Principles of Biology 2nd Edition by Robert Brooker

Principles of Biology 2nd Edition by Robert Brooker

Print ISBN: 9781259875120, 1259875121

eText ISBN: 9781260081848, 1260081842

By: Robert Brooker

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Print ISBN: 9781259875120, 1259875121

eText ISBN: 9781260081848, 1260081842

Edition: 2nd

Copyright year: 2018

Overview Inspired by recommendations from the AAAS vision and Change Report. Principles of Biology is reflective of the shift taking place in the majors biology course from large and detail rich to short and conceptual, with a focus on new, cutting-edge science. A succinct and inviting text focused on central concepts, Principles of Biology helps students connect fundamental principles while challenging them to develop and hone critical thinking skills. Five new chapters introduce cutting-edge topics that will benefit students who continue their study of biology in future courses (Chapters 11, 16, 24, 41 and 47)

Content Changes to the Second Edition

The author team of Principles of Biology is fully committed to keeping the content up to date; the second edition has

five new chapters that reflect modern trends in the field. They are intended to achieve three goals:

• Prepare Students for Careers in Modern Biology: Chapters 11, 16, and 24 are concerned with the topics of

Non-coding RNAs, Epigenetics, and Microbiomes, respectively. The emerging importance of these areas in

the field of medicine is dramatic. It’s difficult to pick up a newspaper and not see a story that concerns at

least one of these areas and its impact on human health. For example, researchers are now studying how the

manipulation of certain non-coding RNAs may be used as therapeutic tools to treat diseases such as cancer.

Similarly, these same topics have broad importance in the fields of agriculture, biotechnology, and environmental

science.

• An Emphasis on Systems Biology: The first edition of Principles of Biology already had an emphasis on systems

biology and trying to relate topics in biology to its evolutionary foundation. In the second edition, we have

added a new chapter to the animal unit (Chapter 41) that explores how the whole body responds to a major

challenge to homeostasis (hemorrhage). This allows students to appreciate how various organs and organ systems

work together as a larger integrated system—the animal body.

• Impact on Society: Not only do we want to help our students learn biology and prepare them for careers in this

field, we also want them to appreciate their roles as citizens of the world. Chapter 46 pulls together many of the

key topics involving the impact of humans on the environment, thereby making students aware of current and

future problems. This chapter may inspire some students to pursue a career in ecology or environmental science,

and may encourage others to educate the public regarding the negative effects that humans have had on the

environment and ways to evoke positive changes.