Pearson eText Biology Science for Life -- Access Card

Biology: Science for Life weaves a compelling storyline throughout each chapter, grabbing your attention with current high-interest topics such as genetic testing, global warming and the Zika virus. With this approach, you'll learn the relevant biological principles behind each story and how science can help answer complex questions.

New and updated stories in the 6th Edition make biology concepts relevant?and interesting?by connecting them to stories you see in the news and decisions you make every day. And with The Big Question feature, you'll practice using data to critically evaluate information. Even if you don't plan to become a practicing biologist, you'll develop critical thinking skills you can use in making decisions about issues that affect your own life, including personal, social and ecological issues.?

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Colleen Belk and Virginia Borden Maier collaborated on teaching biology to nonmajors for over a decade at the University of Minnesota—Duluth. This collaboration has continued for an additional decade through Virginia’s move to St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, and has been enhanced by their differing but complementary areas of expertise. In addition to the nonmajors course, Colleen Belk teaches general biology for majors, genetics, cell biology, and molecular biology courses. Virginia Borden Maier teaches general biology for majors, evolutionary biology, zoology, plant biology, ecology, and conservation biology courses.

After several somewhat painful attempts at teaching the breadth of biology to non-majors in a single semester, the two authors came to the conclusion that they needed to find a better way. They realized that their students were more engaged when they understood how biology directly affected their lives. Colleen and Virginia began to structure their lectures around stories they knew would interest students. When they began letting the story drive the science, they immediately noticed a difference in student engagement and willingness to work harder at learning biology. Not only has this approach increased student understanding, but it has also increased the authors’ enjoyment in teaching the course—presenting students with fascinating stories infused with biological concepts is simply a lot more fun.

  1 Can Science Cure the Common Cold?

Introduction to the Scientific Method

1.1 The Process of Science

            The Nature of Hypotheses

            Scientific Theories

            The Logic of Hypothesis Tests

1.2 Hypothesis Testing

            The Experimental Method

            Controlled Experiments

            Minimizing Bias in Experimental Design

            Using Correlation to Test Hypotheses

1.3 Understanding Statistics

            What Statistical Tests Can Tell Us

            Factors that Influence Statistical Significance

            What Statistical Tests Cannot Tell Us

1.4 Evaluating Scientific Information

            Primary Sources

            Information from Anecdotes

            Science in the News

            Understanding Science from Secondary Sources

            Is There a Cure for the Common Cold?

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION How do I know what to believe?

 Review

UNIT ONE Chemistry and Cells

  2 Science Fiction, Bad Science, and Pseudoscience

Water, Biochemistry, and Cells

2.1 A Definition of Life

2.2 The Properties of Water

            The Structure of Water

            Water Is a Good Solvent

            Water Facilitates Chemical Reactions

            Water Moderates Temperature

            The Drinking-Water Hypothesis Requires More Substantiation

2.3 Chemistry for Biology Students

            Chemical Bonds

            The Bermuda Triangle Revisited

2.4 Biological Macromolecules

            Carbohydrates

            Proteins

            Lipids

            Nucleic Acids

            Dietary Macromolecules and Behavior

2.5 An Introduction to Evolutionary Theory

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Does balanced reporting help us draw more accurate conclusions?

 Review

  3 Is It Possible to Supplement Your Way to Better Performance and Health?

Nutrients and Membrane Transport

3.1 Nutrients

            Macronutrients

            Micronutrients

            Antioxidants

3.2 Cell Structure

            Plasma Membrane

            Subcellular Structures

3.3 Transport Across Membranes

            Passive Transport: Diffusion, Facilitated Diffusion, and Osmosis

            Active Transport: Pumping Substances across the Membrane

            Exocytosis and Endocytosis: Movement of Large Molecules across the Membrane

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Should I routinely use detox products?

