Life: The Science of Biology

Product Information

Discussion of COVID-19 pandemic is introduced in chapter 1, with further information also added to chapters 17, 19, 21, 24, 40, and 53. Data in Depth offers students a more in-depth exploration of the in-text "Work with Data" feature via interactive modules that further enhance scientific literacy skills via a host of interactive enhancements: data visualizations, experimental design, graphing, and mathematical calculations.

New Interactive Homework Assignments (improved from the older Activities content) drive conceptual understanding. Figure 1.3 Escherichia coli ( E. coli) bacteria, in this scanning electron micrograph, are normal residents of our digestive tracts that aid in absorbing vitamin K and other nutrients. However, virulent strains are sometimes responsible for disease outbreaks. (credit: Eric Erbe, digital colorization by Christopher Pooley, both of USDA, ARS, EMU) The Process of Science THE NEXT GREAT CHAPTER IN THE STORY OF LIFE The science of biology evolves. The science classroom and lab evolve. In this edition, as The Experiments and Work with the Data exercises highlight important research and instill the foundation of scientific investigation in students by always following the hypothesis–method–-results–conclusion framework.

At the library

Biology is subdivided into separate branches for convenience of study, though all the subdivisions are interrelated by basic principles. Thus, while it is custom to separate the study of plants ( botany) from that of animals ( zoology), and the study of the structure of organisms ( morphology) from that of function ( physiology), all living things share in common certain biological phenomena—for example, various means of reproduction, cell division, and the transmission of genetic material. There is not only unity of basic living substance and functioning but also unity of origin of all living things. According to a theory proposed in 1855 by German pathologist Rudolf Virchow, “all living cells arise from pre-existing living cells.” That theory appears to be true for all living things at the present time under existing environmental conditions. If, however, life originated on Earth more than once in the past, the fact that all organisms have a sameness of basic structure, composition, and function would seem to indicate that only one original type succeeded.

The 12th edition of Life: The Science of Biology continues to be engaging, active, and focused on teaching the skills that students need to master. New pedagogical features support the mission of Life by teaching students the skills and understanding of experimentation and data they need to succeed in introductory biology and ultimately in their future STEM careers. Life's potent combination of expertly crafted pedagogy and engagement makes this new edition the best resource yet for biology students. are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written Learning objectivesguide students to the essential content as they read through each Key Concept section.Recaps for each Key Concept include Questions (all Bloom's levels 2-4) that test their mastery of the key concept. Also avalable, Volume Splits:—paperbound in full color!Volume I: The Cell and Heredity (Chapters 1-20)

Engaging content helps students take the learning into their own hands. ‘Investigating Life’ narrative thread weaves through the chapter from the initial story at the beginning to the question sets at the end that reinforce the concepts and the synthesis and future directions. The materials and methods section includes a complete and accurate description of the substances the researchers use, and the method and techniques they use to gather data. The description should be thorough enough to allow another researcher to repeat the experiment and obtain similar results, but it does not have to be verbose. This section will also include information on how the researchers made measurements and the types of calculations and statistical analyses they used to examine raw data. Although the materials and methods section gives an accurate description of the experiments, it does not discuss them. From the first edition to the present, Life has set the standard for being the most balanced experimentally-based introductory biology text. Life has always presented how we know (the process of science through experiments) as well as what we know (facts derived from these experiments). The new edition builds on this legacy, again teaching fundamental concepts and the latest developments by taking students step by step through the research that revealed them. To achieve this, all of the Ninth Edition’s innovations—new authorship, new and reororganized chapters, new experimental content, enhanced features, reinvisioned art, and new media tools—are focused on giving students and instructors the best tools for bringing the best of biological research and applications into the introductory majors biology course.The 12th edition of Life: The Science of Biology continues to be engaging, active, and focused on teaching the skills that students need to master. New pedagogical features work in conjunction with powerful updates to the online suite of materials in LaunchPad to support the mission of Life by teaching students the skills and understanding of experimentation and data they need to succeed in introductory biology and ultimately in their future STEM careers. Life's potent combination of expertly crafted media, assessment, pedagogy and engagement makes this new edition the best resource yet for biology students. Students needing extra practice with data analysis can use the Online Companions to every Work with the Data exercise in the book.

There is no complete agreement when it comes to defining what the natural sciences include, however. For some experts, the natural sciences are astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics. Other scholars choose to divide natural sciences into life sciences, which study living things and include biology, and physical sciences, which study nonliving matter and include astronomy, geology, physics, and chemistry. Some disciplines such as biophysics and biochemistry build on both life and physical sciences and are interdisciplinary. Some refer to natural sciences as “hard science” because they rely on the use of quantitative data. Social sciences that study society and human behavior are more likely to use qualitative assessments to drive investigations and findings. Figure 1.5 Historians credit Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626) as the first to define the scientific method. (credit: Paul van Somer)

While this “warm classroom” example is based on observational results, other hypotheses and experiments might have clearer controls. For instance, a student might attend class on Monday and realize she had difficulty concentrating on the lecture. One observation to explain this occurrence might be, “When I eat breakfast before class, I am better able to pay attention.” The student could then design an experiment with a control to test this hypothesis. Data in Depth offers students a more in-depth exploration of the in-text “Work with Data” feature via interactive modules that further enhance scientific literacy skills via a host of interactive enhancements: data visualizations, experimental design, graphing, and mathematical calculations. Achieve is more than just an online homework system—it’s a full online learning system. Studies show that a more structured course that includes smaller and more frequent assignments benefits students who are less prepared for the course without hindering well prepared students. Achieve supports that structure by providing content for all aspects of your course including pre-class preparation, in-class active learning, and post-class homework and assessment. These areas of study are still sciences, however. Consider archaeology—even though one cannot perform repeatable experiments, hypotheses may still be supported. For instance, archaeologists can hypothesize that an ancient culture existed based on finding a piece of pottery. They could make further hypotheses about various characteristics of this culture, which could be correct or false through continued support or contradictions from other findings. A hypothesis may become a verified theory. A theory is a tested and confirmed explanation for observations or phenomena. Therefore, we may be better off to define science as fields of study that attempt to comprehend the nature of the universe. Natural Sciences