Cover: Genetics Essentials, 5th Edition by Benjamin A. Pierce

Genetics Essentials

Fifth  Edition©2025  Benjamin A. Pierce

About

Genetics Essentials, now fully supported in Achieve, gives you the foundation you need to succeed in the course. You’ll get clear explanations, step-by-step problem-solving help, and a range of interactive tools in the book’s online platform.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction to Genetics
  2. Chromosomes and Cellular Reproduction
  3. Basic Principles of Heredity
  4. Extensions and Modifications of Basic Principles
  5. Linkage, Recombination, and Eukaryotic Gene Mapping
  6. Chromosome Variation
  7. Bacterial and Viral Genetic Systems
  8. DNA: The Chemical Nature of the Gene
  9. DNA Replication and Recombination
  10. From DNA to Proteins: Transcription and RNA Processing
  11. From DNA to Proteins: Translation
  12. Control of Gene Expression
  13. Gene Mutations, Transposable Elements, and DNA Repair
  14. Molecular Genetic Analysis and Biotechnology
  15. Genomics and Proteomics
  16. Cancer Genetics
  17. Quantitative Genetics
  18. Population and Evolutionary Genetics

Benjamin A. Pierce

Benjamin Pierce is Professor of Biology and holder of the Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he teaches courses in genetics and evolution. He previously taught at Connecticut College and Baylor University. Ben is a population geneticist who conducts ecological and evolutionary research on amphibians. He has authored a number of articles in research journals and several books, including The Family Genetics Sourcebook, Genetics: A Conceptual Approach, Genetics Essentials: Concepts and Connections, and Transmission and Population Genetics: A Short Course. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi and is a fellow of the Texas Academy of Science. He has received grants from the Natural Science Foundation, the W. M. Keck Foundation, the 3M Foundation, the National Park Service, the Williamson County Conservation Foundation, and the National Geographic Society.