*Baskin, Y.
The Gene Doctors — Medical Genetics at the Frontier
. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1984. Provides an overview of gene therapy and the technology which will literally shape human futures. Conveys the drama of men and women at the frontiers of science.
*
Biological Science — A Molecular Approach
, Sixth Edition. Lexington: D.C. Heath, 1990. Produced by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), this should be in every classroom as a reference if not the standard high school text. It is readable, well-illustrated, and filled with a wealth of valuable teaching ideas and research suggestions.
Bowler, P. J.
Evolution-The History of an Idea
. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984. History of science, good information about Darwin and the impact of his ideas on later scientists and thinkers.
*Bramwell, M.
Understanding Evolution
. London: Usborne Publishing Limited, 1983. Simply written summary of historical facts about evolution.
*Cantor, C.R., and Smith, C.L. “Mapping the Genome.” In
Biotechnology and the Human Genome: Innovations and Impact
, edited by A.D. Woodhead and B.J. Barnhart, 11-28. New York: Plenum Press, 1988. One of the best articles in this collection; provides excellent overview of the genome mapping project scope, goals, implications for the future. Technical, but worth having students struggle with.
*Crick, F.
What Mad Pursuit
. New York: Basic Books, 1988. Crick’s account of the discovery of DNA, a companion piece to Watson’s earlier version. Filled with amusing anecdotes and quotable quotes as he reflects on the nature of the discovery and its significance. If you are more interested in the story than the scientific details, he even tells you which chapters to skip! (But don’t!)
Darnell, J., Lodish, H., and Baltimore, D.
Molecular Cell Biology
. New York: Scientific American Books, 1990. Used as a graduate text, this book provides a brief history of molecular biology and very detailed information along with excellent color illustrations.
*Dawkins, R.
The Selfish Gene
. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976. Explanation of animal behavior and morphology by postulating the role of genes. An early attempt to bridge the old morphological and new molecular thinking in evolution.
*Dunne, P. “Dissent, Dogman, and Darwin’s Dog.” In
Time
(15 January 1990): 84.
*Dyson, F.
Origins of Life
. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Delivered as a lecture series, this brief text is first a history of theories and experiments concerned with the origin of life and second the attempt of a new hypothesis that “life began twice”—once with non-replicating cells, and later with genes which originated as parasites infecting the cells.
Edey, M.A. and Johanson, D. “Lucy.” In
The Beginnings of Mankind
, Edey and Johanson, 51-54. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1981. The thrill and excitement of finding a unique hominid fossil is told in a lively story.
Eiseley, L.
Darwin’s Century
. New York: Doubleday, 1961. A classic historical treatment of evolutionary developments in geology, biology, anthropology, and Western intellectual thought.
Eldredge, N.
Time Frames
. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985. Very readable account of how a modern paleontologist views evolution. Eldredge works with trilobite fossils and draws his conclusions from field and lab research wholly different from that of molecular biologists.
*Gilbert, S. and Lemonck, M.D., “Greatest Unanswered Questions of the 20th Century.” In
Science Digest
, v.93, no.10 (1985): 34-61. Twenty questions and short, provocative articles.
*Gould, S.J. “Evolution, Extinction and the Movies.” In
Time
(14 May 1990) 19. Interview with the renowned paleontologist.
*Gould, S. J.,
Wonderful Life
. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1989. Discusses the nature of history and evolution using Burgess shale formation in Canadian Rockies as his reference point. Fossils from this shale reveal a whole diverse line of organisms which reached an evolutionary dead end. Reflections on Darwinian theory of selection by the foremost Darwinist of the present in America.
Herrmann, R.L.,
Teaching Science in a Climate of Controversy
. Ipswich: American Scientific Affiliation, 1986. Published by a dedicated group of “Christian scientists” seeking open dialogue on evolution and creation.
*Hsu, K. J.,
The Great Dying
. New York: Harcourt Brace Javanovich, 1986. Presents the theory of cosmic collision 65 million years ago which caused dinosaurs and nearly all plant and animal organisms on earth to perish. Implications for evolution are dramatic. Hsu does field research in deep sea beds and geologic sites.
Judson, H.F.,
The Eighth Day of Creation
. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979. Extensive, detailed account of the development of molecular biology with emphasis on discoveries and remarkable scientist who made them.
*Keller, E.F.,
A Feeling for the Organism
. New York: W.H. Freeman, 1983. Excellent scientific biography of the life and accomplishments of Barbara McClintock, a female scientist who won a Nobel Prize for her study of corn chromosomes, leading to breakthroughs in understanding of inheritance.
*Lambert, D.
Field Guide to Early Man
. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1987. Excellent diagrams and sketches of human family tree. For fossil finders and bone enthusiasts, this text provides morphological data in simple form.
Lewin, B.
Genes IV
. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. Latest version of the text used in many graduate school courses on genetics. Thorough, detailed information and illustrations.
*Lewin, R.
Human Evolution — An Illustrated Introduction
. New York: W.H. Freeman, 1984. Collected essays, well illustrated, on the theories and fossil evidence for human evolution. More technical than Lambert’s Field Guide, superior graphics.
*Shreeve, J. “Argument Over a Woman.” In
Discover
, v.11, no.8 (Aug. 1990): 54. Update on the bones versus genes controversy about traces of human origins.
*Twain, Mark.
Huckleberry Finn
. New York: Signet Books, 1959. The classic Twain with philosophical Huck.
*Wambaugh, J.
The Bloodling
. New York: Bantam Books, 1989. Dramatic true story of the first murder case solved (in England) by use of “genetic fingerprinting.” The pace lags a bit and DNA fingerprints are not adequately explained, but this is a classic tale with significance for modern forensics and law enforcement.
*Watson, J.D.
The Double Helix
. New York: Signet books, 1968. Watson’s personal account of the discovery of the structure of DNA. Lively, brash, opinionated, this account will make scientists come alive for students. Crick’s version, 20 years later, is a much more reasoned and mellowed one.
Mapping Our Genes — The Genome Projects: How Big, How Fast?
U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, OTA-BA-373, Washington, D.C.: 1990.
The Human Genome, 1989-90 Program Report
. U.S. Department of Energy. Office of Energy Research and Office of Health and Environmental Research, Washington, D.C.: 1990.
Two excellent reports on the progress of the government sponsored genome mapping effort. These first reports provide a great deal of educational material and superb, usually non-copyrighted illustrations. Regular reports are mailed out on the project free to those who request them—it is worth getting on the list if you expect to teach topics in biology or genetics in the next few years.