Basic Concepts In Biology

Concepts of Biology is designed for the single-semester introduction to biology course for non-science majors, which for many students is their only college-level science course. As such, this course represents an important opportunity for students to develop the necessary knowledge, tools, and skills to make informed decisions as they continue with their lives. Rather than being mired down with facts and vocabulary, the typical non-science major student needs information presented in a way that is easy to read and understand. Even more importantly, the content should be meaningful. Students do much better when they understand why biology is relevant to their everyday lives. For these reasons, Concepts of Biology is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand.We also strive to show the interconnectedness of topics within this extremely broad discipline. In order to meet the needs of today's instructors and students, we maintain the overall organization and coverage found in most syllabi for this course. A strength of Concepts of Biology is that instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Concepts of Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand--and apply--key concepts.

BASIC CONCEPTS IN BIOLOGY supplies a 650 page, introductory issues-oriented approach with enormous instructional power. This title has content identical to Starr's longer BIOLOGY, CONCEPTS AND APPLICATIONS, Sixth Edition, except for the omission of plant and animal physiology.The "Impacts, Issues" and "How Would You Vote?" features new to this edition make biology come alive. An "Impacts, Issues" case study opens each chapter focusing on a biology-related societal issue. Short films that expand on the issue are on the free Student CD. Each chapter's "How Would You Vote?" asks students to consider biology-related news, apply knowledge, cast a vote on the web and see voting tallies.The access codes that accompany all new copies provide online access to 1) BiologyNow, a learning tool that helps students assess their unique study needs through pretests, post-test and personalized learning plans; 2) InfoTrac, a library of full text articles; 3) vMentor, a live tutoring service and 4) "How Do I Prepare," a feature that allows students to review basic math, chemistry, and other skills that will help them more easily master introductory biology. And now with an MP3 download of this title, you don't have to lose prep time during a long commute-any MP3 player lets you or your students listen and review the text at the gym, in the library, at the office - anywhere!Starr is the most successful author in non-majors biology because of her clear and engaging writing, trend-setting art, and unparalleled student and instructor media.

Frank E. Zachos offers a comprehensive review of one of today’s most important and contentious issues in biology: the species problem. After setting the stage with key background information on the topic, the book provides a brief history of species concepts from antiquity to the Modern Synthesis, followed by a discussion of the ontological status of species with a focus on the individuality thesis and potential means of reconciling it with other philosophical approaches. More than 30 different species concepts found in the literature are presented in an annotated list, and the most important ones, including the Biological, Genetic, Evolutionary and different versions of the Phylogenetic Species Concept, are discussed in more detail. Specific questions addressed include the problem of asexual and prokaryotic species, intraspecific categories like subspecies and Evolutionarily Significant Units, and a potential solution to the species problem based on a hierarchical approach that distinguishes between ontological and operational species concepts. A full chapter is dedicated to the challenge of delimiting species by means of a discrete taxonomy in a continuous world of inherently fuzzy boundaries. Further, the book outlines the practical ramifications for ecology and evolutionary biology of how we define the species category, highlighting the danger of an apples and oranges problem if what we subsume under the same name (“species”) is in actuality a variety of different entities. A succinct summary chapter, glossary and annotated list of references round out the coverage, making the book essential reading for all biologists looking for an accessible introduction to the historical, philosophical and practical dimensions of the species problem.

The Principles of Biology sequence (BI 211, 212 and 213) introduces biology as a scientific discipline for students planning to major in biology and other science disciplines. Laboratories and classroom activities introduce techniques used to study biological processes and provide opportunities for students to develop their ability to conduct research.

Thorough and accessible, this book presents the design principles of biological systems, and highlights the recurring circuit elements that make up biological networks. It provides a simple mathematical framework which can be used to understand and even design biological circuits. The textavoids specialist terms, focusing instead on several well-studied biological systems that concisely demonstrate key principles. An Introduction to Systems Biology: Design Principles of Biological Circuits builds a solid foundation for the intuitive understanding of general principles. It encourages the reader to ask why a system is designed in a particular way and then proceeds to answer with simplified models.

Biology for AP® courses covers the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester Advanced Placement® biology course. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology for AP® Courses was designed to meet and exceed the requirements of the College Board’s AP® Biology framework while allowing significant flexibility for instructors. Each section of the book includes an introduction based on the AP® curriculum and includes rich features that engage students in scientific practice and AP® test preparation; it also highlights careers and research opportunities in biological sciences.

