No comments about Commercializing Successful Biomedical Technologies: Basic Principles for the Development of Drugs, Diagnostics and Devices.

5 comments about DNA Science: A First Course, Second Edition.

1. This book is the best book on the subject on the market. The subject matter is juxtaposed by easy yet informative experiments that can be carried out in a normal scholastic setting. I hear the writers are all hotties.



2. This is the best single source of information on Genetic Science I have run across. Comprehensive from history, to theory, to lab practice. Highly recommended! Great illustrations and very clearly written. Its targeted to people with a serious interest in the field, definitely not for the "Genetic Science for Dummies" crowd.



3. I havent read much of this yet, we really wont be using much until the second quarter but so far it seems not bad i hope this review is as helpful to you as it would have been for me oh yeah dna is interesting



4. This was used for my high school semester course "DNA Sci part 1" textbook used with Watson's Recombinant DNA textbook. DNA Science:A 1st Course, 2nd edi was useful in supplementing the updates in recent genetic advances and some newer, better graphic representations. I found this to be an easy textbook to read, although not intended for those without a biology and chemistry background since the book does not waste much ink on describing what should have already been learned. The other students in my class seemed to find this book to be a clear, understandable textbook as well.
   
   A very good first course textbook that keeps a student (or any person) interested. Nice big, clear print as well. The laboratories were the standard same as in the Recombinant DNA textbook.



5. Excellent Textbook.
   
   
   This should be the first book that you should read before on to more advanced texts like Molecular Biology of the Gene.

5 comments about Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food.

1. Pam and Raul's very well written book makes the rational and even emotional argument that biotechnology is fully compatible with the core ideals of the organic movement. I completely agree with that position looking back to my grandfather's version of "organic" from the 1960s.
   
   I wish I could believe that Pam and Raul's logical arguments will fly with the core of the "organic consumer" movement. They make excellent rational arguments. I'm not sure this debate is about that. As Mark Twain said, "you can't reason someone out of a position they weren't reasoned into in the first place."
   
   As much as I wish otherwise, I'm not optimistic that this book will succeed in its aim to reconcile "organic" and "biotech". Even so, it does a great job of explaining the societal benefits of biotech crops and it helps to humanize the people that have made this a reality.
   
   This is a book that everyone focused on the environment should read.
   
   Steven Savage, Ph.D.
   savage.sd@gmail.com



2. As a consumer who shops at grocery stores that specialize in organic food, I have noticed a proliferation of signs and labels stating that this or that product is GE or GMO free. These labels don't do much to inform the public and do much to increase anxiety. This book is a great antidote; informative and detailed, clear and engaging.
   
   Readers of recent books on the politics of food, such as Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver or The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan will be interested in the authors' global perspective and local expertise, and I was especially glad to read about the potential impact of GE food in developing countries.



3. I made it through the book in a day or two. It is not overly technical; it is an excellent introduction to biotech and organic farming. I did not really get into the book until the last chapter; I guess I kept wishing for more technical information, for the authors to drive home their point of view.
   
   However, the point they are trying to make cannot be more important. That is that biotech has a place in organic farming to make it more "sustainable". RoundUp ready crops have made it possible for farmers to stop using much more damaging and toxic herbicides and to go to no-till farming to preserve topsoil. It is the only answer for some problems sometimes, such as virus resistance. It would allow conventional farmers of sweet corn to stop using a slew of really noxious insecticides.
   
   Like Dr. Savage said in his review, I do not think that the organic farming movement is going to "hear" this message and see the wisdom in it, but if they could I think they would have to redefine the way they think of organic vs. sustainable.



4. I was given this book by a friend who is an organic "true believer" and when he handed me a book I sort of expect a re-hashing of the usual pro-organics arguments I've heard many times over the years. Instead I was pleasantly surprised.
   
   The book is straight forward, well-reasoned, and accessible. I have a background in agriculture and molecular biology, and so at times I found the science a tad too simplistic to strongly hold my interest, but I suspect that for the average reader, it strikes a nice balance between addressing the subject fully and excessive complexity and jargon. The case they build is in my view quite compelling, and I hope this book serves to open many minds.
   
