aspect of a scientist's life and place his/her research in a wide context of human society. This list includes several such books which I would like to share with you.
Agrobacterium is a plant pathogen that causes 'crown-gall' disease, a neoplastic growth that results from the transfer of a DNA segment ('T-DNA') from the bacterial tumor-inducing plasmid to the host cell and its integration into the host genome. However, the native bacterial oncogenes encoded by the T-DNA can be replaced with beneficial genes of interest and introduced into plants, producing GMOs for research and agricultural applications.
Agrobacterium is the tool of choice for genetic engineering. Its ever-expanding host range includes many commercially important crops and non-plant species, from yeast to cultivated mushrooms, promising this microorganism a unique place in the future of biotechnological applications. The book is a comprehensive volume describing Agrobacterium's biology, interactions with host species, and uses for genetic engineering.
Many years ago, I became fascinated with the genetic modification of plants. Since then, I have enjoyed sharing this personal fascination with biology students and anyone who has pondered how GMO plants are made and whether they pose inherent risks to their users.
This specific book comes, so to speak, "from the horse's mouth" from the researchers who stood at the beginning of the advent of Agrobacterium, a natural genetic engineer, as a molecular machine to produce transgenic plants.
This anthology traces the fascinating progress from plant pathology to biotechnology through 38 scientific papers on Agrobacterium, published over the past century. Included are the seminal scientific papers on the biology and application of Agrobacterium with introductory commentaries mostly by those involved in the original work. The commentaries give background to the papers and explain the problems faced and the techniques used, providing insight into the way fundamental research progresses.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens: From Plant Pathology to Biotechnology is divided into five sections. The first section begins with 1904 when Erwin F. Smith began detailed work on crown gall and considered…
This book describes the tumultuous fate of the transgenic rice called "Golden" due to its unique color, which derives from the transgenic production of beta-carotene. Upon consumption, the body converts this to vitamin A, a critical nutrient whose lack causes significant health problems.
Yet, the use of golden rice in third-world countries, which especially need this dietary supplement, has been hampered by unscientific conspiracy theories. This book debunks these myths and explains how golden rice can help tens of millions of people worldwide.
The first book to tell the shocking story of Golden Rice, a genetically modified grain that provides essential Vitamin A and can save lives in developing countries-if only they were allowed to grow it.
Ordinary white rice is nutrient poor; it consists of carbohydrates and little else. About one million people who subsist on rice become blind or die each year from vitamin A deficiency. Golden Rice, which was developed in the hopes of combatting that problem by a team of European scientists in the late '90s, was genetically modified to provide an essential nutrient that white rice lacks: beta-carotene,…
This book expands my initial interest in GMO plants to other, very diverse fields of biotechnology. I find it useful and revealing for a wide spectrum of readers, from professionals to students to general readers, seeking to understand the general principles and approaches that underlie biotechnological developments that affect our lives, from plant and animal GMOs to vaccines.
Biotechnology for Beginners, Third Edition presents the latest developments in the evolving field of biotechnology which has grown to such an extent over the past few years that increasing numbers of professional's work in areas that are directly impacted by the science. This book offers an exciting and colorful overview of biotechnology for professionals and students in a wide array of the life sciences, including genetics, immunology, biochemistry, agronomy and animal science. This book will also appeals to lay readers who do not have a scientific background but are interested in an entertaining and informative introduction to the key aspects…
My last selected book comes from the pen of perhaps one of the most famous and influential scientists of the 20th century and the Nobel Prize laureate Arthur Kornberg.
This autobiographical book describes how Dr. Kornberg has made many of his seminal discoveries, including those of enzymes that allow modern genetic engineering. Yet, this is not just a book about science. Instead, it represents an insightful and profound description of human qualities, struggles, and "outside the box" thinking strategies that are critical for problem-solving and conceptual breakthroughs.
In 1645 the Japanese samurai Musashi Miamoto wrote A Book of Five Rings, which described the attitudes necessary for individual success. Though he was a swordsman, his book was not limited to combat but addressed the much broader question of how to achieve excellence in life through study, discipline, and planning. It is still avidly read in Japan today. Arthur Kornberg's book is a modern-day Book of Five Rings that replaces the medium of swordsmanship with that of biochemistry, particularly enzymology. As Kornberg describes his successive research problems, the challenges they presented, and the ultimate accomplishments that resulted, he provides…
I've been passionate about music for almost my entire life. Jazz music in particular speaks to me but not just jazz. I love music, full stop. I really discovered jazz when I attended a jazz club workshop in London and there, I had to join in or leave. I chose to join in and since then I have never looked back. I was introduced to more jazz musicians and now write about music for three major columns as well as Readers’ Digest. My Women In Jazz book won several awards. I have been International Editor for the Jazz Journalist Association and had my work commissioned by the Library of Congress.
With input from over 100 musicians, the book discusses what exactly jazz is, and how you know you are listening to it. Do we truly know when and how jazz first originated? Who was the first jazz musician? How does jazz link to other genres? What about women in jazz? And writers and journalists? Do reviews make any difference?
This book is a deep dive into jazz's history, impact, and future. It discusses jazz's social, cultural, and political influence and reveals areas where jazz has had an impact we may not even realize.Its influences on hip hop, the connection to…
This book is very different from other, more general jazz books. It is packed with information, advice, well researched and includes experiences from jazz musicians who gleefully add their rich voices to Sammy's in-depth research. All genres, from hard bop to be-bop, vocal jazz, must instrumental, free jazz, and everything between is covered in one way or another and given Sammy's forensic eye. There is social commentary and discussions of careers in jazz music. The musical background of those in the book is rich and diverse. Critics comment: "This new book by Sammy Stein is a highly individual take on…
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