Completely updated to help nurses learn to ìthink geneticallyî Todayís nurses must be able to ìthink geneticallyî to help individuals and families who are affected by genetic disease or contemplating genetic testing. This book is a classic resource for nursing students and practitioners at all levels who need to acquire the knowledge and skills for using genomics in their practice. This completely updated second edition encompasses the many recent advances in genetic research and knowledge, providing essential new information on the science, technology, and clinical application of genomics. It focuses on the provision of individualized patient care based on personal genetics and dispositions. The second edition is designed for use by advanced practice nursing programs, as well as undergraduate programs. It pinpoints new developments in prenatal, maternity, and pediatric issues and supplies new information on genomics-based personal drug therapy, environmental susceptibilities, genetic therapies, epigenetics, and ethics The text features a practical, clinically oriented framework in line with the core competencies defined by the AACN. It delivers information according to a lifespan approach used in the practice setting. The second edition continues to provide basic information on genomics, its impact on healthcare, and genetic disorders. It covers prevention, genetic counseling and referral, neuropsychiatric nursing, and public health. The core of the text presents information on a variety of diseases that affect patients throughout the lifespan, with specific guidance on the nursing role. Also included are tests for a variety of diseases and information on pharmacogenomics, which enable health care providers to select the best drugs for treatment based on a patientís genetic makeup. Plentiful case study examples support the information throughout. Additionally, an instructorís package of PowerPoint slides and a test bank are provided for use at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. New to the Second Edition: Completely updated with several new chapters Personal drug therapy based on genomics Environmental susceptibilities Prenatal detection and diagnosis Newborn and genetic screening Reproductive technologies Ethical issues Genetic therapies Epigenetics Content for graduate-level programs PowerPoint slides and a test bank for all student levels Key Features: Encompasses state-of-the-art genomics from a nursing perspective Provides a practical, clinically oriented lifespan approach Covers science, technology, and clinical application of genomics Addresses prevention, genetic testing, and treatment methods Written for undergraduate- and graduate-level nursing students

This book offers physiology teachers a new approach to teaching their subject that will lead to increased student understanding and retention of the most important ideas. By integrating the core concepts of physiology into individual courses and across the entire curriculum, it provides students with tools that will help them learn more easily and fully understand the physiology content they are asked to learn. The authors present examples of how the core concepts can be used to teach individual topics, design learning resources, assess student understanding, and structure a physiology curriculum.

This book focuses on the development and application of the latest advanced data mining, machine learning, and visualization techniques for the identification of interesting, significant, and novel patterns in gene expression microarray data.Biomedical researchers will find this book invaluable for learning the cutting-edge methods for analyzing gene expression microarray data. Specifically, the coverage includes the following state-of-the-art methods:• Gene-based analysis: the latest novel clustering algorithms to identify co-expressed genes and coherent patterns in gene expression microarray data sets• Sample-based analysis: supervised and unsupervised methods for the reduction of the gene dimensionality to select significant genes. A series of approaches to disease classification and discovery are also described• Pattern-based analysis: methods for ascertaining the relationship between (subsets of) genes and (subsets of) samples. Various novel pattern-based clustering algorithms to find the coherent patterns embedded in the sub-attribute spaces are discussed• Visualization tools: various methods for gene expression data visualization. The visualization process is intended to transform the gene expression data set from high-dimensional space into a more easily understood two- or three-dimensional space.

This book is the seventh in a series of titles from the National Research Council that addresses the effects of exposure to low dose LET (Linear Energy Transfer) ionizing radiation and human health. Updating information previously presented in the 1990 publication, Health Effects of Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation: BEIR V, this book draws upon new data in both epidemiologic and experimental research. Ionizing radiation arises from both natural and man-made sources and at very high doses can produce damaging effects in human tissue that can be evident within days after exposure. However, it is the low-dose exposures that are the focus of this book. So-called “late” effects, such as cancer, are produced many years after the initial exposure. This book is among the first of its kind to include detailed risk estimates for cancer incidence in addition to cancer mortality. BEIR VII offers a full review of the available biological, biophysical, and epidemiological literature since the last BEIR report on the subject and develops the most up-to-date and comprehensive risk estimates for cancer and other health effects from exposure to low-level ionizing radiation.