DNA Detective


Book Description

Explains the basics of genetics and reveals the stories of the researchers who discovered pieces of the DNA puzzle.--




DNA Detectives To Catch a Thief


Book Description

When Annabelle and Harry's pet dog goes missing the children believe that the local pet thief has struck again. With their mum working as a DNA scientist from a laboratory in their garden, the children realise they can secretly use their mum's laboratory to solve the crime. Annabelle and harry become 'DNA Detectives' and, just like real-life forensic scientists, they go on an exciting adventure to try and solve the case. ASE Book Award winner.




The DNA Detectives


Book Description

A scientist awakes in a theater with her memory erased, rain-soaked clothing, someone else’s underwear, a new face, pregnant, and no identification, money, or shoes. Her only connection to reality is the business card she finds crumpled in the corner of her pocket that leads her to the molecular genetics department of a university medical school where the professor, a scientist and law man is rushing to save the life of a man on Death Row whose name was tagged on another’s DNA twenty years ago. New DNA technology has allowed former detectives to return to their cold cases decades later and use the new DNA technology to solve the old cases with new evidence. Now she must work with him in a race against time to save an innocent man whose DNA was tagged by clerical error or purpose to crime evidence DNA, landing him in prison for decades.




The DNA Detectives The Stone Age Mystery


Book Description

It all starts when Annabelle and Harry decide to change their library books in the school library. There is a loud noise and the ground in the corridor begins to shake. It feels like the school is falling down. When the dust settles the children discover the hall floor has collapsed. Below, they find a cave. The children are thrilled to think they are the first people to ever set foot in the cave. Then the most incredible discovery leads them to think this may not be the case. Join Annabelle and Harry, the DNA Detectives, on their adventure as they meet archaeologists and scientists who help them uncover the mysteries of the Stone Age. Discover fascinating details about cave paintings, extracting DNA from ancient bones, finding out how tartar from ancient teeth can tell us what someone looked like, what they ate, and even what made them ill. Can you help the DNA Detectives solve the Stone Age mystery?




Finding Family


Book Description

Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA is the highly suspenseful account of an adoptee trying to reclaim the biological family denied him by sealed birth records. This fascinating quest, including the author's landmark use of DNA testing, takes readers on an exhilarating roller-coaster ride and concludes with a twist that rivals anything Hollywood has to offer. In the vein of a classic mystery, Hill gathers the seemingly scant evidence surrounding the circumstances of his birth. As his resolve shores up, the author also avails of new friends, genealogists, the Internet, and the latest DNA tests in the new field of genetic genealogy. As he closes in on the truth of his ancestry, he is able to construct a living, breathing portrait of the young woman who was faced with the decision to forsake her rights to her child, and ultimately the man whose identity had remained hidden for decades. Finding Family offers guidance, insight, and motivation for anyone engaged in a similar mission, from ways to obtain information to the many networks that can facilitate adoption searches. The book includes a detailed guide to DNA and genetic genealogy and how they can produce irrefutable results in determining genetic connections and help adoptees bypass sealed records and similar stumbling blocks.




Stalking Justice


Book Description

"Stalking Justice focuses on the heroic efforts of the lone investigator who, by using his gut instincts and twenty-first-century technology, ended the vicious rampage of an elusive killer." "Detective Joe Horgas suspected that Susan Tucker's murder was connected to a similar case nearly four years earlier - a murder to which another man had already confessed. Horgas's theories were dismissed by superiors and colleagues alike; undaunted, he developed his own leads, and ultimately targeted a suspect. But he had nothing except semen stains from the crime scene to tie his suspect to the murder - nothing but a genetic code that, once deciphered, would break open the case. In a historic breakthrough for U.S. criminal justice, DNA testing would be used to catch a killer."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved




