“Concepts of Genetics” 10th Edition
The new hardcover edition of the widely used genetics textbook "Concepts of Genetics" features a cover illustration based on the ongoing research of the Bilkent University Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. The figure illustrated on the cover is a representation of a “half-chromatid mutation” stylized as a mosaic by Tayfun Özçelik. The research at Bilkent involves investigation of meiotic mutations on one strand (thus half-chromatid) of the DNA double helix, which may lead to somatic mosaicism in humans. Since the term "mosaicism" is derived from the art of mosaics, the mutation was depicted in that way, using the color scheme of mosaic figures found in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. To indicate a favorable nucleotide change rather than a harmful one, the color green was chosen to portray the half-chromatid mutation. "Concepts of Genetics" is a best seller in the field of genetics. The new version is the 10th edition. It will be released in October, in conjunction with the International Congress of Human Genetics to be held in Montreal.