This book in Master Books Exploring series is a fascinating look at life--from the smallest proteins and spores, to the complex life systems of humans and animals.

Our previous book, About Life, concerned modern biology. We used our present-day understanding of cells to ‘define’ the living state, providing a basis for exploring several general-interest topics: the origin of life, extraterrestrial life, intelligence, and the possibility that humans are unique. The ideas we proposed in About Life were intended as starting-points for debate – we did not claim them as ‘truth’ – but the information on which they were based is currently accepted as ‘scientific fact’. What does that mean? What is ‘scientific fact’ and why is it accepted? What is science – and is biology like other sciences such as physics (except in subject m- ter)? The book you are now reading investigates these questions – and some related ones. Like About Life, it may particularly interest a reader who wishes to change career to biology and its related subdisciplines. In line with a recommendation by the British Association for the Advancement of Science – that the public should be given fuller information about the nature of science – we present the concepts underpinning biology and a survey of its historical and philosophical basis.

The papers in this volume represent original work to celebrate the centenary of the American Society of Zoologists. They illustrate the impressive nature of historical scholarship that has subsequently focused on the development of biology in the United States.

Every day it seems the media focus on yet another new development in biology--gene therapy, the human genome project, the creation of new varieties of animals and plants through genetic engineering. These possibilities have all emanated from molecular biology. A History of Molecular Biology is a complete but compact account for a general readership of the history of this revolution. Michel Morange, himself a molecular biologist, takes us from the turn-of-the-century convergence of molecular biology's two progenitors, genetics and biochemistry, to the perfection of gene splicing and cloning techniques in the 1980s. Drawing on the important work of American, English, and French historians of science, Morange describes the major discoveries--the double helix, messenger RNA, oncogenes, DNA polymerase--but also explains how and why these breakthroughs took place. The book is enlivened by mini-biographies of the founders of molecular biology: Delbrück, Watson and Crick, Monod and Jacob, Nirenberg. This ambitious history covers the story of the transformation of biology over the last one hundred years; the transformation of disciplines: biochemistry, genetics, embryology, and evolutionary biology; and, finally, the emergence of the biotechnology industry. An important contribution to the history of science, A History of Molecular Biology will also be valued by general readers for its clear explanations of the theory and practice of molecular biology today. Molecular biologists themselves will find Morange's historical perspective critical to an understanding of what is at stake in current biological research.

A practice-oriented survey of techniques for computational modeling and simulation suitable for a broad range of biological problems. There are many excellent computational biology resources now available for learning about methods that have been developed to address specific biological systems, but comparatively little attention has been paid to training aspiring computational biologists to handle new and unanticipated problems. This text is intended to fill that gap by teaching students how to reason about developing formal mathematical models of biological systems that are amenable to computational analysis. It collects in one place a selection of broadly useful models, algorithms, and theoretical analysis tools normally found scattered among many other disciplines. It thereby gives the aspiring student a bag of tricks that will serve him or her well in modeling problems drawn from numerous subfields of biology. These techniques are taught from the perspective of what the practitioner needs to know to use them effectively, supplemented with references for further reading on more advanced use of each method covered. The text, which grew out of a class taught at Carnegie Mellon University, covers models for optimization, simulation and sampling, and parameter tuning. These topics provide a general framework for learning how to formulate mathematical models of biological systems, what techniques are available to work with these models, and how to fit the models to particular systems. Their application is illustrated by many examples drawn from a variety of biological disciplines and several extended case studies that show how the methods described have been applied to real problems in biology.

Four titles from the best-selling Exploring Series are combined for a full year of study. Exploring the World of Mathematics focuses on mathematical history and insights, Exploring the World of Physics covers both historical discoveries and the latest advances, Exploring the World of Biology relates the amazing world of life God created, and Exploring the World of Chemistry teaches the basics of chemistry, as well as the accounts of powerful discoveries and discoverers throughout history. Combined with the Parent Lesson Plan, you will have a detailed calendar for each week of study, reproducible worksheets, quizzes and tests, and answers keys to help grade all assignments. Survey of Science History & Concepts Course Description Students will study four areas of science: Scientific Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. Students will gain an appreciation for how each subject has affected our lives and for the people God revealed wisdom to as they sought to understand Creation. Each content area is thoroughly explored, giving students a good foundation in each discipline. Semester 1: Math and Physics Numbers surround us. Just try to make it through a day without using any. It’s impossible: telephone numbers, calendars, volume settings, shoe sizes, speed limits, weights, street numbers, microwave timers, TV channels, and the list goes on and on. The many advancements and branches of mathematics were developed through the centuries as people encountered problems and relied upon math to solve them. It’s amazing how ten simple digits can be used in an endless number of ways to benefit man. The development of these ten digits and their many uses is the fascinating story in Exploring the World of Mathematics. Physics is a branch of science that many people consider to be too complicated to understand. John Hudson Tiner puts this myth to rest as he explains the fascinating world of physics in a way that students can comprehend. Did you know that a feather and a lump of lead will fall at the same rate in a vacuum? Learn about the history of physics from Aristotle to Galileo to Isaac Newton to the latest advances. Discover how the laws of motion and gravity affect everything from the normal activities of everyday life to launching rockets into space. Learn about the effects of inertia firsthand during fun and informative experiments. Exploring the World of Physics is a great tool for student who want to have a deeper understanding of the important and interesting ways that physics affects our lives. Semester 2: Biology and Chemistry The field of biology focuses on living things, from the smallest microscopic protozoa to the largest mammal. In this book you will read and explore the life of plants, insects, arachnids, aquatic life, reptiles, birds, and mammals, all highlighting God’s amazing creation. You will learn about biological classification, how seeds spread around the world, long-term storage of energy, how biologists learned how the stomach digested food, the plant that gave George de Mestral the idea of Velcro, and so much more. For most of history, biologists used the visible appearance of plants or animals to classify them. They grouped plants or animals with similar-looking features into families. Starting in the 1990s, biologists have extracted DNA and RNA from cells as a guide to how plants or animals should be grouped. Like visual structures, these reveal the underlying design of creation. Exploring the World of Biology is a fascinating look at life — from the smallest proteins and spores to the complex life systems of humans and animals. Chemistry is an amazing branch of science that affects us every day, yet few people realize it or even give it much thought. Without chemistry, there would be nothing made of plastic, and there would be no rubber tires, no tin cans, no televisions, no microwave ovens, and no wax paper. This book presents an exciting and intriguing tour through the realm of chemistry as each chapter unfolds with facts and stories about the discoveries of discoverers. Find out why pure gold is not used for jewelry or coins. Join Humphry Davy as he made many chemical discoveries, and learn how they shortened his life. See how people in the 1870s could jump over the top of the Washington Monument. Exploring the World of Chemistry brings science to life and is a wonderful learning tool with many illustrations and biographical information.