Book Description

Molecular Biology of the Cell is the classic in-depth text reference in cell biology. By extracting the fundamental concepts from this enormous and ever-growing field, the authors tell the story of cell biology, and create a coherent framework through which non-expert readers may approach the subject. Written in clear and concise language, and beautifully illustrated, the book is enjoyable to read, and it provides a clear sense of the excitement of modern biology. Molecular Biology of the Cell sets forth the current understanding of cell biology (completely updated as of Autumn 2001), and it explores the intriguing implications and possibilities of the great deal that remains unknown.
The hallmark features of previous editions continue in the Fourth Edition. The book is designed with a clean and open, single-column layout. The art program maintains a completely consistent format and style, and includes over 1,600 photographs, electron micrographs, and original drawings by the authors. Clear and concise concept headings introduce each section. Every chapter contains extensive references. Most important, every chapter has been subjected to a rigorous, collaborative revision process where, in addition to incorporating comments from expert reviewers, each co-author reads and reviews the other authors' prose. The result is a truly integrated work with a single authorial voice. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

The best Cell Biology text, but...
This book is the main undergraduate cell biology text required, and rightly so. However, although it browses all of the sub-fields within the gigantic field of cell biology, it overemphasizes some fields and neglects others. The shortcomings of this text are a classic example of how experts in one field assume that related material will be covered in a related text, and when that invariably doesn't happen, everyone points fingers at each other and nothing changes.

The main shortcoming I am talking about is the field of Signal Transduction. This text very briefly gives a few pathways, and assumes that other texts dealing with Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Physiology/Pharmacology will take up the slack. Nothing could be further from the truth! Most undergraduate Biochemistry texts do give several dozen pathways, but these almost never continue on to gene transcription, a critical part of signal transduction. Molecular Biology texts like Genes VI only give examples of a membrane-to-DNA pathway, and the Immunology texts only give immune-related pathways. Signal transduction is by far the most important aspect of modern cell biology, and yet it is the most neglected sub-field in the texts! This needs to be corrected.

Molecular Biology of the Cell
Molecular Biology of the Cell is one of the best surveys available on the status of current information about cellular biology. The authors skillfully accomplish the difficult task of combining detail with readability while conveying the excitement of this dynamic field. Clear, concise, and colorful illustrations assist in this task and the book is a fine collection of splendidly dramatic photos of "molecular biology of the cell" in action. They covered an enormous amount of material with a style that is simple enough for a college-level biology student to follow with enough detail and references to be of use to an experienced research scientist. Bravo for a job well-done!

Wow!
Taking an online course in Molecular Cell Biology. This is the text.

This is an incredible book. Well organized, very up to date. It is not a trivial book by any means. I recomend that during the first pass on reading an assignment - that you do NOT have a pen at your side, just read it. It is an incredible read. The hard part is the shear amount of information in 1300 pages.

It will take me a while to plow through this text and the course, but I think it will be worth it in the end. The book is full of surprizes, at appropriate times information on evolution or medicines are thrown in. This is not a book for the timid.

Good for beginners
A very good textbook for learning the basics of mol bio. Most of the explantions are well written and easy to understand. From here you can jump into review articles if you want to go into greater detail.

"Fat Albert" still tops
"Fat Albert," as we used to affectionately call this book in undergrad, was yet another of those books teachers told us would be "a good shelf reference book." It was the main textbook for three of my classes so I reluctantly bought it. Now, five years later, and in my second year of dental school I still find myself relying on this book to clarify topics covered in classes ranging from Pharmacology to Physiology, and from Biochemistry to Immunology. In addition, Fat Albert is my go-to book for my research in a microbiology lab.
It was, and still is the most engaging and useful of any textbook I have ever bought. ... Read more

Book Description

The Biology of Belief is a groundbreaking work in the field of New Biology. Author Dr. Bruce Lipton is a former medical school professor and research scientist. His experiments, and those of other leading-edge scientists, have examined in great detail the processes by which cells receive information. The implications of this research radically change our understanding of life. It shows that genes and DNA do not control our biology; that instead DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, including the energetic messages emanating from our positive and negative thoughts. Dr.Lipton92s profoundly hopeful synthesis of the latest and best research in cell biology and quantum physics is being hailed as a major breakthrough showing that our bodies can be changed as we retrain our thinking. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Disappointingly lacking in any real details to be much help
(...)
As someone who has read this book and just having heard the author on the radio, I can tell you that the book is more ambiguous than the above quoted description.No where in the entire book does the author describe *how* cellular functionings are related to our spiritual natures, nor does the author detail any helpful or systematic way in which to achieve the kinds of potential he keeps repeating that we are able to attain.

Instead the author has written a book that redunantly keeps stating the premise that our biology is not controlled by genes but but how external events and stimuli get interpreted by our "subconscious programming," which develops from how we've been reared during our first formative years.For a man that is arguing against determinism of the genes, he sure does seem to be advancing a cultural determinism.

The author says until we rewrite or overrun these subconscious programs, we cannot free ourselves to attain the life we want.But no where in the entire book does he tell us *how* to do just that.Lipton bashes the scientific community for supposedly advancing the notion of being "victims" of a "dogma of DNA" mentality, but he offer no less a victimhood in saying we are effectively held hostages to this ysterious "subconscious programming" underpinning of human nature--when the author provides no means to break free from that supposed subconscious bondage.

Why did he write the book then if he is not offering a "cure," as it were?

Moreover, one has to question the validity of the original premise that Lipton is presenting.Does the human mind really work this way?The "evidence," although titilating seems too controversial and suspect and is far from being unquestionably accepted.In particular the bringing in of supposed quantum-mechanical concepts seems rather new-age in tone and given other author's use of them, like Deepak Chopra, a bit contrived and trite.Aside from the good-feel message, where's eithe the unequivocal evidence of these statements--and more important the supposed methods of healing ourselves of these underlying mechanism that the author claims is possible?

(...) The book did not deliver in what it advertised.

Captivating ideas and speaker
I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Lipton on the radio and am now just ordering the book. A friend told me about seeing him lecture, and now I'm glad that his research and ideas are provoking people to think. Obviously, after looking at a few of these reviews, it is interesting that none of them really write about the book and I would like to know if his book is as fascinating as his talk.Some of these comments do prove that he has raised the hackles of defensive scientists and it looks like others are using this review section as a Blog.

From his radio presentations and lectures, I think he has touched on something big from his work - the power of the mind - fear, hope, love, anger, chemistry, and spirituality - are all connected to our basic functioning cellular components. The trick is to learn how to be present and work with your thoughts. From his talkshow, he was clear that he isn't providing a manual on how to do this - it is up to each and every one of us to master it - rather he is giving us the insight about how our bodies work, and that our cells that keep us all alive ought to be kept in a nurturing environment, and he gives us reasons why that is important - and however we want to nurture our personal environment is up to us. Why would anyone want to argue or disagree with that thought? Thank you Lipton for helping to make this world and life that I live a good place.

It's all in the bible already child!
I been going now for some fifty-two years to the St, James Revivalist Church between William Potter and St. Mark Street.I love my Lord and do believe in the power of belief, but let me tell you a little about one Ms. Ethel-Ruth Solloways, the woman who stole my man George some forty-eight years ago come this July the eighth.Georgie was a good Christian man, but he was a mighty weak man. God rest his poor sinful soul.Ms. Solloways knew this, the floozy, and she come around all sultry and tarted up, wearing her big hat with the flowers and all her perfume, bringing her special apple-marmalade combination pie.Why Georgie went the way of the devil soon after that, the wicked good-for-nothing man, God rest his soul.Georgie now home with the Lord, I think.But now Ms. Solloways, who did never comes to the church much after her stealing of my man, is coming just about every Sundays now plus the church functions no less.Oh, she be floozying around yet again, with her same perfume no less and up to her scheming home-made cooking ways again.I do think she has her eye on poor Mr. Philips, whose dear wife Mary I did know well and whose now passed over to be with the Lord.Would you believe child that she even went so far to bake Mr. Philips the very same devil lure food she used to trap my Georgie?That's right: her apple-marmalade combination pie!Now she been lately pushing this book on usparishioners, telling us all that the book proves all she's been saying for years.She even tells us while feigning a at all convincing modesty: "Look at me 98 and don't I look younger.It's the power of belief!"Well, let me tell you child, she don't look a day younger than 90 at best.And I know for a fact that her choppers are fake.Seen them I did fall straight out of her mouth once at month's picnic when she was stepping off the bus.Oh, she quickly put them back in her mouth and acted all pretty, like nothing happened.But I saw it I did!Plus, I have it on very good authority that she been wearing a weave for quite some time now.So you ain't fooling anyone Ms. Solloways, you husband robbing, false-tooth, weave-wearing floozy phony!I am on to you girl.Sure, I would look 90 too with fake teeth and a weave and if I don me a pretty floozy hat with flowers and put on that sinful perfume, I could do all that too.Oh, I fear she be having a very bad influence on the current young reverend child.He seems mighty smitten with her many philosophical ruminations and the like.I read this Biology of Belief book I did.I too was saying these very same things, way before Ms. Solloways or Lipton was saying it too, I will tell you that.Why just read your bible child!Its all in there already.Belief is the foundation of faith child, and mighty things happen when belief comes to play.Why the Lord Himself says that if ye have but a mustard seed size of faith ye shall move mountains.Mountains now!Now that there is the power of belief.I don't know so much about all that biology stuff though.But the belief part, well I can tell you is real, for I've seen some mighty things that the power of belief can do.May the Lord bless you child.But beware of Ms. Salloways and her aplle-marmalade combo pie ways!

There is power in the Biology of Belief!
This is an amazing book that is sure to become a classic, ushering a paradigmatic change in long overdue thinking, which is holistic and spiritual-based.

Holding back little in terms of passion, Dr. Lipton reveals that the real illness of society is modern medicine and science.

Instead of such silly notions as genes having influence on illness, Dr. Lipton reveals that beliefs are more important.

Such breakthrough thinking will surely be resisted by the status quo, who want to maintained their dominance.

Instead of being hostages to their tyrannical, dogmatic hold, we have the new hope from the salvation of belief!

Surely in the years to come, the public will hail Dr, Lipton as a pioneer and history will have his name alongside Einstein's name.

At last, we as a species can now embrace the full potential we are destined to attain.

Jostling us into a new awakened state of mind, Dr. Lipton is our modern Buddha and physician of good health.

Only in the years to come will we really see the full fruits of this glorious new dawn of human understanding.

Knowledgeable and witty, Dr. Lipton leads us into this new age of humanity.

Ethel-Ruth Solloways, who I've met is 98 years old and looks only 80.The power of belief is incredible-literally.

Mind and Body Meet as One!
I don't understand why so many are bashing this book.Why is it so hard to believe that wishes or belief can affect external reality?Why?Alright, so many its counter-intuitive for the intuitive-challenged.But you can do it if you just put your mind to it!

