5 comments about The Cartoon Guide to Genetics (Updated Edition).

1. I just finished this book an hour ago and am ready to rave about it (and, more generally, its highly visual and accessible approach). More than any "popular" science book I've ever read, it quickly took me to an unprecedented comfort level with the material. Cellular biology is a three-dimensional domain where pure-text approaches fall short when trying to describe the spatial processes of cellular replication, DNA copying, etc. I think that this writing team has a talent for making information teachable, and that this book (along with the books of its kind in the series) is a great gift to the curious layperson. Thanks again to the authors - wow!



2. This is the update edition of "The Cartoon Guide to Genetics" by Larry Gonick and Mark Wheelis. The original edition was published in 1983, and this First Collins edition was published in 2005. This is one of a series of Cartoon Guides which Larry Gonick has co-authored with scientists in the field of choice. Mark Wheelis is the senior lecturer in Microbiology at the University of California at Davis.
   
   The book opens with a pre-history of the field; discussing diverse subjects such as domestication of plants and animals, the biblical story of Jacob's Flock, spontaneous generation, selective breeding, and so on. They move on to give an excellent overview and history of the subject. Unlike the other Cartoon Guide's that I have read, this one lacks any chapters or sections. Perhaps they felt the subject was narrow enough that it was not necessary, but for readability it might have been better to have broken the book into chapters.
   
   This book serves well as an introduction, overview, review, and/or history of the subject. Of the guides that I have read, I would rank this book just a slight bit behind the Cartoon Guide to Physics, and better than the Computer and Statsitics guides.



3. The book provided an excellent and very useful introduction to genetics, without having to endure the dryness of most introductory textbooks, etc. Would definitely recommend it.



4. this book is an excellent resource for someone teaching and reviewing basic genetics. Although it misses out on recent udates and findings, it still paints the basics in comical, very simple and straight forward approaches. My friend is taking her preliminary exam in Genetics and when i lent her this book to help her recap old courses, she couldn't be more pleased by the easiness, and freshness this book brought to her studies. I am currently teaching fundamental genetics and i made it clear to my students that this is the last resort for those ith no hope of understanding genetics.. it works..!



5. The book is a simple guide to Genetics done in a fun and informative manner. It is an easy reading. For anyone trying to understand basic working of Genes and finding it difficult to understand from popular reading or other books, this is it.

5 comments about Prentice Hall Health's Question and Answer Review of Medical Technology/Clinical Laboratory Science (3rd Edition) (Prentice Hall SUCCESS! Series).

1. I highly recommend this book! I bought several other review books such as Concise Review, and this book has more detail than any of the others. It has 1000's of questions, but what is most helpful is the DETAILED description of the answers. They were so thorough that by diligently studying and outlining their answers you will learn a tremendous amount.



2. I bought this book when i was reviewing for my Medical Technology certification exam. The book is more difficult than the certification exam. But the beauty of this book is that it will make you understand the rationale and principles behind all the laboratory tests and procedures. If you can pass at least 60% of the questions in this book. You have a good chance of passing the certification exam.



3. Very good cards. I highly recommend them to anybody preparing for certification exams.



4. GREAT!!! Book very concise and very good in explaining the right and wrong answer choices.



5. I like this book very much, it justifies it's answers and time spent studying from it is very productive... I give it the highest rating available for this type of study guide (I own several).

5 comments about BRS Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Board Review Series).

1. I have used the anatomy and this book (BRS Bio Chem & Molecular Bio) of the BRS series and this one has got to be the worst book I have ever used for review. Through out the entire book there are mistake (both in the text and in the practice questions). You will spend more time trying to figure out if the book it right or wrong then actually studying. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone! I returned this book after using it for 1 day!



2. I found myself extremely frustrated with this book. I found so many errors in the questions, and even some in the text (it would literally say a completely different thing on one page than the next). I spent so much time checking facts in it and trying to make sure what they were saying was correct. I also found myself worrying about the things I did not catch, and if I was learning incorrect information. I very much disliked this book, and I would discourage anyone from purchasing it.



3. I am speechless about this book. It is so riddled with errors that the questions cannot possibly represent Boards questions. The questions are too detailed, contain too many calculations, and does not adequately prepare you for the Boards. This book is worthless. The errors are prolific. The authors should be ashamed. This was the most epic waste of my education to date.