   When I was starting out in plant science, I remember a professor telling me that when the first transgenics were being developed, he really thought the organics crowd would be the biggest supporters. "We'd just come up with a solution to their biggest problems, but instead they decided we were the enemy". Although I think that organics are, ultimately, a positive development in agriculture, they are like most "movements" a mixture of real reasons and irrational, emotional impulses. Although organic agriculture has been an important step towards a sustainable future, it has brought with it a fair amount of baggage, based on not on science or reason, but on a nostalgic idealization of traditional agriculture--even though such agriculture was often neither natural nor sustainable nor especially desirable, even then. The fear of genetic engineering seems to me to come from that deeply conservative undercurrent in an otherwise progressive movement. By making the facts behind genetic engineering and its impacts on agriculture and environment accessible to a general audience, this book can hopefully be a step towards calming that reactionary impulse.
   
   It helps too that it is also an easy and enjoyable read. By the end I felt as though I'd kind of gotten to know the authors (in fact since we don't live all that far apart and work in vaguely the same field, it crossed my mind that I might someday bump into them). The style is casual without being superfluous, making it easy to lose yourself in the book. I started this book as I tended the grill before dinner, and finished it as I went to bed the same night.
   
   Putting aside the genetic engineering part, even, this book is also simply one of the best scientific presentations of organic agriculture I have read, in that it is soundly grounded in the literature and does not over-reach, while remaining staunchly and reasonably pro-organic. There are few other books on the topic I can say the same for.
   
   All in all a good read about an important topic.



5. I enjoyed reading the book and come away the better for it. This is an important work that cuts through a lot of...let's just call it dross...and makes plain to those of us without degrees in plant science what is important to consider in any handling of questions about and objections to the tools of modern plant science. The authors elegantly and masterfully frame the concerns and questions in the intricate tapestry of all pertinent aspects of agriculture. I look forward to hearing of its effective influence in agriculture in the coming years.

5 comments about Physical Chemistry: Principles and Applications in Biological Sciences (4th Edition).

1. When I received it, OH MY GOD, it had DETAILED ANSWERS to every single problem in the book. Whats more, my physical chemistry course had questions from the book on its test, and all I did was memorize the solutions and got an A+. I can't believe it!
   
   I even corrected my professor on a few problems; my professor didn't even know there was a solutions manual and I wasn't about to tell him there was.
   
   All in all, I just wanted to post my awesome experience. It was a great help. Just like in Physics, Chemistry, or biology, a solutions manual can only augment your skills. Plus it wasn't too long, about 100 pages.
   
   Also, the other reviewer who said the solutions manual was bad must've bought another edition (older one), because the solutions manual I received had ALL THE SOLUTIONS to ALL THE PROBLEMS in COMPLETELY WORKED OUT form.



2. Hello mates,
   
   I don't write any reviews, but when I got my first physical chemistry test back to day, I just had to write this out. THIS BOOK WAS IN THE COLLECTIBLE SECTION OF THE NEW AND USED SECTION. All my test had were questions from the book, and some that were very much like the book (only changed numbers). I procrastinated to study as usual, and all I did was study the solutions manual, and I was the ONLY STUDENT TO GET AN A+. THE ONLY ONE IN THE CLASS. My professor asked me to become a tutor, and now I'm getting paid.
   
   All in all, physical chemistry is tough, BUT you WILL GET AN A with the solutions manual! You have my word, and my experience to prove it.



3. Hi everyone, I just got my exam score emailed to me from Physical Chemistry (the one with some calculus involved). Guess what? I got a 96%. The class average was 45%. The professor told me my exam had the highest score ever in this class.
   
   I found that all the test had were problems from the book. I remember procrastinating and not getting any studying done. So the night before the exam, I just memorized all the solutions, and I got a 96%.
   
   The professor told me to get an A in the class, all I need to do is get above a D on the next 2 exams. Man, what a relief. My friends envy me, my professor worships me, and I owe it all to this solutions manual.
   
   I was at first skeptical about its price, but it was worth so much more. Can you put a price on getting an A? Can you? Can you really? Its going to be alot more than $120, which was how much I paid for the well-needed solutions manual.
   
   I just hope too many students don't get the manual, because then professors might figure out that there is a solutions manual (my professor has NO IDEA THIS BOOK HAS A SOLUTIONS MANUAL!).
   
