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biology the science of life: Biology of Life Laurence A. Cole, 2016-07-22 Biology of Life: Biochemistry, Physiology and Philosophy provides foundational coverage of the field of biochemistry for a different angle to the traditional biochemistry text by focusing on human biochemistry and incorporating related elements of evolution to help further contextualize this dynamic space. This unique approach includes sections on early human development, what constitutes human life, and what makes it special. Additional coverage on the differences between the biochemistry of prokaryotes and eukaryotes is also included. The center of life in prokaryotes is considered to be photosynthesis and sugar generation, while the center of life in eukaryotes is sugar use and oxidative phosphorylation. This unique reference will inform specialized biochemistry courses and researchers in their understanding of the role biochemistry has in human life. - Contextualizes the field of biochemistry and its role in human life - Includes dedicated sections on human reproduction and human brain development - Provides extensive coverage on biochemical energetics, oxidative phosphorylation, photosynthesis, and carbon monoxide-acetate pathways |
biology the science of life: Life, the Science of Biology William Kirkwood Purves, 2001 |
biology the science of life: The Science of Life Herbert George Wells, Julian Huxley, George Philip Wells, 1934 |
biology the science of life: Biology Colleen M. Belk, Virginia Borden Maier, 2013 Learn biology through engaging stories. Coleen Belk and Virginia Borden Maier have helped students demystify biology for nearly twenty years in the classroom and ten years with their text, Biology: Science for Life with Physiology. In the new Fourth Edition, they continue to connect biology to intriguing stories and current issues, such as the case of Andrew Speaker and his involuntary quarantine for a deadly strain of tuberculosis...Learning outcomes, which are new to this edition and integrated within the book and online at MasteringBiology, guide your reading and allow you to assess your understanding biology. -- back cover. |
biology the science of life: Code Biology Marcello Barbieri, 2015-02-02 This book is the study of all codes of life with the standard methods of science. The genetic code and the codes of culture have been known for a long time and represent the historical foundation of this book. What is really new in this field is the study of all codes that came after the genetic code and before the codes of culture. The existence of these organic codes, however, is not only a major experimental fact. It is one of those facts that have extraordinary theoretical implications. The first is that most events of macroevolution were associated with the origin of new organic codes, and this gives us a completely new reconstruction of the history of life. The second implication is that codes involve meaning and we need therefore to introduce in biology not only the concept of information but also the concept of biological meaning. The third theoretical implication comes from the fact that the organic codes have been highly conserved in evolution, which means that they are the greatest invariants of life. The study of the organic codes, in short, is bringing to light new mechanisms that have operated in the history of life and new fundamental concepts in biology. |
biology the science of life: What is Life? The Next Fifty Years Michael P. Murphy, Luke A. J. O'Neill, 1997-03-13 Erwin Schrödinger's book What is Life? had a tremendous influence on the development of molecular biology, stimulating scientists such as Watson and Crick to explore the physical basis of life. Much of the appeal of Schrödinger's book lay in its approach to the central problems in biology - heredity and how organisms use energy to maintain order - from a physicist's perspective. At Trinity College, Dublin a number of outstanding scientists from a range of disciplines gathered to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of What is Life? and following Schrödinger's example fifty years previously, presented their views on the current central problems in biology. The contributors to this volume include Stephen Jay Gould, Roger Penrose, Jared Diamond, Manfred Eigen, John Maynard Smith, Christien de Duve and Lewis Wolpert. This collection is essential reading for anyone interested in biology and its future. |
biology the science of life: Biology Robert Meeks, 2016-04-23 PEOPLE HAVE BECOME SO BUSY WITH EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES THAT THEY SELDOM HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT SURROUNDS THEM. THE WORLD IS FULL OF LIFE, EVEN IN THE SEEMINGLY MOST INSIGNIFICANT THINGS. WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL TO JUST SIT BACK AND TRY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LIVING AND BREATHING SPECIES THAT SURROUND US BUT GO UNNOTICED EVERYDAY? Biology is the science of life, but while many of us may be familiar with the subject, only a few may be aware that biology encompasses much more than just humans and the other species that inhabit the earth. It is, perhaps, the most expansive and interesting subject that you could learn about. You may ask, if it is so expansive, then how would it be possible to learn all the important things there are to know about biology? The answer lies in this book, which would teach you all the most significant concepts to make you realize how biology has implications in our past, our present, and yes, even our future. This book is the only one you need to delve into the world of biology. It will teach you, in simple and easy-to-understand terms, how biology comes alive in our daily activities. Here's what this book contains: What exactly does the study of biology include How can biology help us understand our past Which branches of biology is relevant to our present What implications biology has on our future PLUS: Delve into the world of genetics Understand the how and why of human evolution Know the men and women who have spearheaded breakthroughs in biology You won't get information this comprehensive anywhere else! So act right now! GET YOUR COPY TODAY! |