4. The questions on this book are not consistant with questions on NBME shelf exams. I used this book to study, consistantly scored very well on the end of chapter and the comprehensive eams in the book, yet I was dumbfounded by the questions on the NBME biochem shelf exam. The material tested on the exam was the same material covered in this book, however, the emphasis was on the wrong things.



5. BRS biochemistry covers all the material that you would expect, and, while there are errors in the review questions, most are simply the answer choice not corresponding to the explanation. I, for one, prefer the BRS format to the rapid review, so I'll put up with the inconvenience.

5 comments about Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters (P.S.).

1. 4.9 stars. I like this book very much. This is a "novel" approach to explaining the genome which will become even more important in the future. I do not understand why Genetic Drift in not explained. Mutation, Natural Selection, AND Genetic Drift (statistical survival of alleles) are the primary mechanisms of biological evolution. He comes close to describing Genetic Drift when talking about Cavalli-Sforza's statistical analysis of the blood groups in 1970. This omission may be worth 0.1 stars.



2. Here is a book packed with newly-learned technical facts, yet it is easily read.
   
   This book provided me with exactly the information, which I needed, at a key time in my personal research. I had previously learned how DNA and different kinds of RNA work together to manufacture proteins for the body. I was ready to learn more details about how different parts of the body use this engine. Matt Ridley and his book were "Johnny-on the-spot" for me. His writing style made it a painless journey for me and at times, it was downright exciting.
   
   I especially liked the chapter on chromosome 8. I previously had thought little science was known about junk DNA. Now I understand that our DNA has been a battleground for viruses and other microorganisms over the last billion or more years. The junk DNA segments are remnants from those battles.
   
   Another theme that impressed me was that all animal life uses the same biochemical solutions to exist and reproduce. We use the same twenty amino acids to build proteins. We have the same active genes in most cases. Even the way different genes work together is the same. I found this unifying concept to be awe-inspiring and to be another fact supporting the evolution of species.
   
   The book deserves four stars because a lot of work obviously went into writing it. Matt Ridley is to biology as the late Carl Sagan was to astronomy. Both of these authors brought intelligence, understanding, and great story-telling skills to an audience, thristy for knowledge.
   
   Ralph Hermansen, 11/27/2007



3. Having read a number of books on this topic, I picked up this one while on vacation. I did enjoy the book overall and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject. It is not a textbook of genetics by any reach, more of a layman's approach to what is a very complicated area of biology that does have some core ideas that even a non scienetist can grasp.
   
   It is a shame that the author cannot hold back his political opinions, which seem to just surface for no particular reason in various parts of this book. Albeit that the subject matter does tread on some delicate socio/political topics, that doesn't require him so so obviously vent his rather one sided subjective take on the matter at hand. It doesn't help that he offers little or no backing for his opinions, just his say so.



4. I read this book with only a moderate amount of background in Genetics. My interest is more like a hobbie so when I first started to read Matt Ridley's Genome I was afraid there would be alot I wouldn't understand. Thankfully, I was very wrong.
   
   The subject matter is very interesting and told in a helpful, nonacademic manner. I would recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in biology and genetics.



5. I am not a geneticist and therefore have a very tiny knowledge of our genes. I am however, intensely interested in them, and in learning about them, so I bought this book as a result of searching and recommendations. And I am THOROUGHLY enjoying it! I am not understanding all of it, of course. The entire book is crammed with information, but in such a wonderful writing style that it becomes joyful to be fed massive treasure troves of facts and figures.
   One thing that I have come to realize with more and more clarity as I have read this book is how obvious our evolutionary past is, if one is willing to dig deeper into our inner workings. Another is just how incredibly intricate our bodies are and our genes work in tiny and astounding simplicity and great detail, in order and in chaos, in adherence to laws and utter refusal to conform.
   For someone with interest in our genes or the Human Genome Project, this is a must-read. For those who aren't interested, then it doesn't really matter, because you likely aren't reading this review anyway.

5 comments about Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fourth Edition.

