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  • Fly: The Unsung Hero of Twentieth-Century Science – A Witty Biography of Genetics, Evolution, and Biology's Greatest Discoveries

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Fly: The Unsung Hero of Twentieth-Century Science – A Witty Biography of Genetics, Evolution, and Biology's Greatest Discoveries Paperback – October 8, 2002

by Martin Brookes (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars (11)
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A short biography of a creature that changed science.

There's a buzz in the air, the sound of a billion wings vibrating to the tune of scientific success. For generations, the fruit fly has been defining biology's major landmarks. From genetics to development, behavior to aging, and evolution to the origin of the species, it has been a key and, outside academic circles, an unaccredited player in some of the twentieth century's greatest biological discoveries. In fact, everything from gene therapy to cloning and the Human Genome Project is built on the foundation of fruit fly research.

This witty, irreverent biography of the fruit fly provides a broad introduction to biology as well as a glimpse into how one short life has informed scientific views on such things as fundamentals of heredity, battle of the sexes, and memory.

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  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ecco
  4. Publication date
    October 8, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    5.31 x 0.5 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0060936797
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0060936792
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The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Brookes writes with humor and economy. He places the unsung fruit fly into the much broader and immediate history of the rapidly advancing field of biology and genetics.” - Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

A short biography of a creature that changed science.

There's a buzz in the air, the sound of a billion wings vibrating to the tune of scientific success. For generations, the fruit fly has been defining biology's major landmarks. From genetics to development, behavior to aging, and evolution to the origin of the species, it has been a key and, outside academic circles, an unaccredited player in some of the twentieth century's greatest biological discoveries. In fact, everything from gene therapy to cloning and the Human Genome Project is built on the foundation of fruit fly research.

This witty, irreverent biography of the fruit fly provides a broad introduction to biology as well as a glimpse into how one short life has informed scientific views on such things as fundamentals of heredity, battle of the sexes, and memory.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ecco
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 8, 2002
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060936797
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060936792
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.5 x 8 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #796,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars (11)

About the author

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Martin Brookes

Martin Brookes

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
11 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

  • e-shult
    5.0 out of 5 stars Review by an old man
    Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is an excellent book. There is a small historical error. It was not Morgan who discovered `white eyes'. At the time, Calvin Bridges was a dishwasher and noticed the fly with white eyes in one of the bottles. In trying to save it, it escaped. He then told Morgan about it, and the closing of all the windows and the search began as described in the book. I got this version from Bridge's good friend, C.C. Lindegren. This detail is so minuscule it cannot detract from a book that is wonderfully written and is such a pleasure to read. As for the fly: Most basic principles in modern genetics were first learned from Drisophila Genetics. Footnote:[It seems ironic, that Sarah Palin, whose child suffers from a chromosomal translocation, declared it a waste of public money to fund research on fruit flies, where translocations were first discovered. ]
    One person found this helpful
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  • Rob
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fly
    Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    An interesting book, a bit light on the details. Light hearted view of fly genetics, an easy read, certainly worth a look. Not being a carbon based lifeform, I find it a bit difficult to relate to, but interesting non the less. ;-) RR
    One person found this helpful
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  • Jclaer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Biology first moves from the field to the lab. An easy read.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2017
    Format: Paperback
    I read this book many years ago and was thrilled reading how biology moved from an observational science to an experimental one. The nice thing about reading about this period, is that the science is comprehensible to non-specialists, high school students even.
    Helpful
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  • Sarah Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this book.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2005
    Format: Paperback
    This is the best science writing I've read in a long time. Martin Brookes does an amazing job of weaving together the history and science behind the fruit fly and making it incredibly interesting.

    The fruit fly has been a key player in the advancement of evolutionary biology, genetics, and developmental biology during the past century. Brookes manages to follow the story of the fruit fly from lab to lab, telling jokes and interesting anecdotes along the way.

    By the end of the book, the reader is convinced that the seemingly uninportant and pesky fruit fly is not only irreplacable in science, but can somehow tell us something about our own lives.