biology the science of life: Biological Science Jon (Emeritus Professor of Bioscience Education Scott, Emeritus Professor of Bioscience Education University of Leicester), Jon Scott, Mark (Associate Professor in the Department of Genetics and Genome Biology Goodwin, Associate Professor in the Department of Genetics and Genome Biology University of Leicester), Gus Cameron, Anne Goodenough, Gus (Reader in Biomedical Science Education Cameron, School of Biochemistry Reader in Biomedical Science Education School of Biochemistry University of Bristol), Anne (Professor in Applied Ecology Goodenough, Professor in Applied Ecology University of Gloucestershire), Dawn Hawkins, Dawn (Reader Hawkins, Faculty of Science and Engineering Reader Faculty of Science and Engineering Anglia Ruskin University), Jenny Koenig, Jenny (Assistant Professor in Pharmacology Koenig, Therapeutics and Toxicology Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences Assistant Professor in Pharmacology Therapeutics and Toxicology Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences University of Nottingham), Despo (Reader of Medical Education Papachristodoulou, Reader of Medical Education King's College London), Alison (Reader in Bioscience Education Snape, Reader in Bioscience Education King's College London), Kay (Professor of Science Communication Yeoman, School of Biological Sciences Professor of Science Communication School of Biological Sciences University of East Anglia), 2022-06-24 Biological Science: Exploring the Science of Life responds to the key needs of lecturers and their students by placing a clear central narrative, carefully-structured active learning, and confidence with quantitative concepts and scientific enquiry central to its approach.Written by a team of dedicated and passionate academics, and shaped by feedback from over 55 institutions, its straightforward narrative, reinforced by key concept overview videos for every chapter, communicate key ideas clearly: the right information is provided at the right time, and at the rightdepth.Its pause and think features, self-check quizzes, and graded end of chapter questions, augmented by flashcards of key terms, directly support active learning. The combination of narrative text and learning features promote a rich, active learning experience: read, watch, and do.Its combination of Quantitative Toolkits, Scientific Process panels, and the Life and its Exploration chapters provide more insight and support than any other general biology text; they prepare students to engage with this quantitative and experimental discipline with confidence, and set them on apath for success throughout their future studies.With coverage that spans the full scale of biological science - from molecule to ecosystem - and with an approach that fully supports flexible, self-paced learning, Biological Science: Exploring the Science of Life will set you on a path towards a deeper understanding of the key concepts inbiology, and a greater appreciation of biology as a dynamic experimental science.Digital formats and resourcesBiological Science: Exploring the Science of Life is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats.The enhanced ebook is enriched with features that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks- Key concepts videos support students from the start of every chapter and as they make their way through every Module.- Self-check questions at the end of each chapter section give students quick and formative feedback, building their confidence and comprehension as they study and revise.- Quantitative skills video screencasts help students to master the foundational skills required by this discipline.- Interactive figures give students the control they need to step through, and gain mastery over, key concepts.- Per-chapter flashcard glossaries help students to recall the key terms and concepts on which further study can be built. |
biology the science of life: Mind in Life Evan Thompson, 2010-09-30 How is life related to the mind? The question has long confounded philosophers and scientists, and it is this so-called explanatory gap between biological life and consciousness that Evan Thompson explores in Mind in Life. Thompson draws upon sources as diverse as molecular biology, evolutionary theory, artificial life, complex systems theory, neuroscience, psychology, Continental Phenomenology, and analytic philosophy to argue that mind and life are more continuous than has previously been accepted, and that current explanations do not adequately address the myriad facets of the biology and phenomenology of mind. Where there is life, Thompson argues, there is mind: life and mind share common principles of self-organization, and the self-organizing features of mind are an enriched version of the self-organizing features of life. Rather than trying to close the explanatory gap, Thompson marshals philosophical and scientific analyses to bring unprecedented insight to the nature of life and consciousness. This synthesis of phenomenology and biology helps make Mind in Life a vital and long-awaited addition to his landmark volume The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience (coauthored with Eleanor Rosch and Francisco Varela). Endlessly interesting and accessible, Mind in Life is a groundbreaking addition to the fields of the theory of the mind, life science, and phenomenology. |
