Book Description

This laboratory manual is designed for an introductory biology course with a broad survey of basic laboratory techniques. The experiments and procedures are simple, safe, easy to perform, and especially appropriate for large classes. Few experiments require a second class-meeting to complete the procedure. Each exercise includes many photographs, traditional topics, and experiments that help students learn about life. Procedures within each exercise are numerous and discrete so that an exercise can be tailored to the needs of the students, the style of the instructor, and the facilities available. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This book is like, the best!
I would like everyone to know that this book is super great. I was like so confused at first, but now everything is crystal clear. I learned that fertilization in a plant occurs in it's uterus and after gastrulation occurs the spores shoot out of the carpel and undergo a meiotic phase called the acrosomal stage. So like, if you're stumped about which bio book to get, you should totally get this one!

A superb laboratory manual.
The Biology Laboratory Manual by Guttman, Vodopich, Johnson, Raven, and Moore provides an easy to follow approach to introductory biology. It features many activities that can be completed on average between 2 and 3 hours. There are many photos and diagrams that are in full color, many pre-laboratory type questions, and a good amount of questions that are best answered during lab or after lab. This book is ideal for an advanced high school biology course or a freshman or sophomore college biology class. Unlike a fair amount of the laboratory texts out there, this one accompanies most biology books very well. Thus, the laboratory portion of class tends to blend very well with the lecture portion. ... Read more

Book Description

Untangle the Mystery of Human Hair! Listen to a Heart Throb! Sniff Out Why Stinky Feet Stink!

SCIENCE THAT REALLY GETS UNDER YOUR SKIN!

Explore the amazing human body, from the hair on your head to your stinky feet

• Smell like a salmon
• Build a balloon intestine
• Mix up a batch of fake blood
• Crack your genetic code

How much air do your lungs hold? How are your bones like a roll of toilet paper? Where does all your old dead skin go? How can you figure out how tall a person is from the size of his or her feet? Youll find out the answers in Head to Toe Science. More than 40 fun, easy-to-do activities using ordinary products found around your house let you discover the wonders of your body from top to bottom, inside and out–your brain, your bones, your digestive, circulatory, and nervous systems, and much more! ... Read more

Book Description

Don't move a muscle--read all about them! Did you know that...

• Without muscles you couldn't blink--or even breathe!

• Nearly 700 muscles control your life.

• Big or small, a muscle is made up of just one cell.

• Exercise doesn't give you more muscles, but it strengthens the ones you have.

Discover how muscles make us move--and see what it really looks like under your skin.

Book Description

An inviting, accessible introduction to the common classroom activity of growing a bean plant.New in paperback. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One Bean is Great!
"One Bean" is a terrific book that teaches children about plant cycles. The illustrations are charming and show exactly what happens to the bean throughout the growing process. The back of the book also gives follow-up activity suggestions. Someone gave this book to me with a packet of bean seeds attached, which is also a great way to present the book to a child or teacher. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Finally, a book for every student
I know I have a biased opinion of this book since I worked on the lab manual that accompanies this book. That said, I can't pass up the opportunity to recommend this book to my fellow biology teachers. This book is going to change the way kids learn biology. The intergrated nature of the web activities and the clean, uncluttered, focused writing of the textbook will make biology understandable to students who get lost in a sea of vocabulary. Campbell's vision for this program was to collaborate with a team of classroom teachers to create a textbook, website and lab program that are designed to work together in a dynamic, pracical way for real kids - well it worked. Check it out! ... Read more

Book Description

Read and find out all about eggs -- and how baby chicks grow inside of them. Learn how chicks develop,how they get the food they need to grow, and how a mother hen helps keep them safe in this simple introduction to the life cycle of a baby chick.

Reviews (1)

Where Do Chicks Come From?
My kids loved this book. Even I learned a few things. ... Read more

Book Description

Created to spark readers' sense of wonder about life in its many forms, Biology: Concepts and Connections invites readers into the world of biology. While encouraging readers to explore interactive media activities, the book facilitates mastery of concepts and core biological material through unique modules that combine exceptional art, text that "walks" readers through the illustrations, and compelling real-world connections. These modules help readers break down the reading into manageable sections.Special modules cover interesting topics like health, economics, and the environment to show readers how biology is relevant to them.For anyone interested in introductory biology. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

It's alive!
I love this Biology book. I first studied biology nearly twenty-five years ago with a huge and lovely biology book written by an author whose name unfortunately escapes me. I loved that book, and have always judged future biology texts against that one; this one measures up well against my memory of that text.

The fourth edition of 'Biology: Concepts & Connections' is an excellent, thorough introduction to the science of biology. It is used at the community college where I tutor (biology and other sciences) for general education and nursing students. The book is divided into seven major sections: The Life of a Cell; Cellular Reproduction and Genetics; Concepts of Evolution; Biological Diversity; Animals; Plants; and finally, general Ecology.