    I highly recommend this book not only to scientists and science students, but to the layperson who wants to learn some basic biology and some scientific history.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Eric Van Der Walde
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great Historical Overview of 20th Century Biology
    Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2005
    Format: Paperback
    I very much enjoyed this book. It was a fascinating overview of 20th century biology and genetics and had many vivid illustrations of the principals of evolution. The book was stuffed full of amusing anecdotes that helped the non-scientist understand scientific concepts. The anecdotes also help make a book that could have dry fascinating.

    Brookes is a surprisingly good writer with a wry sense of humor. He has a unique ability to put complicated concepts into a context the layman can understand.

    The book uses the history of the fruit fly research to illustrate the major theme in genetics, evolution, and biology. ALong the way Brookes corrects a number of popular misconception, such as the definition of a species as a population with "intrinsic barriers which prevented them from interbreeding with other species." I had no idea that this definition was in dispute. The section on the Hawaiian Islands as a natural evolutionary laboratory on par with the Galapagos was also quite interesting.

    I greatly enjoyed this book and learned a great deal. I heartily recommend it and am anxious to find other works by this author.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Dad
    4.0 out of 5 stars bzzzzzzz...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2002
    Format: Hardcover
    In biology labs across the world, fruit flies are turning up answers to some of the basic questions of life. From genetics to development, behavior to aging, and evolution to the origin of species, the fruit fly has been has played the dimunitive guinea pig for some of the 20th century's greatest biological discoveries. Techniques to pinpoint genes that play a role in human disease depend on genetic mapmaking principles first established with the fly. It was experiments on fruit flies that opened our eyes to the dangers of radiation to human health. In fact, everything from gene therapy to cloning to the Human Genome Project is built on the foundation of fruit fly research. In highly original, witty, and irreverent style, Brookes takes readers through the successive stages in the life cycle of the fly, each illustrating an important concept in biology. Some, such as the fundamentals of heredity, are well established; others, such as sexual warfare, learning, and memory, are still in their infancy. But whether flies are getting high on crack cocaine, enjoying the pleasures and pains of a boozy night out, being trained by punishment and reward, or struggling with insomnia, this book provides a glimpse of how one short life has informed almost every aspect of human existence. Much more intriguing, edifying, and entertaining than you'd imagine.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Karen Y.
    4.0 out of 5 stars funny and interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2002
    Format: Hardcover
    The author writes with a light touch, poking fun at himself, making fruit fly sex jokes, and describing the tortured trials of the fruit fly (my favorite is his depiction of drunken fruit flies too soused to fly!). The book is designed to be comprehensible to all. It's a light overview of the evolution of biological thought in the 20th century, through a framework of how fruit fly research pushed biological thought forward. He brings in the stories of assorted fruit fly researchers, and how genetics plugged the holes in the theory of evolution. He writes of fruit fly experiments that taught scientists how man's internal clocks work, how man learns, how man ages. He doesn't bog down the explanations with loads of technicalia, but one comes out feeling enlightened.

    I found his explanation of genetics a touch strained (he was trying to keep it light and non-textbook-y), but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Plus the fruit fly experiments described in there are utterly fascinating and make great conversation topics.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • SB
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A good read for anyone who works with Drosophila or even any model organism. Content is not scientific or in depth but it is a fun 'biography' of the fruit fly.
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  • Charlotte Davis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ein winziger Held der Genforschung
    Reviewed in Germany on September 25, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Martin Brookes beschreibt die Karriere der Fliege Drosophila Melanogaster als das erste Tier, dessen Genom entschlüsselt wurde., Die Zuordnung bestimmter Eigenschaften und Körperstrukturen zu bestimmten Abschnitten in der Chromosomen, die Entstehung des neuen Forschungszweiges der evolutionären Biologie, die mühesame Arbeit der Wissenschaftler werden auf interessante, auch für Laien verständliche Art beschrieben. Für Anfänger, die nach einer Lektüre suchen, die die Grundlagen dieses Forschungsbereiches suchen ist dieses Buch ideal.
    Die Beschreibungen der Laborarbeit, der Zustände in den Laboratorien, sowie der Wissenschaftler mit ihren Eigenarten maxchen dieses Buch zu einem Werk, das bestimmt mehrfach gelesen werden kann.

    Ich bewerte es als sehr empfehlenswert.
    Report
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