Drosophila Genetics

Book excerpt: The Biological Sciences are in the midst of a scientific rev olution. During the past decade under the rubric of molecu lar biology, chemistry and physics have assumed an integral role in biological research. This is especially true in ge netics, where the cloning of genes and the manipulation of genomic DNA have become in many organisms routine laboratory procedures. These noteworthy advances, it must be empha sized, especially in molecular genetics, are not autonomous. Rather, they have been accomplished with those organisms whose formal genetics has been documented in great detail. For the beginning student or the established investigator who is interested in pursuing eukaryote molecular genetic re search, Drosophila melanogaster, with its rich body of formal genetic information is one organism of choice. The book "Drosophila Genetics. A Practical Course" is an indispens able source of information for the beginner in the biology and formal genetics of Drosophila melanogaster. The scope of this guide, a revision and enlargement of the original German language version, is broad and instructive. The information included ranges from the simple, but necessary, details on how to culture and manipulate Drosophila flies to a series of more sophisticated genetic experiments. After completing the experiments detailed in the text, all students - neophyte or experienced - will be richly rewarded by having acquired a broad base of classical genetics information relevant for the biologist in its own right and prerequisite to Drosophila genetics research - formal and/or molecular. Davis, California, Melvin M.