1. While this book is amazingly in-depth and would serve as a fine reference, it is far from a usable textbook. The excessive details serve to confound and obscure rather than enlighten. The writing is difficult to follow and unnecessarily weighty, often with ridiculously compounded and overly complicated sentence structure. The text often references diagrams several pages distant, occassionally even several chapters distant. Reading the book is akin to listening to a well-meaning and brilliant, but scatterbrained professor ramble on about his favorite obscure molecular level process. Students beware!



2. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3HM0574WA0A26 The Cell by Alberts, Fourth Edition



3. This is the best ever book i have gone through, which is good for a beginner to learn the biological aspects of the universe. this makes far easier to teach the cell-biology course follwing this book. the CD also helps a lot to understand it properly.



4. Obviously, there are plenty of good reviews for The Cell and shouldn't require anymore to convey the point that it's a wonderful book. However, having just completed it, I can't resist adding another...
   The Cell (4th Ed.) is by far the most informative and most well-organized book I've ever had the privilege of reading. It's well written, clear and concise (regarding each of its many topics), and would be accessible to anyone with just a slight familiarity with organic chem.
   It took me three months to get through its 1462 pages, without skipping as much as a sentence, and it still left me desiring more when it finally came to end. It was THAT perfect.
   
   I don't feel a need to address the subject matter specifically in this review. If you're considering reading this book, chances are you already know its contents. If not, check out any of the many in-depth reviews above & below.



5. I spent $20 for overnight shipping and I ended up getting the book a week and half later. That caused me to get a C- on my first exam. Fedex actually ended up sending the book to the wrong person. Never us them, unless you want late stuff.

5 comments about Essential Cell Biology, Second Edition.

1. It's kind of hard to judge a textbook, especially when you're a student. But i can honestly say that this book is very straight forward. The diagrams are great, and especially if you read the diagrams as you're reading the book, they add a lot of depth and diversity to the reading. The text itself is not mundane...you won't fall asleep reading it. The CD it comes with is nice....but i tend not to use it that much...all it is, is just video clips. Overall i'd say this is one of the best, if not THE best, biology book i've used.
   
   HOWEVER! Remember that this IS a bio book and it DOES get a little tedious at points



2. Is an read easy and understandable read. Explains all topics very thoroughly yet in a clear concise manner especially for a biology text book.



3. bought essential cell bio for school. excellent. just like in ad. thank you very much!



4. came as expected..nice, new.
   good book for details of biology. figures and pictures sup up the chapters and major sections



5. I was satisfied with time it took to receive the book and the book was in excellent condition.

5 comments about The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Third Edition (Harperresource Book).

1. I like this book and it is a good guide to know what to purchase and how to brew. I'd recommend it to any beginner. The book also seems advanced enough for the experienced brewer. It contains many recipes and advanced techniques such as lagering and double brewing. I think this is a great book and acts as a handbook in almost any brewing situation.



2. I got this book on recommendation from my friend Aaron when we were brewing at his house this weekend. We brewed a variation of the "Goat Scrotum Porter" on page 200.
   
   The book is however much more than a recipe book for beer. It is divided into three major sections:
   
   Pgs 1-39 give a basic outline of brewing history and the knowledge you need to brew a beer from a basic kit.
   
   Pgs 40-240 are the meat of the book. This intermediate brewing section goes over every aspect of brewing from yeasts to sanitizing your equipment. It also includes many recipes for ales and lagers as well as ideas on how you might adapt any recipe for your own tastes.
   
   Pgs 241-388 really get into the science and math behind brewing. I have only skimmed this section, but it seems to be a fantastic reference guide for the advanced brewer.
   
   
   What sets this book apart is the well written and funny style that Papazian brings to everything from water mineral content to the human migrations that transport Viennese lagers to Mexico. Most appreciated is his constant reminder that if you are feeling stressed about the minutia of brewing "Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew." This seems to be both his philosophy and the first step of all of his recipes.



3. If you've ever even THOUGHT about brewing your own ales, lagers, stouts or porters, this is the book for you. Papazian is extremely knowledgable and has a writing style that makes the process fun and easy to follow. It is essentially the "bible" for home brewers.
   
   My 3 cents (wasn't it worth more then 2?)



