Ask HN: What are some great resources to learn about genomics?

2 points by EScott11 13 years ago | 4 comments

I'm really interested in the potential impact genomics can have on our society. The prospect of hacking the genome is mind blowing, and not too far off. However, beyond a few inspiring blog posts and a quick scan of the Genomics wikipedia page, I really don't know the best way to get a solid base of knowledge in the field.

What are some great introductory resources? Could be websites, blogs, books, free courses. It would also be really helpful to know what I should already be well versed in before I start utilizing said resources (I.E. "For resource X, you should understand some machine learning" or "It will help to know some basic bio for resource Y, but they'll go over what you need to know...").

Thanks!

koltkorivera 13 years ago |

Here are some books that I have found worthwhile, for the complete and utter beginner--really, preliminary to learning about genomics itself:

--Matt Ridley (1999). _Genome: The autobiography of a species in 23 chapters_. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

--James D. Watson [yes, _that_ James D. Watson] (2003). _DNA: The secret of life_. New York, NY: Knopf.

If you have any interest in the application of genomic science to psychology, this is a good place to start (presuming a basic knowledge of, say, the contents of a good Psych 101 course):

--Robert Plomin, John C. Defries, Ian W. Craig, and Peter McGuffin [Eds.] (2003). _Behavioral genetics in the postgenomic era_. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Best of luck to you.

--Mark Koltko-Rivera

EScott11 13 years ago | |

Thanks, Mark. Much appreciated.

t0 13 years ago |

http://23andme.com

EScott11 13 years ago | |

Definitely a good starting point. 23andMe is leading the charge in consumer facing genomics. I wonder what it would take to compete with them?