How Did We Find Out about Genes?

How Did We Find Out #25

by Isaac Asimov, David Wool (Photographer)

Traces the developing knowledge about heredity from the plant breeding experiments of Gregor Mendel to the use of x rays to produce mutations and the effect of natural mutations on the evolution of species.

62 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1983

About the author

Works of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles, The Foundation Trilogy (1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.

Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.

Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).

People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.

Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.

Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...

Reviews

[Peiman E iran · Rating 4 out of 5]

دوستانِ گرانقدر، این کتاب در زمانِ خودش کتابِ خوبی بوده است، امّا چنانچه در حال حاضر این کتاب را بخوانید و اطلاعاتِ خوبی از مسائلِ مربوط به ژنتیک نیز داشته باشید، مطالعۀ این کتاب برایِ شما عزیزان، خیلی سطحی و آسان به نظر میرسد
زنده یاد «آسیموف» در این کتاب و زمینۀ مربوط به ژن و ژنتیک، در موردِ آزمایشِ مندل بر رویِ نخود فرنگی ها توضیحاتی میدهد و سپس به شرحِ موضوعِ تقسیمِ سلولی می پردازد
در موردِ کروموزوم ها و گوناگونی آنها گفته است، و از مولکول هایِ غول آسا و همچنین اسیدهایِ آمینه مثال زده و توضیحاتِ خوبی ارائه کرده است
در موردِ پروتئین ها و سقوطِ آنها نیز سخن به میان آورده و از کربن و زنجیرۀ کربنی نیز نوشته است
در کل علمِ ژنتیک و هرآنچه مربوط به آن میباشد را خیلی شیوا و روان بیان کرده است و در پایان در موردِ مهندسیِ «درون سلولی» نیز نوشته است و آرزویِ بسیار زیبایی را در آن زمان برایِ هدایتِ تکاملِ هوشمندانه و هدفمندِ انسان داشته و میگوید: شاید آنالیزِ ژنی عمومی جمعیت در نهایت اطلاعاتی به ما خواهد داد که به پیش کشیدنِ پایۀ فیزیکی برایِ بیماری هایِ روانی منجر خواهد شد، حتی میتوانیم به احتمالِ زیاد ترکیب ژنی برایِ یک چنین چیزی مانندِ هوشِ بالا، آفرینندگی هنرمندانه و همۀ چیزهایی پیش بکشیم که جوهرِ انسان و انسانیت در بالاترین و ایده آل ترین شکلِ خود میباشد
این آرزو و پیش بینی «آسیموف» در آن زمان، بسیار دلچسب بوده و برای من هنوز نیز دلچسب و جالب است

امیدوارم این ریویو جهت آشنایی شما بزرگواران با این کتاب، مفید بوده باشه
«پیروز باشید و ایرانی»

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather expected this title to show its age but it doesn’t! I suppose that is because Asimov concentrated on the history of the subject. I discovered information I hadn’t known that explains exactly why radiation is so hard on cells, so that was exciting. I love that I can learn things I didn’t know in a children’s book! That is why I adore the Good Doctor so much! I would still recommend librarians at least look for updated basic books on genes and genetics and replace this title; but if you are broke, you could hang on to this title for now.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe Isaac Asimov has so much great non-fiction books on science, history, theology and more. I've always wanted to write a book like this. Haven't. Would like to, though. The problem is that this book did it much better than I could. In another life, I would have studied genetics. And I would have written a book in the same style as this. A good introduction to genetics and how we found out about genes.

There were only two pages I had trouble following throughout this whole book. It was not a long book, sure, but each page read so well! How did Asimov write so much in this crystal-clear style?? Somehow, his nonfiction is better than some of his fiction!!