4. I bought this book as a gift. I have the same book, only the third edition. If its like the third edition its got all the answers, and is easy to read.



5. This book is THE ONE to have for home brewers. The information will take you from brewing in the simplest of forms to all grain and everything in beteween. It was written in an easy to understand style that skips throught the nonsense and gets you to the point. Full of recipes, anecdotes, suggestions and resources, it should be required reading for all homebrewers.

5 comments about Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.

1. As other reviewers have pointed out, Biomimicry is a good to great book, but the level of detail is enough to make a non-scientist's head spin. Be prepared for in-depth discussions on cellular activity, computer theory, and energy transfer. The main point of the book is excellent, which is that as a human race, we will eventually have to start acting like the rest of the living world and only use what we have in a sustainable manner. Physically, our path of using more energy than the world can generate is simply not sustainable for long. The book is not one of those alarmist environmental-destruction-is-imminent books however, it actually has good ideas on directions to take for sustainable manufacturing and sustainable energy.



2. I had no need for it in my class so I did not use it.



3. I am an engineer by training and an amateur naturalist by vocation so this book proved to be a reflection on many of my thoughts and then some. I am convinced that engineers can learn a lot from biology and how design problems have been solved elegantly by evolution and natural selection. Watching nature can return a sense of wonder to the arrogant worldview of the technologist and I think Biomimicry addresses this beautifully.
   However, at times I find the author a bit too enthusiastic about technology. This is understandable as she is a self-confessed technophyle.



4. I'm still reading through, but I was expecting less theory and more practical features/examples. I already had the general background and needed a methodology to put into practice. So far I haven't found it.



5. This book is an exellent read that provides insightful commentary on the work of several leading scientists and communities. Our understanding of current industralized communities is explored, and the effects on nature are considered. Alternative solutions in various fields are investigated that allow people from all walks of life to connect with the messages in the book. The topics are structured in a easy to read and logical fashion that leads you through the discussion of redesigning our solutions for food, energy, materials, computing, bio-diversity, recycling, industry and co-habitation with nature in educative and highly engaging tone.
   
   I love Janine's prose as it engenders a rich connection with nature, and the hope that we can change our systems towards a sustainable future. This book is an essential read for each one of us, and we can all learn to appreciate the true value of bio-diversity, and of conserving as much of it as we can, in its truest, unmaligned form.
   
   I've been able to consider how I lead my life and the materials I am dependent upon. I hope to change my habits to better conserve the precious gifts that Nature has provided. I've come to appreciate the roots of our immense knowledge and lessons continually being learnt from Nature, and hope that we can continue to utilise this to create a happier future for generations to come.

5 comments about Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life.

1. The word and the organism, E. coli, can strike fear in the hearts of many. Food poisoning outbreaks! Drug resistance! Of course the organism is also a necessary part of human life. Without the colonization of "good" E. coli, our bodies could well be overrun by pathogens. But even removing those two sides of the equation, there is still so much more to this little microbe than being either the death or salvation of us. This single-celled organism is more like us than most people imagine and has provided insight into many of life's mysteries.
   
   What we know about DNA basically originated in studies of E. coli. What we know about mutations and adaptations we first learned in E. coli. What we know of drug resistance began in E. coli. Protein folding, viruses, the internet and "noise" each have an understanding somewhat due to E. coli. We can even get E. coli to make stuff for us that it has no reason to make other than we told it to. Who knows, it may soon be the cure for cancer. That's one impressive creature.
   
   Microcosm is a well-written and fascinating look at a creature that has a bad rap, considering all it has taught us. Zimmer does an awesome job of storytelling the history behind each of the discoveries, and part of the book, particularly the beginning of each chapter, are very easy to read. However there are often details that I found hard to follow, which surprised me considering I studied and did research with E. coli for several years.
   
   I almost wonder if my history did more to hinder my reading and if someone with less knowledge on the subject matter would enjoy the book more. He also leans heavily towards the old-earth Darwinian point of view, so people hypersensitive to evolutionary beliefs might want to be aware of that. In my experience, though, people of faith in the sciences have mostly learned to take evolutionary discussion in stride, and his approach isn't "in your face" so much as "matter of fact." Whether readers want to agree with his fact is up to them.
   