Dr. Lipton makes us see that extra hidden layer of reality that we all know is really really there beneath all that boring scientific-speak sort of geek-talk that the scientist wants us to believe just to sell us a pill.Let's face it, what has science done other than make our lives so horribly backwards?There's all this talk about physics people and the like.I mean didn't physicists make the atomic bomb?And isn't it doctors that like cut people open every year.Hmm, humanitarians or sociopaths?I mean they lock you for cutting people, but you get a little two-letter abbreviation at the end of you name like M.D., and suddenly you can charge people to cut them!Now that's my definition of insane.

Thankfully, Dr. Lipton has come to the rescue.We are not victims of this silly notion of genes.Let's face it people, have you seen a gene?These scientist people though want us to believe this crazy stuff.Why?Because it keeps them in business and makes them money.

Dr. Lipton shows us how we can slow if not stop the aging process, not fall into the internalized expectation of becoming ill or sick.He argues that our biology responds to environmental cues, in which our subconscious programs of expectation and beliefs then interpret these environmental stimuli and react accordingly.

For instance, many have been lead to believe that aging and accompanying disease is inevitable.This is not so!We can probably live, as Dr. Lipton argues, to live much longer, if only we begin to bring about that reality by believing it and not succumbing to the negative beliefs that genes will fail and age will lead to death.

I am a believer!And I plan to put that belief to work right away.I now understand that the reason why I gained weight when I ate that super-sized double decker beefy hamburger with extra bacon and cheese wasn't because it was fattening and how my internal biochemistry reacted to that hamburger, but rather I gained weight because of my subconscious psychological program or believing that fat makes me fat.

The reason why so many overweight people eating badly and never exercising die young and have high blood-pressure is because overweight people eating poorly who never exercise believe this is bad for them and have bought into the medical community's ideology of the dogma of genes and that such lifestyles are detrimental to health.

The pharmaceutical companies are in on this too with the medical people, who write the prescriptions of the drugs that the legalized drug pushers are trying to get us to buy to keep them in business.Big science people like the National Institutes of Health are really a scam organization.It's really just the opposite, just like in George Orwell's 1984, where organizations have names opposite of what they really do.It should really be called the National Institute of Illness.And it's not just the pharmaceutical companies and government organizations; its also these universities too that do research and constantly need and supply the new armies of scientists to keep perpetuating this viscous cycle!

Thankfully Dr. Lipton is showing us we don't need these guys-if like we ever did!No, we can believe and don't have to do all this deep thinking stuff like science.We are now entering the new age of the science of connection with real reality and nature, in which mind and body become one!
... Read more

Book Description

Essential Cell Biology, Second Edition contains basic, core knowledge about how cells work. It has a proven track record in providing students with a conceptual and accessible grounding in cell biology. The text and figures have been prepared to be easy-to-follow, accurate, clear and engaging for the introductory student. Each section follows logically from the previous one, telling a story, rather than being a collection of facts. Questions integrated throughout each chapter encourage the reader to pause, think about what they have read, and attempt to apply the new knowledge in ways that test their understanding. Based on user feedback, the Second Edition now offers increased coverage of genetics and more experimental background. It is completely up-to-date. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A MUST HAVE FOR ANY EDUCATED PERSON
A gem of a book. It puts at the hands of lay people the wonders of molecular biology. The best way of spending $65 I can think of.

The text is a most refined product distilled by an all-star team of leading scientists. Oriented towards the lay person or the would be specialist, it is simple, unpretentious, sometimes even funny, but always powerfully explanatory. The diagrams are exceptionally clear (a must for explaining such complex subjects) and the photographs are astounding. Love for their subject and passion for teaching are present all along. And mysticism is always around the corner...

If you have ever wondered things like "What are exactly chromosomes?", "How do exactly enzymes work in the cell?", or "How the hell does all this machinery work at a purely chemical level ?" and you are not quite satisfied with popular science books, this one is for you. It will answer these questions and much, much more.

An enjoyable, deeply satisfying tour the force through the molecular level of all living organisms.

Don't miss it!

A lively and clear introduction to cell biology
I read this book during the summer prior to me senior year in high school, and literally could not put it down. I read the whole work cover-to-cover in a week.

Going in, my background in biology was an introductory cell biology course and my background in chemistry was an introductory chemistry class. That I had little formal training in the sciences was irrelevant when reading this; it explains all the concepts so clearly that I think even a person with no background in science at all could understand it. The diagrams and photos are well-done and highly pertinent.

This is not to say that this book is only for non-scientists. Indeed, I even used knowledge gleaned from this fantastic book to teach my teachers a thing or two. Perhaps the section on muscle contraction is the best written of all - no other book I have ever seen comes close to this in clarity, and this section was one that I recommended to my Anatomy and Physiology teacher for clarification about a few concepts.

I am soon to be a sophomore in college, and this book continues to inspire me on my path to be a professor (I study chemistry with an emphasis on chemical biology). This book was invaluable even in a rigorous microbiology course, not to mention other introductory courses.

In summary, I rarely leave home for extended periods without this text (literally). If there is ONE BOOK that you should buy for studying cellular and molecular biology, let it be this one (or, if you are so inclined, its larger brother, Molecular Biology of the Cell).

A great help for a 1st year Med Student
"Essential Cell Biology" by Bruce Alberts literally saved my 1st semester. The course went hard and the lectures were long and boring. And then - I opened the Essential, started reading, and suddenly things got clear for me. I got an A on the test, and now I know my Cell Biology well - all thanks to this book. Strongly recommended!!!

A textbook that inspires you to think
This book contains essential stuff enough for medical students, although not enough for biochemistry or biology students. But this book is still useful because whenever you read the book, you will be inspired to that particular field. It is written not as tedious and complex as those "big" textbooks. Easy to read. Interesting. I highly recommend this textbook.

But if you are looking for every detail in molecular biology, this book is not satisfactory.

A fairly useful introduction to cell biology
This is a beautifully presented book. My students like it enormously, because of the conversational style, the illustrations, and the overall readibility -and this is perhaps the highest aim a textbook can aspire to achieve.

However, I find that the authors have gone too far in their attempt to abridge and simplify their previous opus -Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBOC): some topics are insufficiently or superficially discussed. Also, the style is slightly verbose at times. Finally, I think that the book could benefit from some reorganization.

The following examples illustrate my point.

*Osmosis is given a very brief mention.(p 382).
*The repulsion for anything mathematic continues the tradition started by MBOC. The Nernst equation, is given just a little box in page 393. The Donnan effect doesn't even have a walk-on part.
*The discussion of action potential contains the usual story of the voltage gated K+ channels, when these channels are not found in myelinated mammalian neurons.
*Myelin itself is not even mentioned.
*The discussion on G protein-linked receptors -a key topic- is very superficial.
*Membrane potential is introduced in a rather convoluted fashion. Furthermore, the concept is used several times before it is finally explained.
*Certain sections may leave the reader confused. For example p53 is described as a gene regulatory protein which arrests the cycle when DNA damage occurs (p 580). But when tumor suppressor genes are discussed, only retinoblastoma is given as an example, which would tend to convey the mistaken idea that p53 is not a tumor suppressor gene. ... Read more

Book Description

iGenetics is the first integrated text written from the ground up and designed to provide a balanced introduction to genetics. Building on the proven strength of Russell's step-by-step problem-solving approach, iGenetics takes a modern, molecular approach. iGenetics covers basic genetics principles, with balanced coverage of Mendel, historical experiments, and cutting edge chapters on Genomics and Molecular Evolution. Over 500 class testers preferred the integrated iGenetics text and CD-ROM over their current book. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Pretty good, even if it is a bit wordy at times
I used this textbook when I took General Genetics this past semester. The book contains a wealth of information. In the course I took we focused on the basic principle of DNA and RNA, Mendelian principles, mono and dihybrid crosses, pedigrees and inheritance, multiple alleles located on different loci and multiple alleles located on the same loci, genetic mapping, damage and DNA repair mechanisms, prokaryotes gene regulation, and population genetics. This text did much to help my understanding of these topics and also contained other topics that we only touched upon in class or did not have time to cover, including the genetics of cancer, quantative genetics, and recombinate DNA technology.

At the end of each chapter in the text there are a number of conceptual questions and genetics "problems" that serve as a tool of teaching genetics by the problem based approach. These problems are helpful because my class focused on the problem based side of genetics, as most general genetics classes probably do. The book includes a CD-rom that includes the answers to ALL of the problems in the book for FREE! The CD-rom also contains movies that illustrate important mechanisms like transcribtion, translation, and DNA replication, as well as additional exercises. For me, I found it particulary helpful to be able to "see" genetic processes instead of just hearing about them in class.

Even though all of the anwsers to the book problems are included on the CD-rom, I would recommend picking on the Student Solution Guide as well because it is GREAT. It works out every single problem in the book. This is somewhat of a rarity for science books (especially biology ones). I can say that this solutions manuels is very helpful.

The only problem that I had with the textbook was that it was a bit wordy in some sections. While reading this book, I would recommend highlighting only those topics that your professor discusses in class and not getting hung up on terms that he or she has not talked about and sound like gobble-gook (Shrine-Delgado sequence, TATA box). Most likely, your class will focus on general concepts and you will not have the time to discuss the specifics in detail. I can't say that it is a bad thing that the book included detailed information from other areas of biology (biochemistry, cell biology), since these fields will be important if you are a biology major, but they probably do not need to be disscused in great detail in genetics if not prompted by the instructor.

Overall, I would say that this is a good genetics text. It contains usefull explanations and illustrations about topics that may not have been clearly explained in class, especially if your professor tends to mummble or doesn't have the best artistic style when it comes to drawing chromosomes.

Okay
I haven't been using this textbook very long, but there is one issue I think people might want to be aware of. If you buy this book used, you can't get access to the website. Mine didn't come with the CD-ROM either, but that's more to do with the person who sold it back than anything else (although if the CD-ROM were packaged so that you could just slip it into a pocket on the back cover more people might return the CD with the book). You can buy access to the website for $22/yr.

Could be better; could be worse
I haven't surveyed the entire landscape of genetics textbooks, but in general this one still left me lacking. My largest complaint: even though this is a first edition, the editing was atrocious.

Pretty colorful photos and good CD rom for extra effect
Overall, the book was well-written. I really enjoyed the color photos and the review questions at the end of the chapters was pretty good.

Also included was a CD-rom with the answers to the problems, iActivities to help us digest the chapters we read, and chapter quizzes.