biology the science of life: What Is Life? Sir Paul Nurse, 2020-11 Life is all around us, abundant and diverse. It is truly a marvel. But what does it actually mean to be alive, and how do we decide what is living and what is not? After a lifetime of studying life, Nobel Prize-winner Sir Paul Nurse, one of the world's leading scientists, has taken on the challenge of defining it. Written with great personality and charm, his accessible guide takes readers on a journey to discover biology's five great building blocks, demonstrates how biology has changed and is changing the world, and reveals where research is headed next. To survive all the challenges that face the human race today - population growth, pandemics, food shortages, climate change - it is vital that we first understand what life is. Never before has the question 'What is life?' been answered with such insight, clarity, and humanity, and never at a time more urgent than now. 'Paul Nurse is about as distinguished a scientist as there could be. He is also a great communicator. This book explains, in a way that is both clear and elegant, how the processes of life unfold, and does as much as science can to answer the question posed by the title. It's also profoundly important, at a time when the world is connected so closely that any new illness can sweep from nation to nation with immense speed, that all of us - including politicians - should be as well-informed as possible. This book provides the sort of clarity and understanding that could save many thousands of lives. I learned a great deal, and I enjoyed the process enormously.' -Sir Philip Pullman 'A nearly perfect guide to the wonder and complexity of existence.' -Bill Bryson 'Nurse provides a concise, lucid response to an age-old question. His writing is not just informed by long experience, but also wise, visionary, and personal. I read the book in one sitting, and felt exhilarated by the end, as though I'd run for miles - from the author's own garden into the interior of the cell, back in time to humankind's most distant ancestors, and through the laboratory of a dedicated scientist at work on what he most loves to do.' -Dava Sobel |
biology the science of life: The Biology Book DK, 2021-06-24 Learn about the most important discoveries and theories of this science in The Biology Book. Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Biology in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Biology Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Biology, with: - More than 95 ideas and events key to the development of biology and the life sciences - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts - A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout - Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Biology Book is a captivating introduction to understanding the living world and explaining how its organisms work and interact - whether microbes, mushrooms, or mammals. Here you'll discover key areas of the life sciences, including ecology, zoology, and biotechnology, through exciting text and bold graphics. Your Biology Questions, Simply Explained This book will outline big biological ideas, like the mysteries of DNA and genetic inheritance; and how we learnt to develop vaccines that control diseases. If you thought it was difficult to learn about the living world, The Biology Book presents key information in a clear layout. Here you'll learn about cloning, neuroscience, human evolution, and gene editing, and be introduced to the scientists who shaped these subjects, such as Carl Linnaeus, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Charles Darwin, and Gregor Mendel. The Big Ideas Series With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Biology Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand. |
biology the science of life: Biology Sandra Alters, 1996 Designed for a one or two semester non-majors course in introductory biology taught at most two and four-year colleges. This course typically fulfills a general education requirement, and rather than emphasizing mastery of technical topics, it focuses on the understanding of biological ideas and concepts, how they relate to real life, and appreciating the scientific methods and thought processes. Given the authors' work in and dedication to science education, this text's writing style, pedagogy, and integrated support package are all based on classroom-tested teaching strategies and learning theory. The result is a learning program that enhances the effectiveness & efficiency of the teaching and learning experience in the introductory biology course like no other before it. |
biology the science of life: The Music of Life Denis Noble, 2008-02-14 What is Life? Decades of research have resulted in the full mapping of the human genome - three billion pairs of code whose functions are only now being understood. The gene's eye view of life, advocated by evolutionary biology, sees living bodies as mere vehicles for the replication of the genetic codes. But for a physiologist, working with the living organism, the view is a very different one. Denis Noble is a world renowned physiologist, and sets out an alternative view to the question - one that becomes deeply significant in terms of the living, breathing organism. The genome is not life itself. Noble argues that far from genes building organisms, they should be seen as prisoners of the organism. The view of life presented in this little, modern, post-genome project reflection on the nature of life, is that of the systems biologist: to understand what life is, we must view it at a variety of different levels, all interacting with each other in a complex web. It is that emergent web, full of feedback between levels, from the gene to the wider environment, that is life. It is a kind of music. Including stories from Noble's own research experience, his work on the heartbeat, musical metaphors, and elements of linguistics and Chinese culture, this very personal and at times deeply lyrical book sets out the systems biology view of life. |