 Review

  4 Body Weight and Health

Enzymes, Metabolism, and Cellular Respiration

4.1 Enzymes and Metabolism

            Enzymes

            Metabolism

4.2 Cellular Respiration

            Structure and Function of ATP

            Cellular Respiration

            Stages of Cellular Respiration

            Metabolism of Other Nutrients

            Metabolism without Oxygen: Anaerobic Respiration and Fermentation

4.3 Body Weight and Health

            Body Mass Index

            Underweight Is Unhealthy

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION How unhealthy is anorexia?

 Review

  5 Life in the Greenhouse

Photosynthesis and Climate Change

5.1 The Greenhouse Effect

            Earth Is a Greenhouse

            Water, Heat, and Temperature

5.2 The Flow of Carbon

5.3 Can Photosynthesis Slow Down Global Climate Change?

            Chloroplasts: The Site of Photosynthesis

            The Process of Photosynthesis

5.4 How High Temperatures Might Reduce Photosynthesis

5.5 How We Can Slow Global Climate Change

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Should global warming be kept below 4°C?

 Review

UNIT TWO Genetics

  6 Cancer

DNA Synthesis and Mitosis

6.1 What Is Cancer?

            Tumors Can Be Cancerous

            Risk Factors for Cancer

6.2 Passing Genes and Chromosomes to Daughter Cells

            Genes and Chromosomes

            DNA Replication

6.3 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis

            Interphase

            Mitosis

            Cytokinesis

6.4 Cancer Prevention, Detection, and Treatment

            Tumor Suppressors Help Prevent Cancer

            Cancer Detection

            Cancer Treatment

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Can I prevent myself from getting cancer?

 Review

  7 Fertility

Meiosis and Human Reproduction

7.1 Producing Sperm and Eggs: Meiosis

            Interphase

            Meiosis I

            Meiosis II

7.2 Problems with Meiosis and Lowered Fertility

7.3 Bringing Sperm and Egg Together

            Male Reproductive Anatomy

            Female Reproductive Anatomy

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Does marijuana use impair fertility?

 Review

  8 Does Testing Save Lives?

Mendelian Genetics

8.1 The Inheritance of Traits

            Genes and Chromosomes

            Producing Diversity in Offspring

8.2 Basic Mendelian Genetics: When the Role of Genes Is Clear

            Genotype and Phenotype

            Genetic Diseases in Humans

            Using Punnett Squares to Predict Offspring Genotypes

8.3 Extensions of Mendelian Genetics

8.4 Sex and Inheritance

            Sex Determination and X-Linkage

            Pedigrees

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Should there be universal screening for killer diseases?

 Review

  9 Biology of Wrongful Convictions

Complex Genetic Traits, Heritability, and DNA Profiling

9.1 Eyewitness Testimony and Complex Genetic Traits

            Polygenic Traits

            Quantitative Traits

9.2 Genes, Criminality, and Implicit Bias

            Studying Nature versus Nurture

            The Use and Misuse of Heritability

            Implicit Bias

9.3 Positive Identification

            DNA Profiling

            Polymerase Chain Reaction

Sounds Right, But Is It?

The Big Question Should the death penalty be abolished in the United States?

 Review

  10 Genetically Modified Organisms

Gene Expression, Mutation, Stem Cells, and Cloning

10.1 Protein Synthesis and Gene Expression

            From Gene to Protein

            Transcription

            Translation

            Mutations

            Gene Expression

10.2 Producing Recombinant Proteins

            Cloning a Gene Using Bacteria

            FDA Regulations

10.3 Genetically Modified Plants and Animals

            Modifying Crop Plants

            Modifying Animals

            Gene Editing Using CRISPR in Plants and Animals

10.4 Genetically Modified Humans

            Stem Cells

            Gene Therapy

            Gene Editing in Humans

            Cloning Humans

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Should anti-GMO activists give up the fight?

