50 Biology Ideas You Really Need to Know is your guide to the most significant and stimulating questions in the study of life.Why do species evolve? Can characteristics be inherited without DNA? Are all organisms made of cells? What makes us human? This book provides succinct answers to all these questions, and many more, in 50 lucid and engaging essays that cover both classic experiments and the latest research.From the mysteries of sex and sleep,...

Master the biology ideas that shape our living world.In a series of 50 accessible essays, JV Chamary introduces and explains the fundamental processes, ideas and theories that are vital to life on Earth.From the mysteries of sex and sleep to mass extinction and immunity, 50 Biology Ideas You Really Need to Know is a complete introduction to the most important biology conceptsin history.Contents include: Evolution, Genes, Homeostasis,...

We not only share nearly 99% of our genes with chimps, we also have some 35% in common with daffodils. Throughout much of the animal and even plant kingdoms, almost the same ancient genes code for almost the same proteins. And further, to everyone's astonishment, the genes involved in making the complex eyes of fruitflies are close matches to those involved in making the very different eyes of octopuses and people. So what leads to the nature's 'endless forms most beautiful'?The key...

Exam Board: EdexcelLevel: AS/A-levelSubject: BiologyFirst Teaching: September 2015First Exam: June 2016Endorsed by EdexcelSupports Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Biology B (9BI0) specificationBuild investigative skills, test understanding and apply biological theory to topical examples with this Edexcel Year 1 Student Book...

The extraordinary role of viruses in evolution and how this is revolutionising biology and medicine.Darwin's theory of evolution is still the greatest breakthrough in biological science. His explanation of the role of natural selection in driving the evolution of life on earth depended on steady variation of living things over time – but he was unable to explain how this variation occurred. In the 150 years since publication of the Origin of Species, we have discovered three main s...

Popular science at its most exciting: the breaking new world of chronobiology - understanding the rhythm of life in humans and all plants and animals. The entire natural world is full of rhythms. The early bird catches the worm -and migrates to an internal calendar. Dormice hibernate away the winter. Plants open and close their flowers at the same hour each day. Bees search out nectar-rich flowers day after day. There are cicadas that can breed for only two weeks every 17 years. And in hum...

Nearly four decades ago Richard Dawkins published The Selfish Gene, famously reducing humans to “survival machines” whose sole purpose was to preserve “the selfish molecules known as genes.” How these selfish genes work together to construct the organism, however, remained a mystery. Standing atop a wealth of new research, The Society of Genes now provides a vision of how genes cooperate and compete in the struggle for life.Pioneers in the nascent field of systems...

Two biologists tackle the unresolved question in the field of evolution: how have living organisms on Earth developed with such variety and complexity?In the 150 years since Darwin, the field of evolutionary biology has left a glaring gap in understanding how animals developed their astounding variety and complexity. The standard answer has been that small genetic mutations accumulate over time to produce wondrous innovations such as eyes and wings. Drawing on cutt...

How could a relatively simple chemical code give rise to the complexity of a human being? How could our human genome have evolved? And how does it actually work?Over the past 50 years we have deciphered the inner workings of the human genome. From the basic structure of DNA through to the complete sequence of the code, what first appeared to be simple is actually a complex and beautiful three-dimensional world that makes each of us who we are.In The Mysterious World of the ...

Provide clear guidance to the 2014 changes and ensure in-depth study with accessible content, directly mapped to the new syllabus and approach to learning.This second edition of the highly regarded textbook contains all SL and HL content, which is clearly identified throughout. Options are available free online, along with appendices and data and statistics.- Improve exam performance, with exam-style questions, including from past papers- Integrate The...

The complete DNA molecules comprising the human genome were deciphered two decades ago. With this discovery began a remarkable genomic voyage back in time yielding a new science of human evolution. We are just beginning to unravel our full genomic history and answering age-old questions about how and when we evolved. For the first time, we are finding our ancestors in our genome and gleaning tantalizing clues about our past. Molecular anthropologist Eugene E. Harris now gives us an updated...

From a single cell - a fertilized egg - comes an elephant, a fly, or a human. How does this astonishing feat happen? How does the egg 'know' what to become? How does it divide into the different cells, the separate tissues, the brain, the fingernail - every tiniest detail of the growing foetus? These are the questions that the field of developmental biology seeks to answer. It is an area that is closely linked to genetics, evolution, and molecular biology. The processes are deeply rooted i...