Mobile DNA: Finding Treasure in Junk

by Haig H. Kazazian Jr.

This book thoroughly reviews our current scientific understanding of the significant role that mobile genetic elements play in the evolution and function of genomes and organisms-from plants and animals to humans. Highly-regarded geneticist Haig Kazazian offers an accessible intellectual history of the field's research strategies and concerns, explaining how advances opened up new questions, and how new tools and capabilities have encouraged progress in the field. Kazazian introduces the key strategies and approaches taken in leading laboratories (including his own) to gain greater insight into the large proportion of our genome that derives from mobile genetic elements, including viruses, plasmids, and transposons. He also presents intriguing insights into long-term research strategies that may lead to an even deeper understanding.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology

285 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 18, 2011

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was recommended to read this for work, but after months of trying unsuccessfully to slog through the initial chapters I finally gave up on this book. It was very dense and not well organized. All the asides and long lists of different mobile elements within many of the sentences made it very hard to keep track of what the overall point was. As much as I love that there was a book on mobile elements, this is not one I can recommend for either my science literate friends or those with a more casual interest due to the lack of readability.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up after 1/3 of the book. The author tries to make the material more accessible by relating the various discoveries to the various people who made them. I found this distracting and confusing at times because it causes the reader to jump all over in time. Plus the author doesn't establish a solid base to catch non-technical readers upon mobile DNA before waxing nostalgically about the various discoveries that have come from his lab. For instance he doesn't bother to define a term he begins using at the start until chapter 7.

[Dee Renee Chesnut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mobile DNA was free when I downloaded it to my Nook. I hoped this book was written for a general audience interested in the topic. This was not the case, despite clever chapter titles. It is an excellent overview of the scientific topic. I recommend it to readers who have more knowledge of this topic than I did.

[Invoker · Rating 5 out of 5]

learn from stories.