 Review

UNIT THREE Evolution

  11 Where Did We Come From?

The Evidence for Evolution

11.1 What Is Evolution?

            The Process of Evolution

            The Theory of Evolution

11.2 Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution

            Early Views of Evolution

            The Voyage of the Beagle

            Developing the Hypothesis of Common Descent

            Alternative Ideas on the Origins and Relationships among Organisms

11.3 Examining the Evidence for Common Descent

            Linnaean Classification

            Anatomical Homology

            Developmental Homologies

            Molecular Homology

            Biogeography

            The Fossil Record

11.4 Are Alternatives to the Theory of Evolution Equally Valid?

            Weighing the Alternatives

            The Best Scientific Explanation for the Diversity of Life

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Should high school biology teachers be required to “teach the controversy”?

 Review

  12 An Evolving Enemy

Natural Selection

12.1 Return of a Killer

            What Is Tuberculosis?

            Treatment–and Treatment Failure

12.2 Natural Selection Causes Evolution

            Darwin’s Observations

            Darwin’s Inference: Natural Selection Causes Evolution

            Testing Natural Selection

12.3 Natural Selection Since Darwin

            The Modern Synthesis

            The Subtleties of Natural Selection

            Patterns of Selection

12.4 Natural Selection and Human Health

            Tuberculosis Fits Darwin’s Observations

            Selecting for Drug Resistance

            Stopping Drug Resistance

            Can Natural Selection Save Us from Superbugs?

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Should I stop purchasing meats that are raised using antibiotics?

 Review

  13 Understanding Race

Speciation and Macroevolution

13.1 What Is a Species?

            The Biological Species Concept

            Speciation

            Isolation and Divergence of Gene Pools

            The Evolution of Reproductive Isolation

13.2 Are Human Races Biological?

            The History of Human Races

            The Morphological Species Concept

            Modern Humans: A History

            Genetic Evidence of Divergence

            Human Races Are Not Isolated Biological Groups

            Human Races Have Never Been Truly Isolated

13.3 Why Human Groups Differ

            Natural Selection

            Convergent Evolution

            Genetic Drift

            Sexual Selection

            Assortative Mating

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Are affirmative action policies that favor black students applying for college admission good public policy?

 Review

  14 The Greatest Species on Earth?

Biodiversity and Classification

14.1 Biological Classification

            How Many Species Exist?

            Domains of Life

14.2 The Diversity of Life

            The Domains Bacteria and Archaea

            The Origin of the Domain Eukarya

            The Protista

            Kingdom Animalia

            Kingdom Fungi

            Kingdom Plantae

            Not Quite Living: Viruses

14.3 Learning about Species

            Reconstructing Evolutionary History

            The Greatest Species on Earth

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Should lab mice and rats have the same rights as other nonhuman animals?

 Review

UNIT FOUR Ecology

  15 Is the Human Population Too Large?

Population Ecology

15.1 Population Growth

            Population Structure

            Exponential Population Growth

            The Demographic Transition

15.2 Limits to Population Growth

            Carrying Capacity and Logistic Growth

            Earth’s Carrying Capacity for Humans

15.3 The Future of the Human Population

            A Possible Population Crash?

            Avoiding Disaster

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Should the international community continue to provide food aid to populations experiencing food crises?

 Review

  16 Conserving Biodiversity

Community and Ecosystem Ecology

16.1 The Sixth Extinction

            Measuring Extinction Rates

            Causes of Extinction

16.2 The Consequences of Extinction

            Loss of Resources

            Predation, Mutualism, and Competition

            Energy and Chemical Flows

            Psychological Effects

16.3 Saving Species

            Protecting Habitat

            Small Populations Are Vulnerable

            Conservation Genetics

            Protecting Biodiversity versus Meeting Human Needs

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Is wind power good or bad for birds?

 Review

  17 The Human Footprint

Climate and Biomes

17.1 Climate Determines Habitability

            Global Temperature and Precipitation Patterns

            Local Influences on Climate

17.2 Terrestrial Biomes and the Human Footprint

            Tundra

            Desert

            Forests and Shrublands

            Grasslands

17.3 Aquatic Biomes and the Human Footprint

            Freshwater

            Saltwater

Sounds Right, But Is It?

THE BIG QUESTION Can my actions make a difference on global environmental issues?

 Review

Appendix: Metric System Conversions

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