   So if you do end up getting the manual, just use it for yourself, don't even show your friends or bring it to class. Just use it on your own, memorize the solutions, get your A+ in the class, tell all your friends and your professor that you just studied VERY HARD, and leave it at that.
   
   The less the number of people that know about this solutions manual, the better. Also, since this was my first time using amazon.com, make sure that when you add the item to your card, the description should say "SOLUTIONS MANUAL." I bought it from the collectible section, and in the description it said that it was the "complete solutions manual."
   
   Good luck in mastering physical chemistry;I won't need luck, I got the solutions manual!



4. The text is poorly written and hard to understand. The solution manual is even worse!! The authors do not explain which equations they're using or where the numbers are coming from.



5. I never got the book. It is a good thing I emailed and requested it wasn't sent because I was pretty much forgotten about. The book was out of stock, but no one thought to mention that to me, even though I paid. To their credit however, after contacting them I got a full refund that I received promptly

3 comments about Designer Evolution: A Transhumanist Manifesto.

1. Manifesto: A public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially of a political nature.
   
   And this is exactly that. His theme is that genetic engineering and biotechnology offer us a future that atttempts to eliminate disease, defeat death and enhance the body and mind beyond the limitations of the ate-old human condition.
   
   Humanist: of or pertaining to a philosophy asserting human dignity and man's capacity for fulfillment through reason and scientific method and often rejecting religion.
   
   The author's comment is that 'Goodwill to all men' is a rational tactic for mutual survival and well-being. We no longer need God in order to be good - though a suicide bomber needs him to be bad.
   
   If this book gets enough circulation to attract attention, it should be able to annoy nearly everyone. Yet this is certainly one of the directions in which the world is headed.
   
   Fascinating.



2. Debates about genetic engineering often revolve around what makes human beings 'human' or 'transhuman', and DESIGNER EVOLUTION: A TRANSHUMANIST MANIFESTO is bound to be at the heart of future debates, with its focus on the emerging new philosophy of Transhumanist doctrine, which supports the attempt to change the human body to eliminate disease, death, and even expand the mind beyond current boundaries. Young calls for a rejection of superstition in favor of a renewed faith in human progress through rational scientific progress.
   
   Diane C. Donovan, Editor
   California Bookwatch



3. This is a very good, and very thought-provoking book. One of the best reads I have had in several years.

5 comments about Structure and Mechanism in Protein Science: A Guide to Enzyme Catalysis and Protein Folding.

1. Man, this book rocked! I took one look at the ribbon structure of ATPase on the cover and said to myself, "Whoa dude! This is, like, phat!" Then I turned the pages and BAM! I was knee deep in protein structure! Like, any first-year biochemist knows its all about the acids, as in amino, and Fersht, he knows his peptides! Oh man, I was on cloud nine! And I've been off my meds for two months now! But you wanna know the real dope? You can't say diddly about function unless you know structure, and that Alan, as in Fersht, dude! Like, he starts you off simple, like, you know, with the "building blocks," like we're a bunch of two-year-olds, and you string 'em together and get all that higher-order structure and stuff, and slowly, ever so slowly, like a mental itch that invades your consciousness and becomes screaming voices telling you to AHHHHHHHHH! So many domains! Too many functional units! No, no, nooooooo! Schiff base? Shift Bass! Ah HA HA HA HA! What do all those K's mean!?! Take me home! Please...



2. The book focuses on enzyme catalysis, stereochemistry of enzyme reactions, determination of rate constant, enzyme kinetics, and protein structure and folding. It would be an ideal reference for the study of protein chemistry. It can serve as the primary text for an advanced course in protein chemistry or a supplement for undergraduate biochemistry text.

   Protein folding has remained one of the most intricate yet less understood process in modern biochemistry. Feersht's treatise of the subject in this book is splendid. The author overviews protein structure and diversity in the opening chapter. What I find really precious about this book is the discussion on protein engineering, forces on folding, and recombinant DNA technology in the context of protein folding.

   Aside from protein chemistry, the chapter on chemical catalysis is excellent in learning more about transition state theory, general acid/base catalysis, covalent catalysis, structure-reactivity relationships, and kinetic isotope effects.