biology the science of life: What is Life? Addy Pross, 2012-09-27 Seventy years ago, Erwin Schrödinger posed a profound question: 'What is life, and how did it emerge from non-life?' This problem has puzzled biologists and physical scientists ever since. Living things are hugely complex and have unique properties, such as self-maintenance and apparently purposeful behaviour which we do not see in inert matter. So how does chemistry give rise to biology? What could have led the first replicating molecules up such a path? Now, developments in the emerging field of 'systems chemistry' are unlocking the problem. Addy Pross shows how the different kind of stability that operates among replicating molecules results in a tendency for chemical systems to become more complex and acquire the properties of life. Strikingly, he demonstrates that Darwinian evolution is the biological expression of a deeper, well-defined chemical concept: the whole story from replicating molecules to complex life is one continuous process governed by an underlying physical principle. The gulf between biology and the physical sciences is finally becoming bridged. This new edition includes an Epilogue describing developments in the concepts of fundamental forms of stability discussed in the book, and their profound implications. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think. |
biology the science of life: More Than Life Itself A. H. Louie, 2013-05-02 A. H. Louie's More Than Life Itself is an exploratory journey in relational biology, a study of life in terms of the organization of entailment relations in living systems. This book represents a synergy of the mathematical theories of categories, lattices, and modelling, and the result is a synthetic biology that provides a characterization of life. Biology extends physics. Life is not a specialization of mechanism, but an expansive generalization of it. Organisms and machines share some common features, but organisms are not machines. Life is defined by a relational closure that places it beyond the reach of physicochemical and mechanistic dogma, outside the reductionistic universe, and into the realm of impredicativity. Function dictates structure. Complexity brings forth living beings. |
biology the science of life: Life William K. Purves, 2001 Authoritative, thorough, and engaging, Life: The Science of Biology achieves an optimal balance of scholarship and teachability, never losing sight of either the science or the student. The first introductory text to present biological concepts through the research that revealed them, Life covers the full range of topics with an integrated experimental focus that flows naturally from the narrative. This approach helps to bring the drama of classic and cutting-edge research to the classroom - but always in the context of reinforcing core ideas and the innovative scientific thinking behind them. Students will experience biology not just as a litany of facts or a highlight reel of experiments, but as a rich, coherent discipline. |
biology the science of life: Life on the Edge Johnjoe McFadden, Jim Al-Khalili, 2015-07-28 New York Times bestseller • Life on the Edge alters our understanding of our world's fundamental dynamics through the use of quantum mechanics. Life is the most extraordinary phenomenon in the known universe; but how did it come to be? Even in an age of cloning and artificial biology, the remarkable truth remains: nobody has ever made anything living entirely out of dead material. Life remains the only way to make life. Are we still missing a vital ingredient in its creation? Using first-hand experience at the cutting edge of science, Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe Macfadden reveal that missing ingredient to be quantum mechanics. Drawing on recent ground-breaking experiments around the world, each chapter in Life on the Edge illustrates one of life's puzzles: How do migrating birds know where to go? How do we really smell the scent of a rose? How do our genes copy themselves with such precision? Life on the Edge accessibly reveals how quantum mechanics can answer these probing questions of the universe. Guiding the reader through the rapidly unfolding discoveries of the last few years, Al-Khalili and McFadden describe the explosive new field of quantum biology and its potentially revolutionary applications, while offering insights into the biggest puzzle of all: what is life? As they brilliantly demonstrate in these groundbreaking pages, life exists on the quantum edge. Winner, Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication |
biology the science of life: A New Science of Life Rupert Sheldrake, 2009 A new edition of the first book, a controversial science classic, from the bestselling author of Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home. |
biology the science of life: The Vital Question Nick Lane, 2015-04-23 Why is life the way it is? Bacteria evolved into complex life just once in four billion years of life on earth-and all complex life shares many strange properties, from sex to ageing and death. If life evolved on other planets, would it be the same or completely different? In The Vital Question, Nick Lane radically reframes evolutionary history, putting forward a cogent solution to conundrums that have troubled scientists for decades. The answer, he argues, lies in energy: how all life on Earth lives off a voltage with the strength of a bolt of lightning. In unravelling these scientific enigmas, making sense of life's quirks, Lane's explanation provides a solution to life's vital questions: why are we as we are, and why are we here at all? This is ground-breaking science in an accessible form, in the tradition of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, and Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel. |
