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Molecular Biology Made Simple and Fun, Third Edition
vBulletin Book Store > vBulletin books beginning with M
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Molecular Biology Made Simple and Fun, Third Edition |
Author: David P. Clark
Published: 2005-04-30 |
List price: $49.95
Our price: $44.95
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As of: December 01st, 2008 08:04:50 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Most excellent introduction to molecular biology and especially genetics IMHO.
This book fit my expectations perfectly. I'm an IT guy working at a biotech, looking to become familiar with subject matter in which I need to help design supporting databases. I'm also just in possession of an inquisitive mind! It covered a reasonably large amount of material in molecular biology and especially genetics at a layman's level. You won't need an extensive background and knowledge in organic chemistry, biology, physiology, etc. to comprehend the material. It isn't filled with mathematical equations and chemical formulae. Instead, it contains a lot of helpful illustrations. The author has thoughtfully highlighted key words so I don't have to, and repeated the definitions of these key words in the margins. I would leave it to more knowledgeable experts in the field to assess just how deep the material really is. IMO though, if you're looking for a good introductory read that seems to go fairly deep down the rabbit hole, but is easy-to-read all the way down, then I highly recommend this book.
This is a great book not basic but understandable
I am still working my way through this book but am very satisfied with the level. It is a great supporting text for reading and understanding a molecular biology text book like Watson's.
Outstanding educator resource
Biotechnology: A Comprehensive Curriculum Guide for a One Semester Course at the High School (grades 11-12) or Community College Level
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br /This book was a life saver as I developed a biotechnology curriculum for grades 11-12. Not only is the information readable, it is presented in a "light" and humorous manner which makes high school students more likely to actually read the assignments! I used this as a primary resource and list it in my own Biotechnology Curriculum guide as a must have.
Terrific
I am a biostatistician in the molecular diagnostic field. I have very little training in molecular biology. This book is a great help for me to get the basics in order to communicate better with my bioloist colleagues. I can not recommend highly enough.
Accessible introduction to a complex field
This book is advertised as a text for the lay person that can also serve as a textbook for levels ranging from high school to graduate school. Unfortunately, this is a drawback, as the book tries to be all things to all people. The book is written in a conversational style and makes use of numerous cartoon drawings in its explanations. Most of the diagrams are very helpful. However, some drawings are somewhat juvenile and cheesy with faces drawn on enzymes, for example. Extra wide margins contain definitions of words used in the adjacent text as well as occasional jokes and anecdotes. Molecular terms are redefined whenever they are used, so you can skip around in the book with no problem understanding what is being presented.
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br /The introductory chapter compares the molecular biology revolution with the industrial revolution. The next few chapters review bacteria, basic genetics, and the molecular basis of heredity. These are followed by chapters on the basics of DNA replication, transcription, and proteins. All these fundamentals are very well covered, and the diagrams illustrate the points well.
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br /The next few chapters review various techniques including gene transfer in bacteria, with subjects such as transformation and plasmids being well covered. There is also coverage of DNA manipulation including purification, restriction enzymes, and agarose gel electrophoresis. Other chapters concerning methodology cover PCR and DNA sequencing. There is a very good chapter on transgenics that includes micro-injection, knock-outs, and reporter genes. One chapter is devoted specifically to the techniques of molecular biology. This contains a rather brief overview of a wide array of techniques such as bandshift assays, detection systems, FACS, and RFLP that could easily have been expanded. Other chapters focus on the applied side of molecular technology with discussions of topics such as biotechnology products and forensic medicine. The book also brings the subject matter home with very good chapters on inherited diseases as well as cancer and aging, and shows how biology at the molecular level comes into play in each of these matters.
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br /Overall, there is a strong emphasis on DNA at the expense of RNA. Similarly, there is not much information on protein analysis. Even the authors cannot keep up with the speed of the molecular biology revolution, since a number of current popular techniques, such as differential display and quantitative PCR, are only briefly mentioned or are not even included.
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br /Overall, Molecular Biology Made Simple and Fun contains" some useful information, especially with respect to DNA techniques and applications. This book would probably be most applicable as a supplementary textbook for an introductory college class on molecular biology or as a reference guide to look up unfamiliar molecular techniques, such as ones that might be encountered in journal articles. I think it might be too advanced for high school students. I found it a fairly accessible read and very informative, and my background is in engineering and computer science, not biology, other than what I took as a college undergraduate. I highly recommend it.
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br /The table of contents is as folows:
br /1. Introduction.
br /2. Bacteria: The Molecular BIologists's Guinea Pigs
br /3. Basic Genetics
br /4. Required Reading: The Molecular Basis of Heredity
br /5. Duplicating the DNA: Replication.
br /6. Getting the Message Out: Transcription of Genes to Produce Messenger RNA
br /7. Proteins: The Buck Stops Here
br /8. Gene Transfer in Bacteria
br /9. Messing About with DNA
br /10. Products from BIotechnology
br /11. Genetic Organization in Higher Organisms
br /12. Mutations: Things That Go Bump in the Night
br /13. Inherited Human Disease
br /14. Cancer and Aging
br /15. Down on the Farm: Transgenic Plants and Animals
br /16. Just Do It! Techniques of Molecular BIology
br /17. PCR: The Polymerase Chain Reaction and Its Many Uses
br /18. Whodunit? Forensic Medicine and Molecular Biology
br /19. Gene Creatures, Part I: Viruses, Viroids and Plasmids
br /20. Gene Creatures, Part II: Jumping Genes and Junk DNA
br /21. Biological Warfare
br /22. The Molecular Defense Initiative: Your Immune System at Work
br /23. Sequencing DNA
br /24. Molecular Evolution: Memories of "The Way We Were"
br /25. Classification: BIology for the Neurotic and the Obsessive-Compulsive
br /26. A Brief History of Molecular Biology
br /27. Molecular Biology: A Millenial Update
br /28. What Was Said - What Was Meant: Understanding a Seminar in Molecular Biology.
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