Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Mendelian view of the world -- Nucleic acids convey genetic information -- The importance of weak chemical interactions -- The importance of high-energy bonds -- Weak and strong bonds determine macromolecular structure -- The structures of DNA and RNA -- Genome structure, chromatin, and the nucleosome -- The replication of DNA -- The mutability and repair of DNA -- Homologous recombination at the molecular level -- Site-specific recombination and transposition of DNA -- Mechanisms of transcription -- RNA splicing -- Translation -- The genetic code -- Transcriptional regulation in prokaryotes -- Transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes -- Regulatory RNAs -- Gene regulation in development and evolution -- Genome analysis and systems biology -- Techniques of molecular biology -- Model organisms.