Cats are not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics [Paperback]

Cats are Not Peas, narrated with inimitable grace and wit, takes us through the great discoveries in genetics, from Mendel's studies of inheritance in peas through the discovery of the chromosome and the role of DNA - all from the little-known viewpoint of the pivotal and unheralded role played by cats as experimental subjects in this epic drama.
...the book was difficult to put down...Coherent, witty, and full of historical anecdotesany intelligent reader should be able to accompany Gould on her quest. -NEW SCIENTIST
A delightful and painless introduction to genetics and its colorful history... -WINSLOW R. BRIGGS, CARNEGIE INSTITUTE OF WASHINGTONAfter she accidentally adopted a calico cat that turned out to be a male, Laura Gould was seized by curiosity. For there to be no male calicos at all would be understandable - it was their extreme rarity that was the puzzle. Gould, an expert in linguistics with no previous training in genetics, decided to learn how this could be. Her researches took her through the great discoveries in genetics, from Mendel's studies of inheritance in peas through the discovery of the chromosome and the role of DNA - all seen from the little-known and unheralded viewpoint of the pivotal role played by cats as experimental subjects in this epic drama. Narrated with inimitable grace and wit, this is the story of an unrecognized chapter in the history of science.1 In The Beginning There Was George....- 2 How Do You Get a George?.- 3 Georges Ancient Ancestry.- 4 Ancient Theories of Sex.- 5 The Genesis of Genetics.- 6 What Did They See and When Did They See It?.- 7 The Early Calico Papers.- 8 Twentieth-Century Theories of Sex.- 9 The Late Calico Papers.- 10 The Cat Is Out of the Bag.- Afterword.- Informal Glossary (and mini-index).- Dateline.- References.- Question Index.Springer Book Archives