   Armchair Interviews agrees.



2. This is an outstanding book. In each chapter, Zimmer exposes a fascinating aspect of biological science, revolving around the study of and lessons learned from E. Coli. This microbe, often maligned in the press, is made an interesting and compelling protagonist in this highly readable book. Some of the descriptions of experiments may be a bit confusing to the lay reader (putting things into centrifuges and seeing what spins out, and how it proves one or another particular theory), but with a bit of concentration those will become clear as well. Highly recommended.



3. It would have been easy to make this book very dry, and the author did an excellent job of balancing scientific detail with a good narrative. It includes just enough components of history and science to be complete without over-doing either area.
   
   The author takes us from the isolation of E. coli in 1885 to, for example, current debates over how some mutations help bacteria survive environmental stress. Between these two benchmarks the author weaves a well-written story that covers what is known about E. coli and other bacteria. More importantly, he also explains why we know what we know. Of perhaps the greatest worth is the book's coverage of why natural selection is such an important scientific concept, using drug resistance as one of many examples.
   
   A nice read for either the interested layperson or the professional.



4. Inside your gut are maybe a hundred trillion cells. The number is an interesting one, because these cells sitting in your digestive tract outnumber the neurons, muscle cells, and other cells that make "you" by ten to one. In other words, by the numbers, your own cells are a machine that exists to keep a huger number of cells alive in your intestines. Among those trillions of cells is a small population of _Escherichia coli_, one of the world's most important and most studied bacteria. They may be tiny, but they are numerous and they are not simple, and the lessons within _Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life_ (Pantheon) by science writer Carl Zimmer are that there is a complex cosmos of activity within _E. coli_, and there are relationships between one _E. coli_ and its fellow _E. coli_ and the other microbes churning in our guts, and there are relationships between _E. coli_ and the bigger animals that carry it. It is all as complicated as can be; we have come a long way in understanding some of these mysteries, but mysteries still abound. Zimmer's wonderful book keeps us from taking these humble bacteria for granted; as products of the same evolutionary processes that produced us, they have much in common with us.
   
   Scientists make _E. coli_ a particular subject of investigation; it was one of the first microbes whose genome was fully mapped (1997). A few strains have toxins, but usually our own _E. coli_ are quietly going about their business and are a help to us. The intricacies of just one cell are astounding. An _E. coli_ has sixty million molecules which have to act just so to keep the bacterium living, and Zimmer examines a few of the intricate feedback systems involved. A team of microbiologists has succeeded in programming a computer with information on 1,260 of its genes and 2,077 of its chemical reactions; a huge program can predict what _E. coli_ will do, for instance, if starved for oxygen, and the model gets it right. But little _E. coli_ has been getting it right for ages. One of its pieces Zimmer pays special attention to is its flagellum, its means of mobility. Zimmer, in several pages devoted to flagella and Intelligent Design, tells again the story of the Dover, Pennsylvania, court decision that Intelligent Design had only religion going for it, not science, and thus could not be taught in public schools. A lawyer at the trial said, "We could probably call this the Bacterial Flagellum Trial", since the flagellum was discussed in detail, and was shown not to be "irreducibly complex", the supposed hallmark of designed systems that cannot be made any simpler and still remain operational. The ID proponents have only an "It's too wonderful not to have a designer" attitude, not experiments or evidence. Zimmer shows how there is within _E. coli_ molecular evidence that flagella are related to other bacterial systems, and that hypotheses built on this evidence show how natural selection was indeed sufficient to build flagella. Scientists can't say for sure that flagella were built in one certain way, but if the proposed steps of building reasonably come from the data, there is no reason to think that a deity somehow took pity on immobile bacteria and miraculously equipped them with motors.
   
   "I look at life through a lens made of _E. coli_," writes Zimmer, and writes convincingly about how biologists are doing the same. Not only was the _E. coli_ genome among the first to be completely deciphered, they have been used to help understand how genes switch on and off. They are a foundation point for the study of molecular and now synthetic biology. They do a lot of the things we do. They sense nutrition molecules and go for them; they sense unattractive chemicals and run from them. They cooperate with other _E. coli_ and have a social life; they are not the loners scientists had originally thought, but can build their own microbial city. They have a type of chemical warfare that they deploy against enemies. They have a sex not in the way we do, but in their own way. They fight viruses and have virus-injected coding on their DNA just as we do. Zimmer frequently refers to the famous remark of biologist Jacques Monod, who said, "What is true for _E. coli_ is true for the elephant." There is hyperbole there, of course, but in one example after another, Zimmer's clear and enthusiastic prose beautifully demonstrates a biological and evolutionary universality.



