Ralf Dahm – författare

The zebrafish has become one of the most important model organisms to study biologial processes in vivo. As a vertebrate that has many of the strengths of invertebrate model systems, it offers numerous advantages to researchers interested in many aspects of embryonic development, physiology and disease. The next few years will see the completion of large scale initiatives that exploit the zebrafish as a model system for the understanding of gene function in vertebrates, including the sequencing of the genome. The zebrafish will therefore play an increasingly important role in the future of biomedical research. Whole genome sequencing projects, such as the human genome project, have led to the isolation of tens of thousands of genes for which the in vivo function is unknown. It is therefore likely that an increasing number of researchers will turn to organisms such as the zebrafish to understand the in vivo requirement for the proteins these genes encode.Recent technical advances now allow the rapid testing of in vivo function of as yet uncharacterised genes in zebrafish in large numbers and at a speed that is impossible in other systems. This book not only provides a complete set of instructions that will allow researchers to establish the zebrafish in their laboratory. It also gives a broad overview of commonly used methods and a comprehensive collection of protocols describing the most powerful techniques.

Thanks to blockbuster movies about superheroes and cloned dinosaurs, DNA now is an icon in popular culture. Yet if asked who discovered DNA, most people – including most scientists – would probably think of Watson and Crick, unaware that it all began almost a century earlier.This book tells the story of Swiss scientist Friedrich Miescher, whose pioneering work led to the discovery of DNA. Drawing on Miescher’s publications and letters, the authors trace his breakthrough – from washing pus off discarded bandages in Tübingen’s medieval castle to fishing salmon in the Rhine at dawn to study their sperm – and follow how his insights were received against a backdrop of intellectual rivalries, clashing egos, and fierce feuds that raged between disciplines.The book then explores what became of Miescher’s discovery after his death, showing how a molecule long dismissed as biologically insignificant became central to powerful technologies that now shape our future. Finally, the authors examine the ethical, social, and political questions raised by such developments and why Miescher’s story may matter today more than ever.  Written in an engaging and accessible style, this account of Miescher’s groundbreaking work will captivate anyone interested in the discovery of one of biology’s most important and enigmatic molecules.

Das vorliegende Buch gibt einen kurzen Überblick über die neuesten Erkenntnisse auf dem spannenden Gebiet der Epigenetik. Es wird erklärt, wie die Epigenetik das Schicksal von Zellen bestimmt, unserem Genom Komplexität verleiht und wie die Epigenetik Informationen der Umwelt für das Genom übersetzt.