This inter-disciplinary guide to the thermodynamics of living organisms has been thoroughly revised and updated to provide a uniquely integrated overview of the subject. Retaining its highly readable style, it will serve as an introduction to the study of energy transformation in the life sciences and particularly as an accessible means for biology, biochemistry and bioengineering undergraduate students to acquaint themselves with the physical dimension of their subject. The emphasis throughout the text is on understanding basic concepts and developing problem-solving skills. The mathematical difficulty increases gradually by chapter, but no calculus is required. Topics covered include energy and its transformation, the First Law of Thermodynamics, Gibbs free energy, statistical thermodynamics, binding equilibria and reaction kinetics. Each chapter comprises numerous illustrative examples taken from different areas of biochemistry, as well as a broad range of exercises and references for further study.

"Yet another cell and molecular biology book? At the very least, you would think that if I was going to write a textbook, I should write one in an area that really needs one instead of a subject that already has multiple excellent and definitive books. So, why write this book, then? First, it's a course that I have enjoyed teaching for many years, so I am very familiar with what a student really needs to take away from this class within the time constraints of a semester. Second, because it is a course that many students take, there is a greater opportunity to make an impact on more students' pocketbooks than if I were to start off writing a book for a highly specialized upper- level course. And finally, it was fun to research and write, and can be revised easily for inclusion as part of our next textbook, High School Biology."--Open Textbook Library.

Enrico Di Cera, a rising star in biophysics, has organized a superb group of authors to write substantial chapters covering the most exciting and central issues relating to the bioenergetic aspects of proteins, nucleic acids, and their interactions. Topics covered in this book are protein and nucleic acid folding and stability, enzyme-substrate interactions, prediction of the affinity of complexes, electrostatics, and non-equilibrium aspects of protein function. The breadth of the topics covered in this book illustrates the growing importance of thermodynamic approaches in the study of biological phenomena. The book should be of wide interest to biophysicists, biochemists, and structural biologists.

Molecular Driving Forces, Second Edition E-book is an introductory statistical thermodynamics text that describes the principles and forces that drive chemical and biological processes. It demonstrates how the complex behaviors of molecules can result from a few simple physical processes, and how simple models provide surprisingly accurate insights into the workings of the molecular world. Widely adopted in its First Edition, Molecular Driving Forces is regarded by teachers and students as an accessible textbook that illuminates underlying principles and concepts. The Second Edition includes two brand new chapters: (1) "Microscopic Dynamics" introduces single molecule experiments; and (2) "Molecular Machines" considers how nanoscale machines and engines work. "The Logic of Thermodynamics" has been expanded to its own chapter and now covers heat, work, processes, pathways, and cycles. New practical applications, examples, and end-of-chapter questions are integrated throughout the revised and updated text, exploring topics in biology, environmental and energy science, and nanotechnology. Written in a clear and reader-friendly style, the book provides an excellent introduction to the subject for novices while remaining a valuable resource for experts.

Biology for AP® courses covers the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester Advanced Placement® biology course. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology for AP® Courses was designed to meet and exceed the requirements of the College Board’s AP® Biology framework while allowing significant flexibility for instructors. Each section of the book includes an introduction based on the AP® curriculum and includes rich features that engage students in scientific practice and AP® test preparation; it also highlights careers and research opportunities in biological sciences.

Entropy for Biologists: An Introduction to Thermodynamics is an introductory book for people in the life sciences who wish to master the concepts of thermal physics without being forced to a degree and rate of symbol manipulation which is foreign to their patterns of thought. The book opens with a chapter on temperature, followed by separate chapters that discuss the concepts of energy, kinetic theory, total energy, the second law of thermodynamics, entropy, and probability and information theory. Subsequent chapters deal with statistical mechanics and its relation to thermodynamics, free-energy functions, applications of the Gibbs free energy and the Gibbs chemical potential, and measurement in thermal physics. The book is primarily directed at those graduate and advanced undergraduate students of biology and biochemistry who wish to develop a sense of confidence about their understanding of the thermal physics which will be useful in pursuing their work. It may also prove useful to professionals who wish to bolster their knowledge in this area.

This novel, interdisciplinary text presents biological understanding in terms of general underlying principles, treating energy as the overarching theme and emphasizing the all-pervading influence of energy transformation in every process, both living and non-living. Key processes and concepts are explained in turn, culminating in a description of the overall functioning and regulation of a living cell. The book rounds off the story of life with a brief account of the endosymbiotic origins of eukaryotic cells, the development of multicellularity, and the emergence of modern plants and animals. Multidisciplinary research in science is becoming commonplace. However, as traditional boundaries start to break down, researchers are increasingly aware of the deficiencies in their knowledge of related disciplines. Introducing Biological Energetics redresses the reciprocal imbalance in the knowledge levels of physical and biological scientists in particular. Its style of presentation and depth of treatment has been carefully designed to unite these two readerships.