biology the science of life: A New Biology for the 21st Century National Research Council, Division on Earth and Life Studies, Board on Life Sciences, Committee on a New Biology for the 21st Century: Ensuring the United States Leads the Coming Biology Revolution, 2009-11-20 Now more than ever, biology has the potential to contribute practical solutions to many of the major challenges confronting the United States and the world. A New Biology for the 21st Century recommends that a New Biology approach-one that depends on greater integration within biology, and closer collaboration with physical, computational, and earth scientists, mathematicians and engineers-be used to find solutions to four key societal needs: sustainable food production, ecosystem restoration, optimized biofuel production, and improvement in human health. The approach calls for a coordinated effort to leverage resources across the federal, private, and academic sectors to help meet challenges and improve the return on life science research in general. |
biology the science of life: Concepts of Biology Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James Wise, 2023-05-12 Black & white print. Concepts of Biology is designed for the typical introductory biology course for nonmajors, covering standard scope and sequence requirements. The text includes interesting applications and conveys the major themes of biology, with content that is meaningful and easy to understand. The book is designed to demonstrate biology concepts and to promote scientific literacy. |
biology the science of life: Biological Science Jon Scott, Anne Goodenough, Gus Cameron, Dawn Hawkins, Jenny Koenig, Martin Luck, Alison Snape, Despo Papachristodoulou, Kay Yeoman, Mark Goodwin, 2022 A fresh approach to biology centred on a clear narrative, active learning, and confidence with quantitative concepts and scientific enquiry. Spanning the breadth of biological science and designed for flexible learning, it will give you a deeper understanding of the key concepts, and an appreciation of biology as a dynamic experimental science. |
biology the science of life: Crossing the Boundaries of Life Karl S. Matlin, 2022-05-10 The difficulty of reconciling chemical mechanisms with the functions of whole living systems has plagued biologists since the development of cell theory in the nineteenth century. As Karl Matlin argues in Crossing the Boundaries of Life, it is no coincidence that this longstanding knot of scientific inquiry was loosened most meaningfully by the work of a cytologist, the Nobel laureate Günter Blobel. In 1975, using an experimental setup that did not contain any cells at all, Blobel was able to synthesize proteins to theorize how proteins in the cell communicate spatially, an idea he called signal hypothesis. Over the next 20 years, Blobel and other scientists were able to dissect this process into its precise molecular details. For elaborating his signal concept into a process he termed membrane topogenesis-the idea that each protein in the cell is synthesized with an address that directs the protein to its correct destination within the cell-Blobel was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1999. Matlin argues that Blobel's investigative strategy and its subsequent application addressed the fundamental unresolved dilemma that had bedeviled biology from its very beginning, allowing biology to overcome the barrier that had long blocked progress toward mechanistic explanations of life. Crossing the Boundaries of Life thus uses Blobel's research and life story to shed light on the importance of cell biology for twentieth-century science, illustrating how it propelled the development of adjacent disciplines like biochemistry and molecular biology-- |
biology the science of life: What is Life? the Physical Aspect of the Living Cell & Mind and Matter Erwin Schrödinger, 1967 |
biology the science of life: Life: The Science of Biology David Sadava, David Hillis, H Heller, 2016-12-01 The Eleventh Edition of Life: The Science of Biology is engaging, active, and focused on teaching the skills that students need in the majors biology course. New pedagogical features grab students’ attention and give them a clear learning path through the text. Active learning is a priority throughout the text and media, including in the brand new and unique Active Learning Guide, giving instructors the support they need to encourage students to learn by doing. Life continues and improves its focus on experiments and data, ensuring that students learn the skills they need to succeed in their careers. It is this potent combination of expertly crafted pedagogy and engagement that make this new edition the best resource for biology students. The Eleventh Edition of Life: The Science of Biology retains its reputation as the book with the highest quality content, clarity of language, and experimental emphasis, and the new focus and features make it a Life worth investigating. |
biology the science of life: Biological Autonomy Alvaro Moreno, Matteo Mossio, 2015-05-04 Since Darwin, Biology has been framed on the idea of evolution by natural selection, which has profoundly influenced the scientific and philosophical comprehension of biological phenomena and of our place in Nature. This book argues that contemporary biology should progress towards and revolve around an even more fundamental idea, that of autonomy. Biological autonomy describes living organisms as organised systems, which are able to self-produce and self-maintain as integrated entities, to establish their own goals and norms, and to promote the conditions of their existence through their interactions with the environment. Topics covered in this book include organisation and biological emergence, organisms, agency, levels of autonomy, cognition, and a look at the historical dimension of autonomy. The current development of scientific investigations on autonomous organisation calls for a theoretical and philosophical analysis. This can contribute to the elaboration of an original understanding of life - including human life - on Earth, opening new perspectives and enabling fecund interactions with other existing theories and approaches. This book takes up the challenge. |