After an interesting introduction, which talks about discovery-based science in addition to theoretical/hypothesis science with interesting examples (the Australian Flying Fox, flies that mimic spiders), the first unit on the Life of the Cell looks at basic structure and chemistry of cells. Even though this text deals with chemistry, a chemistry background is not required. Care is taken from the outset to relate the biology tasks to 'everyday life', things that people know and care about - there is a look at athletic performance with slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscles, light in the lives of plants, and even look at the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

The unit on Cellular Reproduction and Genetics introduces a hot topic in general conversation today, including discussions of medicine and law in addition to the basic theory, with some of the latest information included. The units on Concepts of Evolution and Biological Diversity include new features such as discussion on mitochondrial DNA comparison and the use of molecular clocks to date divergence in evolutionary paths. Topics such as increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics are discussed, and the interesting evolutionary situation of Australia, separated from the major landmasses of the rest of the world, shows an interesting side-show on biological diversity.

The unit on Animals will be the most interesting for many, and the diversity here includes discussions from geckos to bears to human traits shared with and different from other animals. Particularly for our nursing students, the sections on respiration (anaerobic and aerobic), broken bones, immune systems, blood-cell diseases and the like really drive home the need for a basic understanding of biology.

The units on Plants and Ecology draw in the larger mass of living things sharing our planet, work to show how the environment operates from the standpoint of individual plants to entire ecosystems. Interesting current topics such as organic farming, population ecology, endangered species and global warming drive home the importance of biology.

The book is very colourful, both in text copy and in pictures. Headers reinforce the broader topics while modules give key concepts within each broad topic. Diagrams are arranged with numbered steps to help understanding, and there are frequent references to website and CD-ROM additions. Key questions are asked at each conceptual point. The 'behind the scenes' information helps reinforce the concepts both with the hot topics involved in biological issues today, as well as the personalities driving the science in key areas. Each chapter has a summary of key points, concept questions and multiple-choice questions for test preparation. There are well over 100 'Connection' Modules and 'Talking about Science' Modules. Each of the 38 chapters has an interesting, inviting essay as introduction. There are probably 200 CD-ROM and website activities to engage the students, everything from the cloning of genes in bacteria to steroid hormone action to the Honeybee waggle dance.

This is a very good book, with lots of information - it is also a flexible book, and certain portions can be omitted in a syllabus without diminishing the overall text. I find myself constantly glancing through the chapters and reading the interesting essays and connection modules between my tutoring appointments. That's the mark of a good textbook.

Just a comment about others
I would just like to mention that none of the reviews here are talking about the 4th edition, which came out in 2002. While a new edition isn't a completely different book, according to the publisher, there are some significant changes that have been made to the book.
I used the 2nd eidition in my Freshman year of High School and I really like how the book was made, laid out, and how the information was presented.

Good Comprehensive Book
I used this book during my freshman year in college. It was an excellent book with top-notch descriptions, well-placed layouts, and easy to understand content. The topics range from biochemistry to genetics to histology and all sorts of tangents into zoology, anatomy, and pharmacology. I have kept this book for 4 years and now that I will be starting medical school, I am taking the book with me. Many others in classes ahead of me have said that this book helps to clarify some of the complex topics that are presented in 1st year medical school. I firmly believe that and recommend this book to anyone with an interested in biology, medicine, and related fields.

Too much for introductory, NON-MAJOR students
It is overall a fairly good book, but contains much to much detail for the typical non-major collegfe student. I am a teacher for the Intro Biology class ar a well known university, and I was admittedly called in at the last minute to teach this course, so I couldn't choose the text. This one I would not have chosen, as it has too much info for students who have never taken a biology class in their lives before. I find I have to "dumb down" a lot of the material, which is unfortunate, because it really is a well written and well thought out textbook.

A Great Biology Textbook at the Molecular Level
As a high school student, I used this book in my molecular biology class. Its explanations are brief and clear as well as they are comprehensive. In addition, it contains lots of pictures for its concepts and connections. It's a great book. ... Read more

Book Description

The heart is an incredible pump. Weighing only about as much as one of your sneakers, a heart beats over two billion times in an average lifetime, pushing a river of blood that carries nutrients and axygen through sixty thousand miles of capillaries to every cell in the body. In stunning photos that will amaze you with their beauty, you can watch while blood cells defeat invading bacteria and see how tiny platelets form blood clots. This journey is as wonderful as any voyage to the stars. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Heart : Our Circulatory System.
Like "The Brain", this is a great book with a step by step tour into the heart, its location, the chambers, circulation, and different kinds of blood cells. The pictures are amazing and makes one want to read. An excellent scientific health/well being book with excellent color illustrations. I would recommend this book to teachers and students from the 3rd grade through the 10th grades.