3. If you are studying protein structure, you probably should read this book for reference.

   This is solely my opinion, but I have learned new things and reinforced some old knowledge, as well. The book is well-written, and understandable, without being simplistic.

   Some texts are difficult to understand, or dry, or facile. This is not one of those texts.




4. Hands down the bible of enzyme kinetics!

   Anyone looking to learn more about enzyme kinetics, thermodynamics, structure, and function will find this book clear, thoughtfully written, and at the forefront in the field.




5. With an undergrad degree in chemistry and a year of graduate school (granted, without a focus solely in biochemistry), this text was often difficult for me to follow and gain much from. Though the text contained an impressive breadth of topics, this breadth came at the cost of depth. In my opinion, a textbook should more-or-less stand on its own in providing a clear understanding of a topic. All too often I didn't find this to be the case with the Fersht book. Instead, I often had to consult many of the references listed in the text to obtain sufficient understanding of topics. (Fortunately, the book includes extensive reference lists.) If looking up endless references (many old and sometimes difficult to obtain) is something you enjoy, this book is for you.--If not, forget it!

4 comments about A Field Guide to Bacteria (Comstock Book).

1. This fun and informative book starts with the brilliant idea of identifying bacteria by their MACROscopic field marks (colors, smells, effects) rather than by microscope. You would never believe how many bacteria one can identify by "field marks" alone, and readers will be surprised at how much fun the identification and discussion of bacteria can be. The author's execution of the guide -- her excellent and enthusiastic writing style and her choices of which bacteria to discuss -- makes this the rare field guide that one can read from cover to cover. The book discusses everything from bacteria in hot springs to those that make cheese or pickles, to those in animal intestines. There are beautiful (yes, beautiful) color plates, great suggested experiments, and guides to finding different kinds of bacteria. The author makes the subject interesting, funny and captivating -- and she uses exclamation points without irony! All in all an excellent book -- don't be scared off by the title; any nature- or science-lover you know will thoroughly enjoy it.



2. While this book is intended for the general public, and is certainly accessible to those without microbiological training, don't pass it up even if you have microbiological training -- in many ways it is a condensed version of Balows' _The Prokaryotes_, and likewise quite useful for reminding oneself what obscure groups of bacteria do "for a living".

   Of course, Dyer's book is a lighter, more amusing read than Balows', and chock full of the sort of anecdote that is fun to slip into a lecture -- such as the explanation of Charles Dickens' cryptic reference to a "bad lobster in a dark cellar" in _The Christmas Carol_, and the fact that the oddly named cyanobacterium _Nostoc_ was named by the alchemist Paracelsus!

   In addition, I was pleasantly surprised that despite identifying herself on the very first page as a former student of Lynn Margulis, Dyer doesn't try to defend her mentor's continued rejection of the discoveries of molecular phylogeny, but even goes so far as to praise Woese and Sogin by name! It is refreshing to finally see a work of popular science that acknowledges how the pioneers of molecular phylogeny have changed microbiology over the last couple decades.




3. Betsey Dexter Dyer has written a book in "A Field Guide to Bacteria" that, once it is opened, you wonder why no one has written before. The premise is so obvious that it seems to have been totally overlooked! Location, visual appearance, activity, smell and other characteristics that do not always require a high-powered microscope can be used to identify bacterial colonies! Fortunately the "wait" for such a book (which, until now, we probably did not even know we needed) has been worth it because Dyer has done an excellent job of writing it! In this book she introduces the reader to the teaming microflora of bacteria of earth in a way that cannot help but increase the number of people who appreciate these invisible true owners of the planet.

   The huge bacterial flora is well covered and the author's grasp of the multitudinous habitats where bacteria live and thrive, sometimes under the most extreme conditions, is impressive. Everything from sulfur bacteria, halophytes and causes of desert varnish to internal symbionts and more are covered in fascinating detail. Dyer has opened up a whole new way of looking at the world that give us a more accurate view of the pervasiveness of the tiny. Not all bacteria are out to get us by any means and this book provides a much needed balance to the "killer bacteria" usually featured in popular literature.

   A necessary book for amateur and even professional microbiologists, it will also, I think, provide a good read for anyone interested in the natural world as it really is.




