Orgnized in an A-to-Z format, this reference guide is designed to help users find their way in the vast--and sometimes bewildering--world of living things too small to be discerned with the naked eye. Entries cover environmental, industrial, and food microbiology, in addition to the microbiology of health and disease. Scientific techniques used for studying microorganisms are discussed, and biographies of key individuals are provided. A chronology of infections and disease epidemics from 430 B.C. to the present is included as an appendix.

This is not another book about the Human Genome Project. It is, however, about the human genome: the genes that make it up, what the genes do when they are acting properly, and what happens when these genes are damaged. Designed for today's reader who demands quick answers to a wide range of questions, this book is intended to offer the nonspecialist a first-stop, but fairly detailed, guide to the genome. The information it provides is given context: namely, the basic scientific principles of genome research, the new knowledge unearthed or created by this research, and the social and...