I really enjoyed the chapter quizzes because they helped me focus on areas I was fuzzy about. However, I did not like the quizzes very much either, because there were wrong answers. Most of the time, I figured the answer it said was "correct" was wrong and vice versa, so if the problems with the CD can be cleared, this can be a great book. ... Read more

Book Description

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. In this "artful, informative, and delightful" (William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books) book, Jared Diamond convincingly argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Societies that had had a head start in food production advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage, and then developed religion --as well as nasty germs and potent weapons of war --and adventured on sea and land to conquer and decimate preliterate cultures. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world came to be and stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, the Rhone-Poulenc Prize, and the Commonwealth club of California's Gold Medal. ... Read more

Reviews (625)

Impressive Achievement
Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel sets out a huge goal for itself, the examination and explanation for the direction of 13,000 years of human society around the world. It would be foolish to spend much looking at the points where his thesis may fail instead of spending more time marveling at the mighty achievement he did accomplish. Of course, taking such a large chunk of history and creating a theory to explain all of its shifts will not always be a perfect but it is wonderful to see just how much of history can be explained by his wonderfully all-encompassing ideas. With the soul of a scientist, Jared Diamond has created a wonderful synthesis to explain the development of writing, agriculture, conquest, disease and many, many other factors. Historians may balk at the largeness of such ideas, not seen Karl Marx found a convenient explanation for all human history, but it is a wonderful book to read, whether it is delighting or frustrating. It gives the reader much to think about and hopefully allows a new perspective to blossom among all of one's older, inherited ideas. A marvelous book.

A whole new way of seeing the world
This 400 page summation of 13,000 years of history is hard to put down when it begins and hard to finish when you reach its final quarter. Diamond's friendly style draws the reader in immediately, making the book feel not only lively but vitally important as well. What could be more important or interesting than the reasons why the world has turned out the way that it has?

Without a doubt, this is an important book, and not because it won a Pulitzer. Diamond makes a convincing case as he argues against notions that were quite popular when he wrote this at the close of the 90s. He refutes the notions of The Bell Curve, which used pretend science to claim that blacks were destined by genetics to be less intelligent than whites and Asians. Instead, he shows that the reasons why Europeans ended up dominating most of the world instead of Africans or native Australians or Americans are myriad, but boil down to a reasonable set, including: Eurasia's size advantage; the fortunate combination of ancient plants and large animals available for domestication; its east-west axis, making the spread of plant and animal domesticates easier by keeping them in the same climate; and its relatively mild barriers, like the Urals, which posed less a division than rain forests, high mountains, and deserts in the Americas and Africa.

The thrilling opening and friendly style are eventually tempered by a repetition of these primary causes; Diamond explores numerous situations around the world, from New Guinea to the New World, and makes essentially the same arguments about each region, adding only nuances for the particulars of each place. It's the beginning of the book that's got the goods-the fourth part, especially, is a litany of details that are less captivating because the reader has learned enough to predict many of them.

Still, this is a very useful book for understanding the world, and it will arm you with facts to use against anyone who claims that a person's intellect can be predicted by his or her race. Diamond also shows how present conflicts on the world stage are very similar to ones that have been going on for 40,000 years, casting modernity in the same light as prehistory. And, while the fourth part is slower than the rest, the epilogue explains why Europe leapt ahead of Asia in the last millennium, an explanation that is both fascinating and worth learning from.

Why did Europe colonize America and not the other way around? If you'd like to know, read this book. It's weighty stuff, but it will reward you richly.

Good for all types of readers.
I read this book purely for pleasure, unlike a lot of people I know who have read it for class or as part of an academic exercise. I simply like to pick a book that will challenge me in between fiction books. This book did not disappoint.

This is a rare work in that it can appeal to academics and pleasure readers. The knowledge and research behind the concepts in the book are complex and detailed, but Diamond does such an excellent job of explaining things, that you can easily sometimes forget the vast amount of information that he had to assimilate in order to put forth this hypothesis.

There are also two main points from the book that I took. One is the merely academic and scientific data that you learn from the book. I do not have a science, anthropologic, or linguistic background, so I learned a great deal from this book. But secondly, there is a very clear goal of this book to discount the foundations of racism. This is a lesson that every reader from this book can take with them and actually use in real life. I was struck at how this book can have such a dual purpose, and this makes it truly unique in my opinion.

Sure, there are vast generalizations that are made in a work such as this, just as there are in any history book, but this book has excellent points, is well researched, and makes solid arguments. I would definitely read another book by Jared Diamond and will definitely not forget the lessons I learned in this book.

Great if you ever wondered how our cultures got here
If you have curiosity about how the big picture of civilizations emerged - for example, why it was the European civilizations dominating with ships and guns and not the American civilizations - you should really enjoy this book. Yes, Jared Diamond has biases (he clearly doesn't like people who believe whites are genetically superior to other races) but he weaves a fantastic story with scientific facts and elegant reasoning. Many facts (relating to plant and animal science) are clearly and concisely presented. Other facts are obvious once pointed out (the lack of domesticatable animals in sub-Saharan Africa, or how long it takes for domesticated plants to adjust to different climates) you have these great "Aha" moments while reading. I loved how his arguments came together.

Are there cons? Well, certain chapters in the second half of the book do repeat parts of the first half. It adds to the clarity (showing how the same principles can apply to different parts of the world), but if you "got it" the first time, some parts of the book can get long. Given how this book can change the way you look at different peoples and cultures, I can forgive him for repeating himself.

If you like science and are curious about how environment shaped, or better, limited civilizations, get this book.

NO PIGS!
Because a new crop of bushy tailed Ivy League students are sure to be required to pick up a copy of this book before their orientations, before even being allowed on campus, there are a few things that you should know about this book before you do start.

Even though there are plenty of wild pigs in New Guinea, which could have been domesticated at any time during the last 100,000 years, Jared Diamond describes the natural fauna in New Guinea as if it were the most protein deficient wasteland on earth. No protein, hmmmm, what could this mean? Why, those poor people!

And even though you would think that this work might lose all credibility if when discussing human cultures, he were to leave out such a grossly significant fact, as the observation that the rugged terrain of the thousands of square miles of the New Guinea highlands is most well known, among educated people, as the home of a people that have been nothing for thousands of years but stone age men without a written language, or any metal tools, but with a human bone or a nasal shell through their septum because they are the world's most feared cannibals.

Yet not one word will you find in this book about that, but with a subtle nod of Jared's head for those in the know, wink wink, that oh, their natural diet has no protein. So, of course, the same trade routes and tasty plants that led other peoples to great things, through no fault or effort of their own, left these poor people in New Guinea very hungry. Very hungry for protein!

You will kill anyone who disagrees with you, by the end of this great work, about the fact that all cultures just have different ways of solving the same universal problems, like protein deficiency for example. And that socialism and capitalism and communism and cannibalism are all just different ways of accomplishing the very same things. Except for capitalism, of course, which is grossly unfair to the poor and to be despised!

You will always have a warm feeling in your stomach, as well, at the secret thoughts that you will imagine that you only realize to yourself after reading this book, about how white boys aren't really anything special after all, despite what you had previously been tricked into believing, in how they just happened to find themselves on east west trade routes near plants that just happened to contain protein.

Of course, you will find many other new ideas in this book, such as Jared Diamond's suggestion in the introduction, that Western civilization encourages white boys to pass on their genes, no matter how intellectually deficient they might be, because Western civilization makes so few demands upon its citizens. Which is why you must be given this book to read even before your orientation, while you are still unlearned enough to not even know about the famous conch shell collecting New Guinea cannibals. ... Read more

Book Description

The World of the Cell combines the most readable book and effective learning package available for beginning readers in cell biology. With its hallmark emphasis on cell biology, the book guides readers through the basics of cell structure, function, and mechanisms.The World of the Cell continues the tradition of previous editions widely praised for covering some of the most difficult topics, including bioenergetics, metabolism, enzyme kinetics, thermodynamics, membrane transport, cell signaling, regulatory mechanisms, transcription and translation, signal transduction, and DNA replication and recombintion.For instructors and students, or anyone interested in cell or molecular biology. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excruciatingly detailed and esoteric at times
This book is a decent text; however, I found it to be excruciatingly detailed at times and also quite a bit esoteric. The book goes in to so much detail, that it is usually hard to find a suitable and understandable explanation for basic concepts. It is better, probably, for higher level biology classes.

very useful,excellent
This book is very good for students who major biology.I don't read all yet, but I love this book.

Amazingly good book on cell biology and chemistry.
I am in awe of the usability of this book. The subject matter is not trivial, but is presented in a very logical, step-by-step sequence. Illustrations are in color and strongly reinforce the text. I was able to learn the material without the benefit of attending a class on the subject. Bravo to the Authors and the Publisher, Benjamin Cummings. ... Read more

Book Description

The long-awaited new edition of James D. Watson's classic text, Molecular Biology of the Gene, has been thoroughly revised and is published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Watson and Crick's paper on the structure of the DNA double-helix. Twenty-one concise chapters, co-authored by five highly respected molecular biologists, provide current, authoritative coverage of a fast-changing discipline, giving both historical and basic chemical context. Divided into four parts: Genetics and Chemistry, Central Dogma, Regulation, and Methods.For college instructors, students, and anyone interested in molecular biology and genetics. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A descent book for beginners
Before making any critics about this book I should stress upon the fact that the authors well deserve a four star rating for this most readable book, both for the writing style and for the contents. Almost everything written is clear, concise and well presented. The captions are of high quality and if you ever buy this book feel sure that you are not wasting your money! I am referring in particular to chapter 16: Genetics of Bacteria and Bacteriophages which in reality is quite tricky but here presented with simple words. You may not have to read it more than once for you will understand it right from the first lecture. For in-depth study though you might need something more advanced!
However I did not really appreciate the way the fluctuation test of S.Luria and M.Delbruk was presented nor was the following work of J.Cairns and B.Hall in chapter 14: Gene mutation, DNA repair and Transposable elements. There seems to lack the true essence of it. Furthermore the existence of mutational hotspots is limited to a subsection only of chapter 14 and a few lines on the work of S.Benzer. Even B.Lewin in Genes VII gives a better treatment of mutational hotspots. Finally I would have expected a chapter on Mutations to talk about mutator mutations as possible ways to increase or decrease the spontaneous mutation rate but no such references were made.
Despite these few things, if you love genetics or need an introductory course be sure that this book is meant for you!

I was taught by the proffesor who wrote the book
Yup, and the professor gave out many problems in addition to supplementary problems. The book was an easy read but in order to do well in this course you simply need a mind for genetics. This is probably the best book I've seen.

I am very pleased with my purchase:timely, great condition!
I recieved the book in one day and it was in great condition!

OK, but could have been better
I used this book in an intro genetics course. Now I can't say if it was the professor or the book that made me really dislike the subject, but I think that if it was a really good book I would have come out with a least a little understanding on what genetics is about; I didn't. Something was not right; genetics is supposed to be a booming field, interesting, and cutting edge in terms of research. I did not get this picture from reading this book. Now I must say that the book was easy to read in the sense that they don't try and pack too much material on one page, there are nice illustrations and color photograhs etc. The problem I had with it was that it didn't really explain how to do those complicated genetics problems, those ones where you'd have to predict the percentages of progeny that were pink, spotted, and had one ear if the parents had linked recessive genes on chromosome 17.25 (you get the gist) These were the kinds of problems that we had all year and I just never understood. The professor couldn't explain them, neither could the book, neither could my friends. All in all, genetics was a bad experience for me and this book did not make it any better. I am sure that there are many better texts out there, but I have just been so turned away from genetics that I haven't bothered to look.

