The new field of toxicogenomics presents a potentially powerful set of tools to better understand the health effects of exposures to toxicants in the environment. At the request of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Research Council assembled a committee to identify the benefits of toxicogenomics, the challenges to achieving them, and potential approaches to overcoming such challenges. The report concludes that realizing the potential of toxicogenomics to improve public health decisions will require a concerted effort to generate data, make use of existing data, and study data in new waysâ€"an effort requiring funding, interagency coordination, and data management strategies.

This first volume in the series provides a detailed treatment in ecotoxicology and stresses why genetics is important in understanding if and how chemical contaminants affect populations. Written by an array of international contributors from various fields covering mammals, invertebrates, fish, plants, as well as molecular ecotoxicology, this book considers both ecological/evolutionary consequences and practical implications of the interplay between chemical toxicants and the genetic population. In broadening the understanding of ecological response, this resource ranges from molecular to classical genetics, from plant to animal, from asexual to sexual, touching on some fundamental issues of evolutionary biology. In addition, gaps in our present understanding of genetic and ecotoxicological processes and future research directions have been identified.

The mapping of human genes is proceeding rapidly. Genes associated with specific inherited diseases are being identified, often providing insight into the molecular cause of the disease. At the moment, however, little consideration is being given to the variation present in different human populations. Variation in the Human Genome discusses methods of analysing population genetic data and how contemporary genetic heterogeneity arises during the evolution and migration of human populations. Specific disorders such as cystic fibrosis, beta-thalassaemia, fragile X, phenylketonuria and tumour development susceptibility are used to illustrate this genetic variability and mechanisms of gene mutation and evolution.

Genetic diversity is one of the measures of biodiversity and has consequences in biological variation. It is crucial to understand the evolutionary and adaptative processes in all living species. This book is an interdisciplinary and integrated work that will contribute to the knowledge of academics from different areas of biological sciences. This collection of scientific papers was chosen and analyzed to offer readers a broad and integrated view of the importance of genetic diversity in the evolution and adaptation of living beings, as well as practical applications of the information needed to analyze this diversity in different organisms. This book was edited by geneticist researchers and provides academics with up-to-date and quality information on the subject.