An excellent book.
My son (7 years old) and I were both entranced by this book. Simon describes our circulatory system in detail, with concrete comparisons that children can easily relate to. He is systematic and complete, yet fascinating. The book also has beautiful, full-page, color illustrations, most of which are electron microscope photographs. A great book ... Read more

Book Description

Is a ladybug really a bug?
Is a honeybee an insect?
How about a spider?
How do you know?

Find out how you can tell if a beautiful butterfly or a crawling centipede is actually an insect or something else. Discover a hidden world of tiny creatures building their homes, stalking their prey, and hiding from their enemies right in your own backyard.

Reviews (3)

fond memories
This was one of my childhood favorites, along with _The Science Book_ by the same author. This is the only nonfiction book that I remember with fondness from elementary school. I read it front to back, although I never tried any of the suggested activities/experiments.

Touches on many aspects of evolution, in a timeline fashion
This book has 375 pages before the index. It is not an easy read. It covers a lot. The scope is, very very wide, entirely too wide for my current needs (preparing curriculum for a 1st grader), so I haven't spent a lot of time going through it in detail yet. My initial reaction is that this isn't for the average 10 year old. I first seriously studied the evolution of man at 9, but it was a more focused study, and I think this would have just annoyed me, giving me information I didn't want yet, and not providing me with enough details about what I did want, perhaps killing my interest in the subject. I won't list off all the chapter information because it would take too long, but as an example I will list the information for the one section. 1000 Million Years Ago: Sexual Seaweeds, Jelly Animals, An Explosion of Shells, Seavegetables, How to a Make Plankton Net, Algae Collection, Pretty and Pretty Useful, Small Worlds, Sponging, Moon Babies, Seashore Guide, The Aliens, A Taste of Worms, Worm Hunt, The Oldest Sea Monster, Shell Shapes, Beachcombing, Shell Hunt, and Mollusk Stew. It certainly has its uses, but I wouldn't expect to just buy it for an average elementary school aged child to devour all on their own.

Evolution Presented In A Kid-Freindly Way.
Having chipped away at ''The Beak Of The Finch'' and other long and to most people, tiresome science novels, I appluad the way the facts are presented so that it will not make children conveintly store it on a bookshelf until it accumalates a fine layer of dust. Instead, it makes evolution avaible to the layman- or at least someone without a Phd and a long attention span. Clear and amusing. I reccomend. ... Read more

Book Description

Are you a passionate amateur naturalist?

Would you like to record videos of the microscopic world?

Detect an insect’s heartbeat?Separate molecules with electricity?

Extract and purify DNA . . . in your kitchen?

Now you can do all these things and more with this wonderful compendium of unique and exciting projects. Gathered here, in the most comprehensive, wide-ranging collection of projects available for the amateur biologist, are some of the finest experiments from Scientific American’s popular "Amateur Scientist" column.Whether you’d like to find out how to measure the metabolism of an insect, learn museum secrets for preserving plants, or discover how to teach a sow bug to navigate a maze, you’ll find the project to suit your needs.

Filled with experiments from a wide range of specialties, including botany, genetics, behavioral studies, cellular biology, microscopy, microbiology, and entomology, this fascinating book also contains helpful hints and clear instructions on how to build experimental apparatus using simple household materials and affordable alternatives to more expensive scientific equipment.Whether you’re a student, teacher, or dedicated amateur scientist, you’ll find projects here to excite your interest as well as deepen your understanding of–and appreciation for–the natural world. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Too much engineering!
This selection of experiments demands a lot of "building." Admittedly you do build cool things-a machine for measuring insect heart beats, a home electrophoresis set-up, a high altitude chamber, a device for measuring metabolism in small animals, a video microscope system, etc. You spend a lot of time doing device construction. If you like bulding machines, they you will enjoy this book.

Very few of the experiments involve little or no construction--a couple of exceptions being a neat way to extract dna from stuff and a growth inhibitor-plant experimnet. Plus fun slime mold stuff.

I say, where are the fun things to do with bacteria? Or things you can do to your friends or pets without hurting them? There isn't nearly enough variety here.

Great experiments and great machines, but this selection may prove a bit daunting to the beginner or the younger child. Could be useful for some science fair experiments, though. ... Read more

Book Description

Did you know that when a spider's web is damaged, a spider will often eat the remaining silk before making a new one? Young children will make many amazing discoveries in this intriguing tale of a day in the life of a spider. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Another "fun science" book for the early reader!
These "Are you a...?" books all present sound backyard science in plain kid-speak, inviting early readers to enter the spider's world in a humourous and engaging way.
My daughter, who's 6, and a beginning reader, loves the way these books don't talk down to her. They're easy, but not babyish -- just the right combination for building a love of reading that will last a lifetime!