5. With the trained eyes of a scientist and the soul of poet, eminent science writer Carl Zimmer takes us on an all too brief, yet fascinating, trek into contemporary biology, as seen from the perspective of the bacterium Escherichia coli, in his latest book, "Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life". More than a mere recounting of decades of elegant scientific research from the likes of Joshua Lederberg and Salvador Luria, among others, "Microcosm" is truly a book about contemporary biology itself, tying in almost every facet of it, from systematics to population genetics and ecology, and even, paleobiology. But it is a book that takes such an in-depth exploration of biology from the unique perspective of a rather most unassuming organism - or at least what readers might think - the bacterium E. coli, whose ubiquitous habitats include the intestinal tracts of humans and other mammals. Indeed, E. coli is truly a wonderful organismal metaphor for describing all of biology in its totality, as evidenced, for example, in one of Zimmer's terse chapters devoted to the evolution of cooperation amongst organisms via mechanisms such as natural selection and kin selection; an elegant experimental analogue to the types of selective pressures operating on other, more complex, organisms, including us. Indeed, "Microcosm" ought to be regarded as "Macrocosm", since Zimmer has offered an elegant, often poetic, exploration of all of biology, by demonstrating E. coli's scientific relevance to humanity.
   
   If there is indeed one important underlying theme to "Microcosm", then perhaps it is the prevalence of sex in this single-celled organism, and its importance as a key ingredient in understanding evolution, which was recognized decades ago by a young Joshua Lederberg. Zimmer describes how E. coli has demonstrated the veracity of Darwin's concept of natural selection, via an elegant "slot machine" experiment designed by Salvador Luria, and culminating now in the ongoing experiment by microbial ecologist Richard Lenski; Zimmer's engaging account of which is among the most important highlights of this book (Yet as a brief aside, I am surprised Zimmer did not mention that Lenski's research is offering experimental proof of evolutionary stasis, as defined by paleontologists Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould in their theory of punctuated equilibrium; a point emphasized in a relatively recent paper co-authored by Lenski, Eldredge and others.). Zimmer also devotes ample time touching on other aspects of E. coli's evolutionary ecology from a public health perspective, tracing the origins of epidemics caused by toxic strains of this otherwise benign prokaryote. There is also, regrettably, ample discussion too of creationist interest in E. coli as an example of an organism created by an "Intelligent Designer"; Zimmer notes correctly that creationists were interested in its flagellum years before the bacterial flagellum became important "proof" supporting leading Intelligent Design advocate Michael Behe's concept of "Irreducible Complexity", and how this "proof" was demolished effectively by prominent Intelligent Design critic Ken Miller during the 2005 Kitzmiller vs. Dover Area School District trial.

5 comments about The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.

1. Ray Kurzweil is an exceedingly intelligent and perceptive individual. His scientific insight into the future is fascinating and frightening. I am listing this as a "must read" to all of my top students.



2. A well-written and optimistic view of humanity's future. If even 1/100th of what Ray Kurzweil predicts comes occurs (which seems likely given his record) - then we are in for a very exciting century indeed.



3. Over 600 pages with 100 pages of "notes"!. Lots of rambling commentary. Not worth the money. Watch Nova.



4. It's a potentially important book as many other reviewers have pointed out but his stream of consciousness writing style gets aggravating. If you can skim, you win. If you read, you bleed. There aren't many things he says fewer than four times. But some of those things have come true, some will and some of the amazing ones may. He has an impressive track record. Now if he'd just add discipline to his writing.



5. The book presents an interesting premise that humans will evolve from purely biological to biological/technological and ultimately to technological beings. Whether or not Kurzweil has gotten the time frame right is the question. If he is right, humans are only 20 to 30 years from this singularity. A most thought provoking read.