I loved this book.
I used this textbook in as an undergraduate student at Trenton State College. Not only did I find the course incredibly fascinating, the text book was a great complement to the material. I found it to be readable and by no means did it resemble a research paper as one reviewer commented. On a personal note, Dr. Klug, the author of the book, was infact my professor. I imagine that this may have influenced my appreciation of the text but in any case I enjoyed the book and course immensely. Also, for the reviewer who suspected that Dr. Klug was some snobby PhD, he was one of the best professors I had during my college career! ... Read more

Book Description

Designed to help readers learn how to think like evolutionary biologists, this 4-color book approaches evolutionary biology as a dynamic field of inquiry and as a process. Using a theme-based approach, it illustrates the interplay between theory, observation, testing and interpretation. It offers commentary on strengths and weaknesses of data sets, gives detailed examples rather than a broad synoptic approach, includes many data graphics and boxes regarding both sides of controversies.Introduces each major organizing theme in evolution through a question--e.g., How has HIV become drug resistant? Why did the dinosaurs, after dominating the land vertebrates for 150 million years, suddenly go extinct? Are humans more closely related to gorillas or to chimpanzees? Focuses on many applied, reader-relevant topics--e.g., evolution and human health, the evolution of senescence, sexual selection, social behavior, eugenics, and biodiversity and conservation. Then develops the strategies that evolutionary biologists use for finding an answers to such questions. Then considers the observations and experiments that test the predictions made by competing hypotheses, and discusses how the data are interpreted.For anyone interested in human evolution, including those working in human and animal health care, environmental management and conservation, primary and secondary education, science journalism, and biological and medical research. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Insightful biology textbook
I bought this book because I am taking a biology class at the University I attend currently. This book is our textbook.

The first two chapters are about Darwinism and Evolution. I also read the Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner who is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize. His points about Darwinism and Evolution are all in this textbook with many of graphs and pictures. Although it is a textbook, it's easy to comprehend even if you are not a pre-med student. Topics such as natural selection, microevolution, and irony and controversy of the validity of evolution by natural selection are covered.

Part II of the book is about Mutation and Mendelian Genetics. The author covers gene duplication and Yule's Numerical examples, analyzing the point of the natural selection being a potent force of evolution. And sexual selection and adaptations are other important topics that are discussed in the part II.

Part III of the book is about current research (1998). Various theories in relationships among humans and the extant apes, and sexual selection are covered in great depth. Again, it all comes down to microevolution and macroevolution and their patterns after examing adaptive radiations, punctuated equilibrium, and fossiles.

Lastly, the author talks about social behavior of various species. The author concludes that when individuals interact, four outcomes are possible with respect to fitness: cooperation, altruism, selfishness, and spite. Robert Trivers' theory of altrusim is tested and other "outcomes" about animal behavior are studied. From these studies, the author concludes that genetic variance exists for behavioral traits. "Thh field of behavior genetics is devoted to exploring the extent and nature of this variation. Behavioral geneticists use selection and heritability studies to identify traits with significant genetic variance... and can uncover the specific function of loci influencing social behavior."

I think this book covers many important topics and is easily comprehensible even for non-biology majors.

Makes evolutionary biology interesting
Evolutionary biology can be extremely tedious for undergraduate students if one insists on teaching the more arcane debates as Fisher versus Shifting Balance. That might be good for a second course for future professionals, but if one starts with such stuff, students will lose all the interest in evolution they came with.
Evolutionary Analysis is interesting, wel-informed and up to date, and is meant for general biologists. It cannot be used as a reference book for neo-darwinian debates, so the better.

horrible
Bought this one for Evolution class. It is a horrible excuse for a textbook. Do not buy this book unless it is for a middle school student. If the authors think this book has been written for an advanced audience, then I would suggest that anyone interested in learning evolution not attend University of Washington.

Captives of the paradigm
Although not a student in a course, I found perusing this (upgraded, new edition)text to be interesting and intriguing, despite being a severe Darwin critic. Well illustrated with clear expositions of technical pop gen. However, if Little Red Riding Hood were an Amazon reviewer the text would read, 'What nice teeth you have...". Sociobiological thinkings is now being mainstreamed.
One of the puzzles of modern culture is the obtuseness of the technical elite, especially Darwinists. From whence did they get their rigid mentality, and total inability to think critically on evolution? It's no mystery if you look at the textbooks used to train these elites, as here. These are the doctors, biologists and others who, for the trouble of taking a close look at evolutionary theory, will end with the false assumptions of the Synthesis engraved on their eductional memory modules.
The issue can be insidious with the study of population genetics, nicely done here in its own way. But it is a subject where technical math deludes people into thinking it constitutes a theory of evolution. The sad thing is that physicists who must think critically about physics remain silent about these models, none of which are properly verified in the complex cases of advanced evolution. It reminds one of economics courses where the curious illusions of theory remain educationally entrenched despite the critics. At least it is generally known what the limitations are. But in evolution these underpowered population models are extrapolated to become a new form of metaphysics and there is no review of the propaganda possible, it seems.
So that's the reason the techical elites are 'disinformation grouwnups'. It is a situation worthy of Foucault.

Please use a better text, if you are an instructor
So there is a new evolution instructor at our school and he is using this text and lecturing out of it directly - ie no supplementation with other material. Very bad combination, boring simple lectures on what is actually a complex interesting topic. It would be different if the text was comprehensive and challenging but it is not.

Positives of the text:
Easy to ready
Entertaining examples

Negatives of the text:
1.Very, very frustratingly simplistic
2.Overlooks controversial topics or only presents one side of an issue. Example, no coverage of Wright's shifting balanced theory as opposing Fisher's mass selection theory. Doesn't even indicate there IS another theory out there.
3.Simplifies primary literature. Does not detail assumptions or boundaries of experiments.
4.Inadequate index and glossary (for example, epistatis, is in neither)

The entire book reminds me of justso stories my mama read to me as a wee pup, not a scientific examination of evolution.

The authors say this is book is at undergraduate level. But given the lack of complexity and depth, I'd say it is more suited for say an 5-6th grade class level. ... Read more

Book Description

The unique feature of this book's first edition was the presentation of a unified approach to the molecular biology of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The success of this approach, and its continuation, is the result of a long string of discoveries showing similarities in solutions to biological problems that often extend across many or even all species.A six-part organization covers genes, proteins, gene expression, DNA, the nucleus, and cells.For individuals in the science community interested in genetics. ... Read more

Book Description

Genetics: Analysis of Genes and Genomes, Sixth Edition by Hartl and Jones presents the modern world of genetics; treating classical, molecular, and population genetics as unified subdisciplines in a field that, even in our post-genomic era, still goes by the name "genetics." This approach to teaching genetics is a logical progression in a time when the various subdisciplines of genetics are so closely interwoven.

Written by two renowned authorities in the field, Genetics, Sixth Edition provides the most current, clear, comprehensive, and balanced introduction to genetics and genomics at the college level. It treats transmission genetics, molecular genetics, and evolutionary genetics as fully integrated subjects, and provides students with an unprecedented understanding of the basic processes of gene transmission, mutation, expression, and regulation. The text also explores the connections between modern and historical experimental methods used by geneticists, and offers valuable insight into the important historical and social context of genetics and genomics. ... Read more

Book Description

Following the completion of the Human Genome Project the content and organization of the third edition of Human Molecular Genetics (HMG) has been thoroughly revised.

PART ONE (CHAPTERS 1-7) covers basic material on DNA structure and function, chromosomes, cells and development, pedigree analysis and the basic techniques used in the laboratory.

PART TWO (CHAPTERS 8-12) discusses the various genome sequencing projects and the insights they provide into the organization, expression, variation and evolution of our genome.

PART THREE (CHAPTERS 13-18) focuses on mapping, identifying and diagnosing the genetic causes of mendelian and complex diseases and cancer.

PART FOUR (CHAPTERS (19-21) looks at the wider horizons of functional genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, animal models and therapy.

There are new chapters on cells and development and on functional genomics.The sections on complex diseases have been completely rewritten and reorganized, as has the chapter on Genome Projects. Other changes include a new section on molecular phylogenetics (Chapter 12) and the introduction of ‘Ethics Boxes’ to discuss some of the implications of the new knowledge. Virtually every page has been revised and updated to take account of the stunning developments of the past four years since the publication of the last edition of Human Molecular Genetics. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The book to read for an in-depth background
This book is a very complete overview of molecular biology as applied to human genetics. As someone interested in bioinformatics and computational biology, I read it to get a background in the biology/genetics behind these fields. That being said, I was glad I made the choice of this book as the authors do a fine job of explaining the relevant concepts and biological processes in genetics. In the light of the recent draft of the human genome, this edition of the book is especially timely. That being said, there is a lot of material covered, and to digest all of the terms and processes outlined takes a fair amount of time. The discussion on functional genomics and the post-genome sequencing era was particularly interesting. More could be said on gene sequencing validation as it applies to gene therapies and drug discovery. The most fascinating chapter was the one on genetic manipulation of animals as this is where genetic engineering has had its successful proving ground. Even though this is a science text, a discussion on the ethics of human genetic engineering would be appropriate, given some of the current attitudes about it. My opinion is that these technologies should move ahead with diligence; humankind cannot afford not to do so.

I would highly recommend this book to those who have the time to read through it, as it offers the necessary concepts needed to understand this fascinating area.

This is a good book in studying human genetics
This is a good book in studying genetics referring human molecular genetics. I can examine myself with it.Whwn you finish reading Molecular biology of the CELL, you can understand genetics. So, this book and the book,Human Molecular genetics, are very helpful in studying genetics.

An excellent text! For undergrad and grad students.
Very comprehensive reading. It sure gives the reader a thorough explanation of the concept. Each chapter provides clear, yet detailed illustrations. Further explanations are given on several key concepts by including "highlights" for a particular topic. Although this book tackles more general knowledge on human genetics, it sure is highly recommended to students or professionals starting to learn Human Genetics.

Excellent for the working student!
Being a graduate student in human genetics I was looking long and hard for a comprehensive text on how and why experiment are done in the lab, and the scientific basis for these experiments. This book is the closest one I have seen that accomplishes all these goals. It is a little light on the theoretical side of genetics (e.g. Mendelian etc); however, there are many other texts out there that can substitute for this flaw, but only a few that do what this one does. I recommend this book for students who are familiar with genetics but need to understand the practical side to it.

a good book, but...
This book is enough simple. Chapters regarding the POSITIONAL CLONING, the HYBRIDIZATION, the IMPRINTING and the GENETICAL MAPPAGE are really clear and they represent a big aid for students in the comprehension of these procedures which could be very difficult. But... chapters about GENETICAL DISEAES are too much treated than chapters regarding FORMAL GENETICS, moreover FISICAL MAPPAGE chapter is too detailled in pratical explanation, while the real mappege's concept is not focalized.To conclude a good book, but ... cheers ALESSIO & FEDERICO ... Read more

Reviews (118)

Fair, accurate, and well-reasoned--up to a point.
I detest creationism. I'm an agnostic. I have a degree in zoology.