Introducing spiders
"Are You a Spider?", by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries, is a good book for children. The collaborators use a simple text and appealing, colorful illustrations to describe the lives of spiders.

The text opens, "Are you a spider? If you are, your mother looks like this and spins webs." The reader is thus invited to put herself/himself into the spider's place. The book illustrates the process of building a web, and shows other essential aspects of a spider's life. Overall, a very informative and enjoyable book. ... Read more

Book Description

Award winning author Seymour Simon continues his fantastic journey through the human body with this stunning new addition. In Bones, youngsters will discover the amazing facts about the two hundred and six bones that make up their skeletons, ranging from the smallest, most intricate bones in their feet and hands to the largest, strongest bones in their legs. Blending spectacular full-color photographs and clear, concise text, BONES offers an intriguing look at human body. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A teacher says...
As usual, Seymour Simon does some great work on showing children (and some teachers) the ins and outs of the human body. The easy to understand language and great photos make this a science teacher's must have! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Guide to Microlife
I went looking for a good reference book for teaching my high school students about the "lower" Kingdoms (Monera, and Protista). This is an exceptional book for just that purpose. The organization is good, there are lots of excellent photos and diagrams to assist students with identifications. The simplicity of the book in terms of "just enough information" is what makes it such a valuable reference. I would highly recommend it for any science classroom.

Approx 200 good colour photos of major species
An excellent book for the amateur scientist or middle/high school students. Good colour photos make identification fairly easy and stimulate further exploration. One major omission is a description of the habits of the various species. `What does it feed on ?` Enquiring students want to know, and it would be helpful to have all the basic information in a single book.

An excellent photographic guide to use with students.
I teach biology but my background is not micro. I loved this book because it allowed me to help students identify 90% of the specimens found in pond water. It has a "where to look for" and "what to look for" section for each organism and also interesting facts. Another useful section is the appendix describing collection techniques. I recommend it for teachers of secondary students.

A good start...
Those of us who love looking at critters under a microscope definitely needed a book like this, a field guide to freshwater microfauna. This book provides stunningly beautiful photographs, useful hints on how and where to find the organisms and how to prepare them for observation, and so-so pen-and-ink sketches of the organisms. My main complaint is that the book doesn't go far enough and doesn't tell us enough. This is mainly noticeable in the tables where "Other Information" is provided along with each organism pictured. The information given is usually only the size of the organism, which is moderately useful (my microscope has no measuring device attached and I imagine most amateurs have the same problem), and occasionally another comment. Much more information should go here. For example, under Dero, the common freshwater Oligochaete, there is no mention of its ciliated anal gills, one of its most distinctive characteristics. A few comments about how to distinguish organism A from similar organisms B, C, and D would be very useful. In the planarian section, the drawings and information provided are too sketchy to be helpful. I have found about five freshwater turbellarians in the water here on Guam that I would love to identify, and I found I couldn't use this chart at all. So, this book is a good start, a good beginning, and in the next edition I would like to see a lot more organisms and a lot more information about the organisms!

It is a thorough book.
I liked this book because it contains information about many microorganisms. If you want to know exactly what you are looking at under the microscope, this book is for you. It is easy to find certain species by using the front pages of the book and the side because the four sections are color-coded. ... Read more

Book Description

When Gregor Mendel passed away in 1884, not a single scholar recognized his epochal contributions to biology. The unassuming abbot of the Augustinian monastery in Brno (in today's Czech Republic) was rediscovered at the turn of the century when scientists were stunned to learn that their findings about inheritance had already been made by an unknown monk three decades earlier. A dedicated researcher who spent every spare hour in the study of the natural sciences, Mendel devised a series of brilliantly simple experiments using a plant easily grown on the monastery's grounds--the garden pea. In the course of just a few years he made the famous discoveries that later became the centerpiece of the science of heredity. In an entertaining and thoroughly informed narrative, Edward Edelson traces Mendel's life from his humble origins to his posthumous fame, giving us both a brief introduction to the fascinating science of genetics and an inspired account of what a modest man can accomplish with dedication and ingenuity.

Oxford Portraits in Science is an ongoing series of scientific biographies for young adults. Written by top scholars and writers, each biography examines the personality of its subject as well as the thought process leading to his or her discoveries. These illustrated biographies combine accessible technical information with compelling personal stories to portray the scientists whose work has shaped our understanding of the natural world. ... Read more

Book Description

Open your eyes to a world of discovery.

Offering a new level of information through powerful visuals, the Eye Wonder reference series was specially developed for children ready for their first books about the natural world. Full-color photography is matched with clearly written text to build a foundation for advanced exploration and help show children a stunning new view of the world. ... Read more