biology the science of life: Who Wrote the Book of Life? Lily E. Kay, 2000 This is a detailed history of one of the most important and dramatic episodes in modern science, recounted from the novel vantage point of the dawn of the information age and its impact on representations of nature, heredity, and society. Drawing on archives, published sources, and interviews, the author situates work on the genetic code (1953-70) within the history of life science, the rise of communication technosciences (cybernetics, information theory, and computers), the intersection of molecular biology with cryptanalysis and linguistics, and the social history of postwar Europe and the United States. Kay draws out the historical specificity in the process by which the central biological problem of DNA-based protein synthesis came to be metaphorically represented as an information code and a writing technologyand consequently as a book of life. This molecular writing and reading is part of the cultural production of the Nuclear Age, its power amplified by the centuries-old theistic resonance of the book of life metaphor. Yet, as the author points out, these are just metaphors: analogies, not ontologies. Necessary and productive as they have been, they have their epistemological limitations. Deploying analyses of language, cryptology, and information theory, the author persuasively argues that, technically speaking, the genetic code is not a code, DNA is not a language, and the genome is not an information system (objections voiced by experts as early as the 1950s). Thus her historical reconstruction and analyses also serve as a critique of the new genomic biopower. Genomic textuality has become a fact of life, a metaphor literalized, she claims, as human genome projects promise new levels of control over life through the meta-level of information: control of the word (the DNA sequences) and its editing and rewriting. But the author shows how the humbling limits of these scriptural metaphors also pose a challenge to the textual and material mastery of the genomic book of life. |
biology the science of life: Synthetic Sophia Roosth, 2017-03 In the final years of the twentieth century, emigres from mechanical and electrical engineering and computer science resolved that if the aim of biology was to understand life, then making life would yield better theories than experimentation. Sophia Roosth, a cultural anthropologist, takes us into the world of these self-named synthetic biologists who, she shows, advocate not experiment but manufacture, not reduction but construction, not analysis but synthesis. Roosth reveals how synthetic biologists make new living things in order to understand better how life works. What we see through her careful questioning is that the biological features, theories, and limits they fasten upon are determined circularly by their own experimental tactics. This is a story of broad interest, because the active, interested making of the synthetic biologists is endemic to the sciences of our time. |
biology the science of life: Biology Colleen Belk, Virginia Borden Maier, 2009-01-09 The Third Edition of Biology: Science for Life with Physiology continues to draw readers into biology through engaging stories that make difficult topics more accessible and understandable. Colleen Belk and Virginia Borden strive to make teaching and learning biology a better experience from both sides of the desk. The authors draw from their teaching experiences to create a bookwith a flowing narrative and innovative features that require readers to become more active participants in their learning. Each chapter presents the material through a story that draws from real life examples, making the reading more engaging and accessible to today’s readers. These stories strive to demystify topics found in biology. Can Science Cure the Common Cold? Introduction to the Scientific Method, Are We Alone in the Universe? Water, Biochemistry, and Cells, Diet. Cells and Metabolism, Life in the Greenhouse: Photosynthesis Cellular Respiration, and Global Warming,Cancer: DNA Synthesis, Mitosis, and Meiosis, Are You Only as Smart as Your Genes? Mendelian and Quantitative Genetics, DNA Detective: Complex Patterns of Inheritance and DNA Fingerprinting, Gene Expression, Mutation and Cloning: Genetically Modified Organisms, Where Did We Come From? The Evidence for Evolution, An Evolving Enemy: Natural Selection, Who Am I? Species and Races, Prospecting for Biological Gold: Biodiversity and Classification, Is the Human Population Too Large? Population Ecology,Conserving Biodiversity: Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Where Do You Live? Climate and Biomes, Organ Donation: Tissues, Organs, and Organ Systems, Clearing the Air: Respiratory, Cardiovascular, and Excretory Systems, Will Mad Cow Disease Become an Epidemic? Immune System, Bacteria, Viruses, and Other Pathogens, Sex Differences and Athleticism: Endocrine, Skeletal, and Muscular Systems, Is There Something in the Water? Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Attention Deficit Disorder: Brain Structure and Function, Feeding the World: Plant Structure and Growth, Growing a Green Thumb: Plant Physiology.Intended for those interested in learning the basics of biology. |