This is a good book.

Jonathan Wells' motives may well be suspect, and the purpose of this book may well be to supply ammunition for creationists who want to attack their local school curricula. According to an article by Wells on a Unification Church website, http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/talks/wells/DARWIN.htm , "Father's words, my studies, and my prayers convinced me that I should devote my life to destroying Darwinism."

It doesn't matter.

This is a good, well-written, cogently argued book. Up until about page 229, I think what it says is accurate and reasonably fair. It is a good example of critical discussion.

Well's "icons of evolution" are well-known textbook examples of supposed facts that support the Neodarwinian theory of evolution: industrial melanism, Darwin's finches, etc. I don't think see how you can challenge him here; these are not straw men, these really are the "textbook examples."

Wells proceeds to argue that each of these "facts" is misinformation or worse. And I think his critiques are quite justifiable.

He also asserts that these "facts" are widely known to be faulty, yet continue to be repeated in textbooks. He implies strongly that the reason for this is that there is an extrascientific agenda at work. Here we get into murkier waters, but, yes, I believe that pressure from religious dogmatists has forced evolutionists into a dogmatism of their own. Scientists have been too willing to circle the wagons and present a united public front against the creationists.

I've read a number of articles that attack this book, and I think most of them do not succeed very well. For example, Wells points out, correctly enough, that the textbook photographs of _Biston betularia_ on light and dark-colored tree-trunks are all but fake. What can possibly be said in defense of faked photographs in textbooks? That it doesn't matter, because many other textbook pictures are also fake? That many nature photographs might best be described as posed illustrations of true facts? Or (worst of all) that if something is true it is OK to use inaccurate but memorable pictures to illustrate it?

School committee members may fear, perhaps justifiably, that irate citizens are going demand that school biology textbooks be labelled with the "warning labels" he so helpfully provides in Appendix II. And certainly the notion of "warning labels for textbooks" is a politically charged attack.

But even the actual text of his "warning labels" is reasonable enough: ("WARNING: Archaeopterix is probably not the ancestor of modern birds, and its own ancestors remain highly controversial; other missing links are now being sought;" "WARNING: Darwin's tree of live does not fit the fossil record of the Cambrian explosion, and molecular evidence does not support a simple branching-tree pattern.")

Perhaps Wells is a dogmatist who is cleverly feigning the spirit of free inquiry in order to make an effective attack. And quite possibly Wells deserves to be attacked _ad hominem_. But I think it is best to speak to the actual words he puts on the page.

And I can go with him at least as far as page 229. I say if he's right, he's right-and-up to page 229-I think he IS right, by and large, for the most part.

Shocking Exposè of Evolutionary Myths
After an in-person interview with Jonathan Wells on this book, several things stand out to make this book shockingly significant: 1) The 10 beloved evolutionary icons (popular examples of "evidence" purportedly showing the validity of Darwinian macro-evolution) are all known to be misleading if not flat out fraudulent -- even within the ranks of Darwinian and neo-Darwinian scholars. 2) Wells points out that the continued use of these "icons" in biology text books (and he names titles and publishers - to their shame!) betrays a metaphysical agenda that bears no resemblance to objective science. And lastly, 3) Wells is no raving creationism propagandist. With his double doctorates (Yale and Berkeley), his scholarship is exemplary, and for those who care to know a little more about the authors of the books they read, he has a genuine warmth and friendliness not often associated with "scholarly types." Considering the propagation of the faulty examples of Darwinian evolution listed in the biology texts today, this book is a step toward a badly needed corrective toward a more honest and objective reading of biological science.

To see the book for what it is...
There are plenty of other books written recently that directly challenge evolutionary theory. In my view, the importance of this book isn't to prove evolution is false, but to reveal the zealous propagation of the so-called "facts" of evolution. That many textbooks today that still use these eroneous "icons" to demonstrate the "facts" of evolution is exactly what the author claims: misleading. Students have been taught to be uncritical of evolution from textbooks that use these misrepresentations.

A better approach, though perhaps an unpopular compromise in the view of evolutionists is the "Teach the Controversy" proposal recently adopted by the State Board of Education of Ohio. Interestingly, National Academy of Sciences president Bruce Alberts has recently and fervently opposed "Teach the Controversy". And in Wells' book, he quotes the Academy's booklet on science teaching:

"This process of public scrutiny... is an essential part of science. It works to eliminate individual bias and subjectivity, because others must also be able to determine whether a proposed explanation is consistent with the available evidence."

One might wonder why all the fuss over adoption of critical evalutation of evolutionary theory if indeed there is no evidence against it? Maybe they are a bit worried that recent polls have shown that the public is overwhelmingly open to "Teaching the Controversy"? Another example is the Ohio ACLU, which has launched an investigation and threatened a lawsuit over "Teach the Controversy" (see: http://www.acluohio.org). If one steps back from the details of the debate, perhaps it really is plain to see that many evolutionists are not even open to critical analysis of their "theory".

Note, then, the long history of misleading "icons" that Wells documents in the book. When these errors were originally uncovered (which was long before this book was written), were the textbooks changed to correct them? Or were they silently ignored and left uncorrected in order to stymie criticism of supposed "fact"? In the introduction of the book, Wells acknowledges that "In several cases, they [contributors to his research] chose anonymity because their careers might suffer at the hands of people who strongly disagree with the conclusions of this book." This remark is highly believable when you consider the responses that have been written to this book including reviews here at Amazon and in the scientific community as well.

Garbage!
This book's arguments are completely dishonest. It is based on a complete lack of understanding of the theory of evolution that is horribly tainted by blatantly unwarranted faith in mythical creation. Evolution is upheld by EVIDENCE, which is something creationism does not have. As with ALL scientific theories there can be disagreements and discussion and changes as evidence, technology and science themselves evolve. Even if some grand discovery somehow proved evolution to be incorrect it does not mean that creationism would become true by default. Creationism is not based on any kind of science. It is the distortion of truth to make it fit within the bounds of biblical myth. It is very unfortunate that christians who claim to uphold the truth are so willing to ignore facts and fabricate their own form of "science" in order to propogate lies. The bible is NOT a science book. It is not even a history book. It is a book of myths. Man made fairy tales. The supporters of creationism wish to return us to the Dark Ages where all facts are derived from the bible and all who disagree are tortured and burned to death by the church. It is very sad that more christians do not see that they are self decieved.

Interesting perspective; needs better writing....
Just finished this book, and thought it was interesting, but not nearly as intersting as the venom it has stirred up here on the review boards. As I understood the text, Wells is not attempting to provide an alternative explanation to Darwinism, but rather point out the near-dogmatic fervor to which strict Darwinists adhere to the theory (despite the flaws of that theory).

I wish there had been better examples than Wells himself provides; he does a good job of debunking the public myths of Darwinism, but doesn't offer any explanation as to why Darwinism is so widely accepted. Surely there must be some substantive evidence other than a simple knee-jerk reaction to the possibility of intelligent design.

What I find most provocative about this book (despite its limitations) is that Wells doesn't attempt to phrase the argument in terms of evolution-vs-creationism (as many reviews here seem to do); rather, he attempts to dissect Darwinism based solely on the content of the messages in the public sphere. This opens up the discussion to alternate perspectives, neither pure Creationistic or neo-Darwinistic in nature. ... Read more

Book Description

The genome's been mapped. But what does it mean?

Arguably the most significant scientific discoveru of the new century, the mapping of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome raises almost as many questions as it answers. Questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, about longevity, and about free will. Questions that will affect the rest of your life.

Genome offers extraordinary insight into the ramifications of this incredible breakthrough. By picking one newly discovered gene from each pair of chromosomes and telling its story, Matt Ridley recounts the history of our species and its ancestors from the dawn of life to the brink of future medicine. From Huntington's disease to cancer, from the applications of gene therapy to the horrors of eugenics, Matt Ridley probes the scientific, philosophical, and moral issues arising as a result of the mapping of the genome. It will help you understand what this scientific milestone means for you, for your children, and for humankind.

Reviews (142)

Irresistible Reading to Understand What Your Genes Mean
The field of genetics is doubling knowledge every few weeks. So Matt
Ridley had set himself an impossible task in writing one of the last
books before the completion of the Human Genome project. Yet, he has
created a book of unique value to all of us as the full impact of
genetic knowledge begins to take over our world.

Forget 99 percent
of what you have ever heard about genes. The school wasted your time
with obsolete knowledge that wasn't in the ball park, in most
cases.

What Ridley has done is given us a roadmap of the kind of
territory and effects that occur within our genes, and among our
minds, bodies, and genes. The interrelationships are extremely
complex and diverse. Beware any simple judgments about what genetics
mean, as a result.

What was most impressive to me was the remarkable
potential to use genetic information to shed light on all kinds of
issues. For example, the genetic record can give insights into the
development of species, past expansion of nomadic peoples, language,
personality, stress, memory, sex, instinct and the effect of the
environment.

To give us each a full panoply of ideas about
genetics, he adopted the interesting structure of having one chapter
about each chromosome. The chapter is not exhaustive, but picks on
one or a few aspects of what is known or is in the process of becoming
known.

Fear not! I never took biology, and know little biological
jargon. Yet the book portrayed the ideas and information simply and
clearly enough that I don't think I got lost anywhere.

The only part
of the book that I did not like was a completely unsatisfactory
discussion of what free will is in the last chapter. Skip that and
you'll enjoy the book a lot more.

How accurate is the book? In five
chapters, I had read source books or articles referred to by Ridley,
and each was well chosen for what he was trying to do and scrupulously
described. Of course, we are still up against the fact that we know
very little on this whole subject.

This is the most stimulating
science book that I have read in a long time. I even liked in better
than The Selfish Gene, which I thought was a terrific book (which is
also referred to and discussed in this book).

I found that the
book stimulated a lot of new thinking on my part. Fifteen minutes
with the book led to four hours of conjecture on several occasions. I
liked that feature of the book.

Have a great time reading this book
and thinking about its implications for your own life!

Clear, clever writing. Very sensible approach.
A review from the author of DREAMING YOUR REAL SELF: A PERSONAL APPROACH TO DREAM INTERPRETATION; and DREAM BACK YOUR LIFE: Transforming Dream Messages into Life Action--A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DREAMS, DAYDREAMS, AND FANTASIES.

When Carl Sagan passed away, I wished other scientists would step in to bring science to the public in an engaging, readable way and with Sagan's enthusiasm and hope. Matt Ridley's GENOME is a great read, taking an optimistic view of genetic research and its benefits to us all. While we worry about cloning and interfering with DNA, Ridley tells us what such research can mean to help us lead healthier lives while working within the limitations of the genes we have. I especially enjoyed his explanation that we have choices and are not determined solely by our genes. By knowing whatever genetic shortcomings we have, we are able to alter our diets, exercise, and education to compensate for them. I've read Ridley's other books as well-THE RED QUEEN and THE ORIGINS OF VIRTUE-and was intrigued by these evolutionary concepts and what they mean in our everyday lives. This is LIFE science indeed! Thank you.

fun to read
this was a great book to read because it is a compilation of vignettes. it's easy to read one or two in a sitting and then let it rest for a day, a week or a month. i wouldn't say that this book was a favorite of mine, but i'm glad i read it.

