Cats Are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics, Second Edition » (2nd Edition)

Laura Gould's interests range from very dead writing systems (ancient Akkadian cuneiform), to computational linguistics (participation in machine translation, child language acquisition, and speech understanding projects) to the social implications of technology (co-founder of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility) to the innovative transmission of ideas (recipient of U.C. Berkeley's Distinguished Teaching Award). She lives with her husband, two cats, and copious wildlife in a wilderness area of Northern California.

The Vets Turn Pale. . . George, a male calico, was a genetic anomaly, a manifestation of something that isn't supposed to happen, a creature so rare that even most veterinarians have never seen one. His curious existence sparked Laura Gould's long search through the archives of genetics to unearth the charming and valiant roles played by early cat geneticists, as well as cats themselves, in the study of genes and how they work. For everyone with an interest in cats and cat breeding, this is an unforgettable and often hilarious account of the intersecting lives of cats and geneticists.

The field of genetics has exploded since 1992, when the first edition of Cats Are Not Peas was completed. Thus a lengthy Addendum is included in this new edition, providing the reader with the terminology and concepts needed to understand two burgeoning new areas in which cats have again had significant roles to play—-the sequencing of genomes and the production of clones. These descriptions allow you to view with increasing wonder the world around you and to think seriously about whether you would like to have your personal genome mapped or your cat cloned, both of which are now possible (if you can afford it).

Veterinary Technician

An easily understandable introduction to genetics . . . [with] a fascinating perspective.