biology the science of life: The Nature of Life Mark A. Bedau, Carol E. Cleland, 2010-09-30 Bringing together the latest scientific advances and some of the most enduring subtle philosophical puzzles and problems, this book collects original historical and contemporary sources to explore the wide range of issues surrounding the nature of life. Selections ranging from Aristotle and Descartes to Sagan and Dawkins are organised around four broad themes covering classical discussions of life, the origins and extent of natural life, contemporary artificial life creations and the definition and meaning of 'life' in its most general form. Each section is preceded by an extensive introduction connecting the various ideas discussed in individual chapters and providing helpful background material for understanding them. With its interdisciplinary perspective, this fascinating collection is essential reading for scientists and philosophers interested in astrobiology, synthetic biology and the philosophy of life. |
biology the science of life: Biology! Bringing Science to Life John H. Postlethwait, Janet L. Hopson, Ruth C. Veres, 1991 This introductory biology text relates biology to issues students confront in their daily lives - health, environmental and societal - and emphasizes the use of critical thinking skills. |
biology the science of life: Molecular Biology of the Cell , 2002 |
biology the science of life: Biology Is Technology Robert H. Carlson, 2011-04-15 “Essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the current state of biotechnology and the opportunities and dangers it may create.” —American Scientist Technology is a process and a body of knowledge as much as a collection of artifacts. Biology is no different—and we are just beginning to comprehend the challenges inherent in the next stage of biology as a human technology. It is this critical moment, with its wide-ranging implications, that Robert Carlson considers in Biology Is Technology. He offers a uniquely informed perspective on the endeavors that contribute to current progress in this area—the science of biological systems and the technology used to manipulate them. In a number of case studies, Carlson demonstrates that the development of new mathematical, computational, and laboratory tools will facilitate the engineering of biological artifacts—up to and including organisms and ecosystems. Exploring how this will happen, with reference to past technological advances, he explains how objects are constructed virtually, tested using sophisticated mathematical models, and finally constructed in the real world. Such rapid increases in the power, availability, and application of biotechnology raise obvious questions about who gets to use it, and to what end. Carlson’s thoughtful analysis offers rare insight into our choices about how to develop biological technologies and how these choices will determine the pace and effectiveness of innovation as a public good. |
biology the science of life: High-School Biology Today and Tomorrow National Research Council, Division on Earth and Life Studies, Commission on Life Sciences, Committee on High-School Biology Education, 1989-02-01 Biology is where many of science's most exciting and relevant advances are taking place. Yet, many students leave school without having learned basic biology principles, and few are excited enough to continue in the sciences. Why is biology education failing? How can reform be accomplished? This book presents information and expert views from curriculum developers, teachers, and others, offering suggestions about major issues in biology education: what should we teach in biology and how should it be taught? How can we measure results? How should teachers be educated and certified? What obstacles are blocking reform? |
biology the science of life: Scaling in Biology James H. Brown, Geoffrey B. West, 2000 Scaling relationships have been a persistent theme in biology at least since the time of Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo. While there have been many excellent empirical and theoretical investigations, there has been little attempt to synthesize this diverse but interrelated area of biology. In an effort to fill this void, Scaling in Biology, the first general treatment of scaling in biology in over 15 years, covers a broad spectrum of the most relevant topics in a series of chapters written by experts in the field. Some of those topics discussed include allometry and fractal structure, branching of vascular systems of mammals and plants, biomechanical and life history of plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, and species-area patterns of biological diversity. |
biology the science of life: Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health Institute of Medicine, Board on Health Sciences Policy, Committee on Understanding the Biology of Sex and Gender Differences, 2001-07-02 It's obvious why only men develop prostate cancer and why only women get ovarian cancer. But it is not obvious why women are more likely to recover language ability after a stroke than men or why women are more apt to develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Sex differences in health throughout the lifespan have been documented. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health begins to snap the pieces of the puzzle into place so that this knowledge can be used to improve health for both sexes. From behavior and cognition to metabolism and response to chemicals and infectious organisms, this book explores the health impact of sex (being male or female, according to reproductive organs and chromosomes) and gender (one's sense of self as male or female in society). Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health discusses basic biochemical differences in the cells of males and females and health variability between the sexes from conception throughout life. The book identifies key research needs and opportunities and addresses barriers to research. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health will be important to health policy makers, basic, applied, and clinical researchers, educators, providers, and journalists-while being very accessible to interested lay readers. |