Very educational
I'm currently a 9th grade student and find the DNA, RNA, etc. reviews extremely fascinating. I picked up this book and found it a wonderful read. You should try it if you would like to learn many news things in the molecular biology world.

Good, but has some non-fact facts. Flawed.
I got this thinking I'd get a nice airplane read out of it, maybe learn something. I've got a bioscience background.

It's quite varied. I wish he had left out his entire discussion of human history for instance. The stuff about meat, metabolism and the brain in evolution, for instance, is rather ridiculous really, because there are so many millions of people who live their entire lives without meat. The factual arguments he gave for it are simply not true.

Made me wonder what else he got wrong, and although parts are quite interesting, I found myself losing interest because I saw stuff that was misleading or untrue. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

Great article in NY Times
The Science section for 5/10/05 had a great review and discussion of this book and its concepts.Made me order toot sweet.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30814FA39540C738DDDAC0894DD404482&incamp=archive:search

DPS/Seattle

Gently bashing the straw man
Some years ago, Richard Dawkins published "The Selfish Gene", explaining how gene survival was fundamental in natural selection.He also coined the term "meme" to explain the dissemination of ideas across societies.Almost immediately, there was a strident chorus of objection, based on the theme of "you can't say that about humans!"The outcry hasn't ceased, but in the case of Richerson and Boyd, it's become somewhat muted.This book is designed to gently persuade you that human evolution rests on a solid "cultural" base.Biology is under there somewhere, but for humanity, cultural impact overwhelms our genetic roots.

The authors would like to abandon the dichotomy of what's usually referred to as the "nature versus nurture" debate.That's admirable, but not only has that contest been challenged elsewhere, finding anyone adhering to either position as an absolute is difficult, if not impossible.Who claims "genes" are the sole behaviour drive?Not even religions, the most dogmatic element in our society, any longer label infants as "blank slates" to be moulded at will.Individuality and expression may be curtailed, but not constrained.Yet that curtailment, even if only mindless imitation, is the foundation of this book.Instead of the chaos of individual response to environmental pressures, "culture" guides behaviour to the extent that groups become predictable in their activities.For them, "culture" is a sort of behavioural umbrella keeping families and small communities from unravelling the fabric of society.

Richerson and Boyd gather a wide spectrum of studies to erect their cultural edifice.They examine studies of social animals, scrutinise the grim world of economics and wonder how it is that of all species, human beings filled nearly every environmental niche.They accept the complexity of human society as naturally hierarchical.That organisation, coupled with a strong imitative/cooperative sense enabled our species to readily adapt to so many ecological niches.Where some say, "If it works, don't fix it!", Richerson and Boyd counter, "If it works, imitate it!"Human beings, they contend, are better imitators than other species because we can judge long-term impacts of actions.This talent, coupled with language, provides our unique adaptability in varied environments.We can test for success and pass our findings to our neighbours.This gives groups within our species both unique abilities and the means to improve them.Not all of humanity is but one culture.It's a melange of groups, each culture representing a regional or social norm.

"Group selection" is the offshoot of an older, flawed, evolutionary concept - "species selection".With the idea of "species selection" quickly demonstrated as false, group selection arose to replace it.A close look at group selection reveals that it's but another mechanism to keep humanity separated from the remainder of the animal kingdom.If you downplay any similarities between us and other beasts, you are able to retain a "divine spark" or other metaphysical notions for humanity.And only humanity.Richerson and Boyd's use of animal behaviour studies to ameliorate this distinction are a welcome addition to social studies.However, these examples are carefully selected and interpreted by the authors.They aren't set in an evolutionary context, but are given solely as a contrast to the also carefully chosen aspects of human behaviour.The book raises a number of interesting questions, but answers few of them satisfactorily.[stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Evolution's Trajectory
I purchased "Not by Genes Alone" because it promised to further develop the concept of `evolution's trajectory' explored in chapters 11 & 12 of my book, "Concepts: A ProtoTheist Quest for Science-Minded Skeptics." The concept of evolution's trajectory is an expansion of the idea that we are a `hybrid species' which I first came across in reading Merlin Donald's "A Mind So Rare." For example, just as the spider's web is an extension of, and essential to, the spider; our culture is an extension of, and essential to, us. Spiders' organisms co-evolved along with their webs, one just as important as the other, as a kind of hybrid. So too our organism co-evolved along with our culture; `culture' defined, not only as language, music &c, but as tools (clothing, shelter, weapons and other artifacts) and social institutions. So we need to view human evolution as a hybrid, not just in our organism but also in our culture, which now is `evolving' at an accelerating rate in runaway materialism. But whereas spiders and their webs evolved by random variation, we largely `invent' the variations in our culture. Thus we're now more or less in charge of our evolution; evolution is no longer `blind', we can be evolution's `eyes'.We now have the potential to direct evolution's trajectory.

Richerson & Boyd in their "Not by Genes Alone" use a narrower definition of culture: "Culture is information capable of affecting individuals' behavior that they acquire from other members of their species through teaching, imitation, and other forms of social transmission." (p.5) "Culture is ... stored and manipulated in human brains." (p.7) Eventho later they use the caption "Technology is culture, not environment" (p.29) their principal focus is on the social aspects of culture. Their thesis is that genes and culture co-evolve. "In the short run, cultural evolution, partly driven by ancient and tribal social instincts [in genes] and partly by selection among culturally variable groups, gave rise to the institutions we observe. In the longer run, cultural evolutionary processes create an environment that led to the evolution of uniquely human social instincts [in genes]." (p.235)

But Richerson & Boyd seem to largely ignore the technical aspects of our culture which today are evolving at an accelerating rate much faster than, and driving the evolution of, the social aspects. On the one hand, how do our Pleistocene instincts (genes) equip us to use artifacts such as cars, computers and cell-phones, and on the other hand, how can these artifacts lead to the evolution of new instincts (genes) in such a short evolutionary timescale? The first answer may be the plasticity of our neocortex, especially in youth. The second answer may come from future technology that will develop and install new genes in humans which equip us to better deal with our accelerating technology.

Another quibble: Richerson & Boyd, as do many authors, explain altruism by kin-selection and reciprocity, but fail to credit the desire of some individuals to improve humans' understanding and circumstances. Yet they themselves in writing this book are advancing human understanding, perhaps to some extent for selfish reasons such as prestige &c, but also for altruist reasons having little to do with kin-selection and reciprocity, nor presumably with attracting mates.

So "Not by Genes Alone" is worth reading to understand the co-evolution of genes and social culture, but doesn't provide much insight to help us direct the more crucial technical aspects of evolution's trajectory. We live in interesting times, perhaps on the cusp of a radical shift in our culture.

Homo Sapiens 101
In the concluding pages of this book, Richerson and Boyd observe that universities have introductory courses in psychology, sociology, economics and political science in which students "are encouraged to think that the study of humans can be divided into isolated chunks corresponding to these historical fields." There is, however, no Homo Sapiens 1 or 101, "a complete introduction to the whole problem of understanding human behavior." The authors note that the chief reason no such course exist is "that the key integrative fields have not yet developed in the social sciences" and that "a proper evolutionary theory of culture should make a major contribution to the unification of the social sciences. Not only does it allow a smooth integration of the human sciences with the rest of biology, it also provides a framework for linking the human sciences to one another." I believe that such an evolutionary theory can and should integrate the social sciences with each other and biology and that this book could and should serve as the foundational text for Homo Sapiens 101.

There are dozens of books available employing evolutionary thinking to humans, the large majority of which do not offer a "proper evolutionary theory" because they neglect the most obvious and unique feature of our species--our culture, information affecting behavior acquired from other humans through social transmission. This failure results from a steadfast dedication to accounting for human behavior in terms of principles applicable to the prosocial behavior of other species, kin selection and reciprocity. In an attempt to not stray from "orthodox" neo-Darwinism, neo-Darwinians have failed to fully acknowledge, let alone explain, the most salient feature of our species--a fact that "social contructivists" use to dismiss evolutionary theory. Richerson and Boyd recognize the "ancient social instincts" of kin altruism and reciprocity but they also acknowledge and give appropriate attention to what they call the "tribal social instincts." These instincts, which probably emerged during the dramatic climate variations of the late Pleistocene, allow members of our species to identify with, dedicate themselves to, and take normative direction from, groups of people that include hundreds to thousands of people beyond kin and friends. These tribal instincts are accommodated in complex societies such as our own through "work-arounds," institutions such as religious organizations, political parties, voluntary associations and other symbolically marked groups that exploit our inclination toward particularistic community attachment. Originally, though, these instincts coevolved in a ratcheting process with our language, capacity for perspective taking, morality, religion and "culture" broadly conceived. We are a thoroughly unique groupish species and the only species on which group selection of cultural variants has played a role. As Richerson and Boyd argue, genes and culture have coevolved within our species. Culture has been primary in the environment selecting features of our genotype. Those humans incapable of cooperating in tribal settings were ostracized and were unlikely to find mates. They were less likely than cooperators to survive and reproduce. Culture has molded our genetic make-up just as our genes have directed the development of our culture.

I do not have space here to outline Richerson and Boyd's theory of cultural evolution beyond noting that population thinking plays as prominent a role as it did in Darwin's thought. I can say that unlike their landmark book, Culture and the Evolutionary Process (1985), this book is accessible to any adult with a three digit IQ. I can also note that the authors are both modest and civil toward those with whom they disagree--characteristics that portray their training in the natural sciences instead of the social sciences. They are quick to acknowledge when empirical evidence is currently lacking to substantiate claims they are making, and they are always generous to their intellectual opponents. For example, they acknowledge Richard Dawkin's contributions to evolutionary theory, while demonstrating the deficiencies of his "meme" theory of culture; they faithfully reproduce the arguments of evolutionary psychologists concerning domain-specific mental modules, while showing the dangers of overly-adaptationist accounts of our mental mechanisms; and in their discussions of various religious groups--Mormons, Catholics, the Amish, Hutterites, and the earliest Christians--Richerson and Boyd are deeply respectful of religious believers, something utterly missing in the writings of non-believers such as Richard Dawkins. This respectful attitude issues not from an impulse to pander but, rather, from an appreciation for our species-wide groupish tendencies and the accomplishments of symbolically marked groups, religious and otherwise.

Perhaps the largest contribution this book will make if it attains the number of readers it deserves is that it provides Darwinians and social constuctivists in the social sciences and the humanities grounds for common discussion and possible agreement. This is no small feat given the tendency of these symbolically marked groups to deem their in-group members angelic and those in the out-group moronic, if not demonic.
Brad Lowell Stone
... Read more

Reviews (36)

Fairly up to date and great teaching tool
As you can imagine, no text book is a must read, but it certainly is a must own for any student of cell biology or biological scientists, from undergraduate, graduate, medical student, to the graduated faculty member. A useful text with great figures and an excellent accompanying CD.