4. Where else can you learn why dead fish glow in the dark! Wonderful. Good attention given to my favorite bacteria and the great-grand parent of us all, cyanobacteria. I've seen some of those huge Canadian stromatolites. I also enjoyed the discussion on how bacteria played an important role in the formation of the great iron ore deposits in Michigan and Canada, and why, now that they are largely gone, they will not be easily replaced. And there is so much more...

No comments about Design of Biomedical Devices and Systems, Second Edition.

5 comments about Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge.

1. Amidst all the tirade and rhetoric, cold hard truths emerge: the way IPRs are framed, especially those pertaining to the biotechnology field, is biased towards the interests of multinational corporate entities, and that the current mechanistic gene-centric paradigm in the "life" sciences ignores holistic perspectives of lifeforms and nature which are useful in their own way. While the urgency and potency of the message is not in doubt, the presentation of the content, with all the sidetracks and rambling discourses, leaves much to be desired. Read this book with an open mind, don't take everything in it too seriously, and look up alternative sources of information as well.



2. i didnt really like this book as much as stolen harvest. it was hard to read and kind of boring, but i learned alot and i appreciate the effort i put into reading it. but it didnt suck me in like stolen harvest, so im only gonna give it 3 stars.. its average.



3. Biopiracy by physicist, ecologist, and environmental activist Vandana Shiva is a harsh but perceptive survey and analysis of the expansion of population pressures on the environment, and more importantly, the technological advances which have been made and which seemingly have begun to dominate and shape life itself, as well as the process by which life is generated. A timely and critically important contribution to environmental policy discussions, Biopiracy is recommended as a sharp warning cry of alarm at where humanity's current tendency to pollute and put the dollar first can lead, as well as the damage that modern trends have down to traditional ways of life, -- especially among native peoples.



4. Shiva takes on globalization and the overall anthropocentric view of the world's powers with an in depth look at how Intellectual Property Rights have been stripped from the commons into the hands of multinational governments and companies. Although the writing is sensational, the feelings run deep in the developing world. Acknowledgment of these feelings is an important step in the realization that the Western World has infringed on human rights and ecological balance. The conclusion that placing value in the diversity of cultures and in biodiversity can lead to a more peaceful world if IPR's are left out of private pockets should not be taken lightly.



5. Vandana Shiva has become one of the most outspoken defenders of biodiversity and the commons, persistently working to advance the public understanding of a complicated history of corporate and legislative decisions that have changed the landscape of our lives and the lives of people the world over. She has contributed to a vital dialogue about the effects of globalization and the silent tragedies that are occuring every day because of strange business practices and the relentless politics of the new manifest destiny. "Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge" is a succinct and accessible introduction to the issue of patents and corporate control of the natural world. Shiva is an articulate educator who writes about the difficult and often unspoken history of corporate exploitation of the knowledge of non-Western cultures. By arguing vehemently for the preservation of the farmer's right to save seeds, as well as local rights to ecological and historically tested uses of the natural world, Shiva outlines an ethical path for movement forward and for responding proactively to unfair business practices. I read this book in the context of a larger look at the world's food supply from an ecological and political perspective, but it speaks to a wide audience and can reach far in spreading truth about what is happening in our world - much of which is not getting reported in the mainstream media.

5 comments about Classical and Computational Solid Mechanics (Advanced Series in Engineering Science).

1. A great bible in solid mechanics created by 2 excellent masters from China, which have fundamantal contributions to contemperary mechanics and FEM.
   In first part, you will read the complete methodology in classic solid mech. While in second part, the outline of FEM has been demonstrated clearly.



2. I found it to be an excellent reference for Elasticity and Inelasticity material. It is a good addition to my library.



3. I was an acquaintance of Professor Y.C. "Burt" Fung when he wrote his classic Solid Mechanics book - "Foundations of Solid Mechanics." He had just left Cal Tech to work in the field of Biomechanics at UC San Diego. This book contains much of the same material, updated to the present time, with very nice historical writings about the founders of Solid Mechanics. This is an excellent reference for anyone that considers themself a solid mechaniker.



4. The authors are very keen on this area. The book is suite for the researcher.



5. Bought this book for a class I am taking. Well written and easy to understand.