biology the science of life: Biology, Religion, and Philosophy Michael Peterson, Dennis Venema, 2021-04-08 A comprehensive and accessible survey of the major issues at the biology-religion interface. |
biology the science of life: Aristotle's Philosophy of Biology James G. Lennox, 2001 In addition to being one of the world's most influential philosophers, Aristotle can also be credited with the creation of both the science of biology and the philosophy of biology. He was the first thinker to treat the investigations of the living world as a distinct inquiry with its own special concepts and principles. This book focuses on a seminal event in the history of biology - Aristotle's delineation of a special branch of theoretical knowledge devoted to the systematic investigation of animals. Aristotle approached the creation of zoology with the tools of subtle and systematic philosophies of nature and of science that were then carefully tailored to the investigation of animals. The papers collected in this 2001 volume, written by a pre-eminent figure in the field of Aristotle's philosophy and biology, examine Aristotle's approach to biological inquiry and explanation, his concepts of matter, form and kind, and his teleology. |
biology the science of life: Buddhist Biology David P. Barash, 2014 Compares teachings of Buddhism with principles of modern biology, revealing many significant points of compatibility. |
biology the science of life: The Life Organic Erik Peterson, 2016-12-23 As scientists debated the nature of life in the nineteenth century, two theories predominated: vitalism, which suggested that living things contained a vital spark, and mechanism, the idea that animals and humans differed from nonliving things only in their degree of complexity. Erik Peterson tells the forgotten story of the pursuit of a Third Way in biology, known by many names, including the organic philosophy, which gave rise to C. H. Waddington's work in the subfield of epigenetics: an alternative to standard genetics and evolutionary biology that captured the attention of notable scientists from Francis Crick to Stephen Jay Gould. The Life Organic chronicles the influential biologists, mathematicians, philosophers, and biochemists from both sides of the Atlantic who formed Joseph Needham's Theoretical Biology Club, defined and refined Third-Way thinking through the 1930s, and laid the groundwork for some of the most cutting-edge achievements in biology today. By tracing the persistence of organicism into the twenty-first century, this book also raises significant questions about how we should model the development of the discipline of biology going forward. |
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Oct 27, 2009 · I have been studying Biology by correspondence through Unilearn for the last couple of months. I have completed my required 10 modules so getting ready to sit the exam. …
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Jul 19, 2011 · I can't quite grasp the "ends" of DNA. When we say "3' end", does it mean that we can only add the nucleotides to the 5's, and not the 3's?
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Dec 3, 2006 · Biology is the study of living things… In this we study about the structure , function , interactions, of living organisms…It is a vast field divided into many branches. December 3, …
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Dec 20, 2007 · Evolution does'nt makes sense to me. According to Darwin, humans have evolved from apes. I want to know why some apes evolved into humans, why not all evolved?
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Jul 23, 2006 · I think depolymerisation is the removal of the monomers, in this case the removal of the monomers of microtubules.
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Feb 15, 2006 · The string theory is a notion of cuantum physics that tries to explain how is it that our space and time can expand and contract influenced by the energy of everything…
How do I cram for the exam??? - Biology Forum
Oct 27, 2009 · I have been studying Biology by correspondence through Unilearn for the last couple of months. I have completed my required 10 modules so getting ready to sit the exam. How do I …
Definition of a solution - Biology Forum
Jan 28, 2007 · In my introductory biology class, we are learning about how water creates aqueous solutions. I am not sure about the definition of a solution, however. Does a solution mean that …
DNA 3' end & 5' end - Biology Forum
Jul 19, 2011 · I can't quite grasp the "ends" of DNA. When we say "3' end", does it mean that we can only add the nucleotides to the 5's, and not the 3's?
WHAT A BIOLOGY? - Biology Forum
Dec 3, 2006 · Biology is the study of living things… In this we study about the structure , function , interactions, of living organisms…It is a vast field divided into many branches. December 3, 2006 …
Evolution - Biology Forum
Dec 20, 2007 · Evolution does'nt makes sense to me. According to Darwin, humans have evolved from apes. I want to know why some apes evolved into humans, why not all evolved?
what is depolymerisation - Biology Forum
Jul 23, 2006 · I think depolymerisation is the removal of the monomers, in this case the removal of the monomers of microtubules.
Topics Archive - Biology Forum
360 Wiki Writers. General Discussion. 2; 2
Imperfect Design - Biology Forum
Aug 28, 2007 · Imperfect Design Darwin’s theory of Evolution explains how living things adapt to changing environments over time so as to survive and procreate the species.
Meniscus? - Biology Forum
Apr 21, 2006 · My biology teacher gave us instructions on how to set up a potometer. According to him the way to measure the rate of transpiration is to measure the distance moved by the …
What is the String Theory? - Biology Forum
Feb 15, 2006 · The string theory is a notion of cuantum physics that tries to explain how is it that our space and time can expand and contract influenced by the energy of everything…