Needs Improvement
I agree with an earlier reviewer that the book is a good reference and the overwhelming details contained in it make it difficult to get the basic fundamentals. The authors need to trim it down and focus more on fundamental principles. I feel at times the book is somewhat convoluted and hard to follow. This is sometimes the case with books that have multiple authors.

Another reviewer pointed out the over abundance of yeast molecular biology contained in he book. I again agree with this person. I realize yeast is where we learned a lot about eukaryotic molecular biology. But I wish the book focused less on yeast and more mammalian cell biology. People using this book are likely to be looking at careers in biomedical research or medicine. I think more mammalian biology would be more beneficial.

Why do all these textbooks have to have a CD to run the price of the book up ?

Too many authors undermine coherence
This text is excellent in the coverage of its subject matter, but, like typical texts and journal articles written by a myriad of authors, it lacks coherence. Thus, separating the wheat from the chaff is tedious. The book, if well written, could be much shorter and more readable than it currently is.

Scicchitano undermines Lodish's brilliance
I have read snippets of this book as Scicchitano was my professor of molecular cell biology at NYU, therefore I'm naturally curious. He was quite well-spoken about the basics behind the subject - even, at times, verbose - yet he elevated that lucid core knowledge of the subject to such a great pomp that I cannot dissociate my experience of his fluff from this publication. Forgive me Harvey Lodish, but you would have done better not to collaberate with him, and you did do better by indeed discluding him from your molecular cell biology textbooks. (In class, David's jealousy at Dr. Lodish's superior intellect was obvious, as he took time out of every class to slam Lodish's molec cell 4th edition)

Excellent
This book gave me a real appreciation for cell biology! I love the figures and micrographs. I've had to read a lot of other books and this is hands-down my favorite bio book yet. ... Read more

Book Description

This new edition of Animal Behavior has been completely rewritten, resulting in a more compact yet thoroughly up-to-date text. Notable is the inclusion, for the first time, of four-color photographs and illustrations throughout. Like previous editions, the book shows how evolutionary biologists analyze all aspects of behavior. It is distinguished by its balanced treatment of both the underlying mechanisms and evolutionary causes of behavior, and stresses the utility of evolutionary theory in unifying the different behavioral disciplines. Important concepts are explained by reference to key illustrative studies, which are described in sufficient detail to help students appreciate the role of the scientific process in producing research discoveries. Examples are drawn evenly from studies of invertebrates and vertebrates, and are supported by nearly 1,300 reference citations. The writing style is clear and engaging: beginning students have no difficulty following the material, despite the strong conceptual orientation of the text. Indeed, instructors consistently report a high level of enthusiasm for the book on the part of their students.

The book is organized into two major sections, one dealing with the proximate mechanisms of behavior and the other with the ultimate or evolutionary causes of behavior. The first two chapters introduce the distinction between proximate and ultimate causes in biology that is the foundation for the remaining chapters. Four subsequent chapters then take a more detailed look at different aspects of proximate bases of behavior.

The text then shifts to the other major section that covers the evolution of behavior. Making the point that each behavioral trait has an evolutionary history as well as potential current adaptive significance, the author examines the history and adaptive value of various categories of behavior, including evasion of predators, reproductive tactics and social behavior. A final chapter presents an evolutionary view of human behavior. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

From sea slugs to siblings
There's benefit in starting this book at the final chapter. After all, we consider humans the most important member of the animal kingdom. A quick perusal of Chapter 15, "The Evolution of Human Behavior", introduces you to many issues within that topic. The question that must arise, is "how did we get to be that way?". To answer that question, simply turn to page 1 and start reading. The rewards gained by following John Alcock's presentation are beyond measure. He's an outstanding researcher and analyst. His writing demonstrates the importance of understanding why this book is necessary for both professional and novice. The behavioural traits he explains show the workings of evolution. We are but one of the products of that process.

Stating that Darwin's concept of evolution was a "blockbuster" of an idea, he argues it illuminates everything once you have the courage to look. He uses the concept of "proximate" and "ultimate" causes in analysing traits and deriving their origins. What we see in nature are the "proximate" causes of behaviour - how do a moth's muscles make the wings move in a particular way? The "ultimate" cause is what, if anything is gained by the action or behaviour? Answering the second question leads to a probable explanation of how evolution brought the feature about. Traits are the result of a long series of tiny steps leading to what is seen today. Alcock demonstrates that there are many influences affecting the course of evolution.

Alcock presents an array of examples neatly arranged in groupings such as environmental impact, heredity, mating and feeding. How does the ungainly seaslug discern predator approach and how does it escape? Why do so many male birds sing, and so few females? How do night-flying moths evade the sonar-equipped bat? Why is the Monarch butterfly so brilliant in colour while other butterflies and moths seem drab and muted? How do we recognize faces? The underlying question in each example is whether the observed property is a beneficial adaptation.

Every trait is subject to a balance of "benefits" and "costs" - camouflage to hide from predators may also cloak you from a possible mate. Alcock examines this balance for many species, noting that some assessments remain in dispute. Testing alternative hypotheses is a major sub-theme of this book. Considering "cost/benefit" of human behaviours is only now being undertaken, but is just as applicable to us as to other animals. What are the benefits of a social environment such as ours? What are the costs involved in maintaining this type of existence? One "cost/benefit" analysis is the evolution of "helpers". Humans long believed the rest of the animal world never exhibited altruism. Yet, now it's known that "assistance to others" can range from adoption of offspring to a variety of reciprocal trade-offs of many types across many species.

Although this book is designed as a classroom text, the writing style, illustrative material and references make it a worthy purchase for anyone. At first glance the cost of this book seems staggering. Looking at the bibliography, however, suggests you could spend this figure many times over in detailed studies. Alcock presents the work of many researchers, summarising it effectively. Further examination of a single topic is easier with the "head start" Alcock offers in many topics. The value of this book is inestimable and Alcock's frequent upgrades ensure you will be kept abreast of recent findings. With luck and effort, you might even contribute some of your own. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Going downhill
I used this book as a student and enjoyed it then. Years later, as a professor, I decided to switch from Krebs and Davies' text to this one for the greater number of examples. However, the lack of theoretical underpinning makes this book more of a fun read than an educational one. My students often thought "wow, thats cool" without understanding the significance. I also found the avoidance of mathematical models troubling. This is a trend I have seen in the most recent Ricklefs' Ecology text as well (which I no longer use). Beautiful photos, easy to read, lots of examples, but much too watered down. I would give this book to my parents to read to understand animal behavior, but I wont use it for a college text again.

Ok. I take it back (send it back)
Every time I teach Animal Behaviour I swear that I am going to change texts "the next time" -and every time UNTIL NOW my students have said that they REALLY liked Alcock, well, the latest edition changes all that. As other reviewers have noted (and for reasons that escape me) Alcock has allowed his publisher to "dumb down" the text into a bland "pretty face" that turned students off in droves. As I moved through each chapter I kept thinking "How could someone as smart & interesting as Alcock make so many cool subjects so BORING?" Previous editions convince me that it ain't him, so it must be the publisher. Margins are huge, more and more gratuitous "illustrations" clutter up the text & break one's stream of thought, and by mid-term I essentially threw up my hands, apologized to the class & went to using the original primary sources with the book as a marginal reference for those that got lost. If you have a huge lecture course full of unimaginative students who want to take one & one only Behaviour course so that they can say that they have "done Behaviour" then this text is probably perfect for you, otherwise I would suggest haunting used book shops for past editions or going straight to the literature. the whole thing reminds me of "New Coke" -a marketing scheme that ignored its market. Alcock is an excellent scholar and in the past his book has been a great source of original material which I have encouraged my students to have on their shelves as a reference source,but this is a shame.

Step backwards
Alcock's 'Animal behavior: an evolutionary approach' editions 1 through 6 have come to dominate the field. Edition 7 (without the 'evolutionary approach' on the cover) is a step backwards. The page size is larger with much white space and the pictures have been artistically coloured. Some pictures are there for entertainment and are biologically wrong (flip) p372 the asymmetric pseudoscorpion with a leg and a pedipalp segment missing. There is significantly less content (at least 20% less on the sample of pages I measured). The language is simpler, sometimes at a cost in precision. Some explanations have become 'textbook glib' where attention could/should have been drawn to the fragility of evidence (e.g. it's about time someone pointed out the influence of a single point on Baker & Bellis' human mate guarding results (p476 Fig 15 this edition)) other examples p344 - the suicidal male redback spider - fails to consider mating strategies in other closely related Latrodectus sp. and the observation the fatal flip breaks the embolus, sealing the female's reproductive tract. etc., etc.
The redesign, pretty pictures and reduction in content seems to come at the expense of a marked price hike.
In content the book is now closer to Krebs & Davies 'An introduction to behavioural ecology' which needs to be considered as an alternative for textbook adoption.
In favour of the new style is that a sample of students preferred this book on appearance.

A great book!
This is a really great book for a thorough introduction to animal behavior. It's well written and well documented. One of its strengths is that, unlike some texts in behavioral ecology, it provides good coverage of the proximate mechanisms underlying patterns of animal behavior. ... Read more

Book Description

By identifying the structure of DNA, the molecule of life, Francis Crick and James Watson revolutionized biochemistry and won themselves a Nobel Prize. At the time, Watson was only twenty-four, a young scientist hungry to make his mark. His uncompromisingly honest account of the heady days of their thrilling sprint against other world-class researchers to solve one of science's greatest mysteries gives a dazzlingly clear picture of a world of brilliant scientists with great gifts, very human ambitions, and bitter rivalries. With humility unspoiled by false modesty, Watson relates his and Crick's desperate efforts to beat Linus Pauling to the Holy Grail of life sciences, the identification of the basic building block of life. Never has a scientist been so truthful in capturing in words the flavor of his work. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Double Helix....Stairway to Genetics
I found the book to be the complete antithesis to the expected writings hidden behind the scientific cover. Watson and his clan's quest for the helixical structure of DNA made for an entertaining voyage within these pages. Unexpectedly, as many scientific based books that I have been privy to read lately, this book was very approachable, dare I say readable. The exploits recounted by Watson were very entertaining; they could even be considered witty and humorous although it was biosciences humor. The teamwork and competition aspects of the discovery of the double helix were unexpected but welcomed because I felt that they were the driving forces behind the people. I was impressed by Watson, Crick and Franklin all bringing something to the proverbial table even though I found it a tad bit lucky or coincidental, but that is how these things work sometimes. This, accompanied with the race against Linus Pauling (already a recognized scientist of the time) helped lend to an educational, insightful and entertaining few hours of reading about the basic structure of all of us. I felt like I took a little something with me when I was finished with this work.......and I do mean literally.