The Lost Family


Book Description

“A fascinating exploration of the mysteries ignited by DNA genealogy testing—from the intensely personal and concrete to the existential and unsolvable.” —Tana French, New York Times–bestselling author You swab your cheek or spit in a vial, then send it away to a lab somewhere. Weeks later you get a report that might tell you where your ancestors came from or if you carry certain genetic risks. Or, the report could reveal a long-buried family secret that upends your entire sense of identity. Soon a lark becomes an obsession, a relentless drive to find answers to questions at the core of your being, like “Who am I?” and “Where did I come from?” Welcome to the age of home genetic testing. In The Lost Family, journalist Libby Copeland investigates what happens when we embark on a vast social experiment with little understanding of the ramifications. She explores the culture of genealogy buffs, the science of DNA, and the business of companies like Ancestry and 23andMe, all while tracing the story of one woman, her unusual results, and a relentless methodical drive for answers that becomes a thoroughly modern genetic detective story. Gripping and masterfully told, The Lost Family is a spectacular book on a big, timely subject. “An urgently necessary, powerful book that addresses one of the most complex social and bioethical issues of our time.” —Dani Shapiro, New York Times–bestselling author “Before you spit in that vial, read this book.” —The New York Times Book Review “Impeccably researched . . . up-to-the-minute science meets the philosophy of identity in a poignant, engaging debut.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)




Viking DNA


Book Description

Focusing on men from old families in England’s Wirral and West Lancashire regions, this survey traces the DNA of the local populace back to their Viking ancestors in order to determine the impact of past societies on their genetic make-up. Arguing that the areas exhibit many archaeological and historical features proving them to have had a clear Viking presence, this account provides background information on Viking settlements as well as conclusions drawn from the DNA testing. An illustrated example of how DNA methods can be used to learn about the past is also included.




Trace Your Roots with DNA


Book Description

Written by two of the country's top genealogists, this is the first book to explain how new and groundbreaking genetic testing can help you research your ancestry According to American Demographics, 113 million Americans have begun to trace their roots, making genealogy the second most popular hobby in the country (after gardening). Enthusiasts clamor for new information from dozens of subscription-based websites, email newsletters, and magazines devoted to the subject. For these eager roots-seekers looking to take their searches to the next level, DNA testing is the answer. After a brief introduction to genealogy and genetics fundamentals, the authors explain the types of available testing, what kind of information the tests can provide, how to interpret the results, and how the tests work (it doesn't involve digging up your dead relatives). It's in expensive, easy to do, and the results are accurate: It's as simple as swabbing the inside of your cheek and popping a sample in the mail. Family lore has it that a branch of our family emigrated to Argentina and now I've found some people there with our name. Can testing tell us whether we're from the same family? My mother was adopted and doesn't know her ethnicity. Are there any tests available to help her learn about her heritage? I just discovered someone else with my highly unusual surname. How can we find out if we have a common ancestor? These are just a few of the types of genealogical scenarios readers can pursue. The authors reveal exactly what is possible-and what is not possible-with genetic testing. They include case studies of both famous historial mysteries and examples of ordinary folks whose exploration of genetic genealogy has enabled them to trace their roots.




Darwinian Detectives


Book Description

Biology is often viewed today as a bipartisan field, with molecular level genetics guiding us into the future and natural history (including ecology, evolution, and conservation biology,) chaining us to a descriptive scientific past. In Darwinian Detectives, Norman Johnson bridges this divide, revealing how the tried and true tools of natural history make sense of the newest genomic discoveries. Molecular scientists exploring newly sequenced genomes have stumbled upon quite a few surprises, including that only one to ten percent of the genetic material of animals actually codes for genes. What does the remaining 90-99% of the genome do? Why do some organisms have a much lower genome size than their close relatives? What were the genetic changes that were associated with us becoming human? As molecular biologists uncover these and other new mysteries, evolutionary geneticists are searching for answers to such questions. Norman Johnson captures the excitement of the hunt for our own genetic history. Through lively anecdotes, he explores how researchers detect natural selection acting on genes and what this genetic information tells us about human origins.