Genetics: Analysis of Genes and Genomes: Keyword Hot Links for chapter 4

A thorough command of chromosome behavior during cell division is an absolute prerequisite to understanding transmission genetics. The keyword meiosis links to a site that reviews key features of mitosis and meiosis and reinforces this information with animations.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy DMD is a wasting disease of muscle that results from an X-linked mutation in one of the largest genes in the human genome, spanning more than 2.3 million nucleotide pairs. It affects about one in every 3,500 newborn boys and has no cure. Early signs usually occur between the ages of 2 and 6 when affected boys are observed to fall frequently, have difficulty getting up from a reclining position, and have a waddling gait. Log onto this keyword site to learn more about Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other inherited diseases of muscle.

Thomas Hunt Morgan was one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. His principal experimental work was carried out at Columbia University in the period 1910–1928, when he and his students (notably A. H. Sturtevant, C. B. Bridges, and H. J. Muller ) pioneered the use of Drosophila as a model organism for studies in genetics. When this work began it was generally assumed that the genetic information could not reside in the chromosomes, but Morgan's discovery of the white-eye mutation and his demonstration of X-linkage provided key evidence for the chromosome theory. Consult this keyword site for an engaging early history of Drosophila genetics and Drosophila geneticists, enlivened by historic photographs.