REVIEW FOR PROFESSOR STEINER.
The Double Helix, by James D. Watson is a great book. I have learned a lot by reading this book. It is a simple book that contains lots of humor. I have discovered that Watson is a smart, but at the same time funny, while competing with an admired scientist, Linus Pauling. Watson makes the book fun to read because he conveys his process vividly and shows how important DNA is to the world. All of this started in a dumpy, worn down chemical lab at Cambridge University called "The Cavendish." Watson was interested in investigating the structure of DNA to gain more insight into genetics. James Watson shows that his discovery was also part of Francis Crick, his partner that helped him. However, Crick was sometimes not very helpful because he wondered off. Watson had to get use to the structure of Cambridge where they had meals and everyone sat together on a special table on an elevated platform and were expected to engage in an enlightened conversation. I also like the part where Watson is honest by showing his ignorance on X-ray crystallographic techniques. I also enjoy the sarcasm in chapter 15 where they say, "After Pauling's success, no one could claim that faith in helices implied anything but an uncomplicated brain." Also the information from page 83 describes that ratio of bases of DNA: where A-T and C-G, which is what I have learned in class. Therefore, I believe that The Double Helix is a great book worth reading because it does not contain much technical terms and is also a short book that will show important the discovery of DNA was and still is to the world.

Important Discover...but not the most invigorating book
Ok. I'm giving this book a 4 because of the importance of the discover of the structure of DNA. In terms of actual reading material, however, I'd probably give it a 2 or 3. I do believe that James Watson is a great scientist, but he is not writer. His writing style is only adequete and far from interesting and he really doesn't do a great job of putting interest into the subject matter. Someone who does not have at least a little background in the general concepts or biology/organic chemistry/physics will probably not get much out of this book.

Now on to the science side of the book. Watson describes the various events that took place while he, Franscis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin worked on discovering the structure of DNA. Again, Watson does not really put much vigor into these events but does describe them realistically (science can't always do interesting). He focuses on his relationship with Crick, battles with Franklin, and competetion with Linus Pauling--the Nobel prize winning chemist who ironically get the structure of DNA wrong. Through his writing, Watson at times reveals his pompousness and his ignorance of certain scientific concepts, but overall shows his devout eagerness of discovery.

I would say that this is an important book to read if you are at all interested in science. However, it is probably too boring for just a fun read.

Not a Science Nerd
Science and I have never been on a level playing field. We go together like jalapenos and cheesecake. When the opportunity arose to do extra credit for my biology class, I was ecstatic. That is until I found out exactly what the assignment was. I had to read a book, a scientific one of course, from a list compiled by my instructor, write a review, and post it on here on Amazon. If I wasn't so desperate for the extra points I would have torn that book list into a million pieces, but describing my need for an A as desperate would be an understatement. Naturally, I chose the book with the least amount of pages, James Watson's Double Helix. The title alone made me drowsy. I was in for a big surprise, though. I actually enjoyed the book and even learned a little bit in the process. The story was extremely well told and I found myself eagerly awaiting the answer to Mr. Watson's burning question, "What does DNA look like?"
James Watson was en exceptionally intelligent man, as was clearly demonstrated in his book by his eloquent writing style, extensive vocabulary, and impressive syntax. He was, however, not an intimidating scientist, which allowed me to relate to his story with ease. Watson was full of ideas, a quick study, and very receptive to the work of his superiors, but at the time of his brilliant discovery, he was merely a student, fighting to get funded for his research. He had studied biology, chemistry, and physics, but was not particularly fond of any of them. Unfortunately, Mr. Watson was at a disadvantage because all three disciplines were the building blocks for understanding the composition and structure of DNA.
Although James Watson was funded to research viruses while away in England, his immediate fascination with DNA quickly derailed his educational focus, and with several incorrect theories about DNA already spread, he was unquestionably discouraged from his desired area of study. The entire book boasted his bliss and reverence, having met and worked with some of the worlds most famous and respected scientists. Watson was clever enough to draw knowledge from each of them which assisted him throughout the stages of the project.
The best part about reading the book was that while I was devouring my literature, my Biology professor was covering DNA and genetics in class. I felt like the smartest kid in the world because I truly understood all the material he was discussing, thanks to Mr. Watson. The novel included supportive illustrations which assisted me in following some of the more difficult language, such as nitrogenous bases, and phosphate groups. I was astounded to know that I had a firm grasp of a minute portion of the scientific world.
I thought the book was great primarily because I could understand it. While it may sound facetious, it's absolutely true. Unless you love science, the terminology involved sounds completely foreign. I was utterly terrified just thinking about how I was going to attempt to comprehend my newfound author. My fright was quickly put to ease as I turned each page. Initially I was dreading reading a few pages per night, and soon found myself reading five chapters a night and finished the book, in its entirety, within just a few days. I would undeniably recommend this book to anyone like me who feels inferior when it comes to the sciences. It is a superb account of a scientific breakthrough intertwined with a story of friendship, inspiration, competition, and triumph.

Shame on you, "Doctor" Watson
Shame on Watson for "taking" data from Rosalind Franklin and not even acknowledging it. My wife and I watched the Nova program "Secret of Photo 51" and was outraged. This book is a how Watson would like the world to believe how HE discovers the structure of DNA. Stanford refused to publish this book. Watson's ethics is questionable.

If you read this, make sure you read the books about Rosalind Franklin also in order to get the truth. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Why Sex is Sex
There is a minor truth-in-advertising issue regarding Why Is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human Sexuality, by physiologist Jared Diamond: The title question is never really addressed. The true theme seems to be How Sex Came to be Sex as We Know It. Not that this isn't interesting in its own right, of course. It's just that the original question is worthy of discussion too.

Why is Sex Fun? reads like a lecture series rather than a book. Apparently intended to provide the reader with an overview of the latest thinking on the evolutionary aspects of the subject, this short work includes sections on different sexual (and mate) selection strategies employed by males and females (presumably based on unequal "investments" in the methods of getting one's genes into the next generation); lactation (why milk is produced by females, but not, as a rule, males); how and why humans, almost uniquely, came to engage in engage in recreational sex; the unequal domestic roles played by males and females, particularly in child rearing; female menopause (which is, again, nearly unique to humans); and sexual signaling (Diamond considers penis length in human males to be a prime example, but not necessarily a signal directed at females).

As fascinating as these subjects are, there is much more that is left out. Any full discussion of human sexuality, especially with the high-order concept of "fun" in its presumed abstract, needs to deal with that odd species' whole gamut of non-procreational expression: homosexuality, old-age love, and sex-as-power, for non-inclusive example. But Why is Sex Fun? treats the very large subject of recreational sex only from the "selfish gene" point of view. Even then, there is at least one major methodological criticism: Most evolutionary biologists and evolutionary psychologists go to great lengths to bring out the importance of "ancestral environment". That is, gene-based behavioral tendencies have evolved over a great deal of time, so it doesn't do a lot of good to consider them only from the standpoint of a modern participant. This problem crops up in Diamond's discussion of male hunting strategies. In a modern hunter-gatherer society, men typically go for the "big kill" (a large mammal, for instance), while women are more content to gather roots and so on. Diamond makes the point that the male strategy makes no sense nutritionally, so the answer must be found in differential sexual strategies. However, the possibility is not mentioned that hunting patterns may have evolved when big game was, in fact, rather more plentiful than it is today.

All this is a pity, because we know, from the author's other works (especially the wonderfully told Guns, Germs, and Steel), that he is quite capable of a fully formed presentation. Sex deserves it.

Why This Book is Fun
This short work by the author of the classic "Guns, Germs, and Steel" seeks to explain the evolutionary paths of distinctive human sexual characteristics. It does not, however, attempt to explain all sexual behavior in humans, focusing instead on general sexual behavior between men and women. Masturbation, homosexuality, and many other types of sexual behavior are not touched upon here, so if you find any of them fun, you will have to look elsewhere for reasons explaining why.

Humans have several sexual traits that, even if not unique, are still highly unusual in animal species -- concealed ovulation in females, near constant female receptivity to sex, recreational sex, and female menopause. Diamond shows the most likely evolutionary explanations for why humans possess these traits. Some of the explanations are more plausible than others, but almost all of the arguments are interesting to read.

As usual, Diamond writes well; the book is clear and concise and can be finished in an evening. Also, as usual, Diamond can't help but let his politics show in his writing; in one chapter, he gives a bizarre boost to male lactation and the notion that men might someday help their wives breastfeed their young.

Weak as lolly water...
Why are others so impressed with this book? Beats the heck outa me - the book is *speculative* - and the author admits it right up front in the preface. Yet I have seen it referred to as an authority on sexuality - go figure.

Diamond spends much time discussing the sexual habits of other species but never really shows why this is relevant or instructive in connection with human sexuality. He demonstrates that human sexuality is different from that of other species: But so what? How does that advance our understanding of sexuality in humans? Diamond is unable or unwilling to elucidate. A strictly lightweight book suitable only as a coffee table decoration.

The bottom line: The author does not even answer his own question posed in the title. Why is sex fun? Read this and you will be none the wiser...

A quickie from Diamond
A short, fun book from physiologist Diamond. Not up to the standard of the Third Chimpanzee or Guns, germs and steel, but a worthwile addition to the Science Masters series

A fun read, but not as fun as sex!
While reading this book, one cannot help but compare it with Diamond's earlier works, in particular, Guns, germs and steel (GGS). While GGS comes across as a work of a life time, this book seems hastily written, to cash in on GGS's fame. Now, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of interesting trivia that you end up learning about sexuality: both human and animal. However, the fundamental theme of "Why sex is fun?" seems to be lost amidst all the interesting trivia. The facts, theories and hypotheses about sexuality in the book resemble more a program on MTV with fast and random style editing and closeup shots that lacks a principally sound story. Having said all this, I would still recommend that the book be read, since it throws interesting light on a topic that occupies a good part of human thought and behavior: Sex. ... Read more

Book Description

What Brian Greene did for string theory, Sean Carroll—a leading biologist—does for Evo Devo.

Evo Devo is evolutionary developmental biology, the third revolution in evolutionary biology. The first was marked by the publication of The Origin of Species. The second occurred in the early twentieth century, when Darwin's theories were merged with the study of genetics. Now the insights of Evo Devo are astonishing the biology world by showing how the endless forms of animals—butterflies and zebras, trilobites and dinosaurs, apes and humans, are made and evolved.

Perhaps the most surprising finding of Evo Devo is the discovery that a small number of primitive genes led to the formation of fundamental organs and appendages in all animal forms. The gene that causes humans to form arms and legs is the same gene that causes birds and insects to form wings, and fish to form fins; similarly, one ancient gene has led to the creation of eyes across the animal kingdom. Changes in the way this ancient tool kit of genes is used have created all the diversity that surrounds us.

Sean Carroll is the ideal author to lead the curious on this intellectual adventure—he is the acknowledged leader of the field, and his seminal discoveries have been featured in Time and The New York Times. 16 pages of color and 100 black-and-white illustrations. ... Read more