Discover Biology

Cover (Discover Biology)
Contents
Chapter 1 The Nature of Science and the Characteristics of Life
	Earthbound Extraterrestrial? Or Just Another Microbe in the Mud?
	The Nature of Science
	The Process of Science
	Scientific Facts and Theories
	The Characteristics of Living Organisms
	Biological Evolution and the Unity and Diversity of Life
	The Biological Hierarchy
	Researchers Wrangle over Bacteria
Chapter 2 The Chemistry of Life
	How the “Cookie Monster” Tackled Trans Fats
	Matter, Elements, and Atomic Structure
	The Bonds That Link Atoms
	The Special Properties of Water
	The pH Scale
	The Chemical Building Blocks of Life
	Carbohydrates
	Proteins
	Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids
	How Bad Are Trans Fats?
Chapter 3 Cell Structure and Internal Compartments
	Wanted: Long-Term Roommate; Must Help Keep House and Have Own DNA
	Cells: The Smallest Units of Life
	The Plasma Membrane
	Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
	Internal Compartments of Eukaryotic Cells
	The Cytoskeleton
	The Evolution of Eukaryotes
Chapter 4 Cell Membranes, Transport, and Communication
	Mysterious Memory Loss
	The Plasma Membrane as Gate and Gatekeeper
	Osmosis
	Facilitated Membrane Transport
	Exocytosis and Endocytosis
	Cellular Connections
	Cell Signaling
	Cholesterol in the Brain
Chapter 5 Energy Metabolism, and Enzymes
	Kick-Start Your Metabolic Engine!
	The Role of Energy in Living Systems
	Metabolism
	Enzymes
	Metabolic Pathways
	Food, Folks, and Metabolism
Chapter 6 Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
	Every Breath You Take
	Molecular Energy Carriers
	An Overview of Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
	Photosynthesis: Energyfrom Sunlight
	Cellular Respiration:Energy from Food
	Waiting to Exhale
Chapter 7 Cell Division
	Olympic-Class Algal Bloom
	Why Cells Divide
	The Cell Cycle
	The Chromosomal Organization of Genetic Material
	Mitosis and Cytokinesis: From One Cell to Two Identical Cells
	Meiosis: Halving the Chromosome Set to Make Gametes
	The Great Divide
Chapter 8 Cancer and Human Health
	Henrietta Lacks’s Immortal Cells
	Cancer: Good Cells Gone Bad
	Cancer-Critical Genes
	The Progression to Cancer
	Treatment and Prevention
	How HeLa Cells Changed Biomedicine
Chapter 9 Patterns of Inheritance
	The Lost Princess
	Principles of Genetics: An Overview
	Basic Patterns of Inheritance
	Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance
	Extensions of Mendel’s Laws
	Solving the Mystery of the Lost Princess
Chapter 10 Chromosomes and Human Genetics
	Family Ties
	The Role of Chromosomes in Inheritance
	Genetic Linkage and Crossing-Over
	Human Genetic Disorders
	Autosomal Inheritance of Single-Gene Mutations
	Sex-Linked Inheritance of Single-Gene Mutations
	Inherited Chromosomal Abnormalities
	Testing for Huntington’s Disease
Chapter 11 DNA and Genes
	The Man from the Copper Age
	An Overview of DNA and Genes
	The Three-Dimensional Structure of DNA
	How DNA Is Replicated
	Repairing Replication Errors and Damaged DNA
	Genome Organization
	DNA Packing in Eukaryotes
	Patterns of Gene Expression
	CSI: Copper Age
Chapter 12 From Gene to Protein
	Greek Myths and One-Eyed Sheep
	How Genes Work
	Transcription: Information Flow from DNA to RNA
	The Genetic Code
	Translation: Information Flow from mRNA to Protein
	The Effect of Mutations on Protein Synthesis
	How Cells Control Gene Expression
	From Gene Expression to Cyclops
Chapter 13 DNA Technology
	The Brave New World of DNA Technology
	DNA Fingerprinting
	Genetic Engineering
	Reproductive Cloning of Animals
	Stem Cells: Dedicated to Division
	Human Gene Therapy
	Ethical and Social Dimensions of DNA Technology
	A Closer Look at Some Tools of DNA Technology
	How to Make a Plantimal
Chapter 14 How Evolution Works
	Evolution and Natural Selection
	Mechanisms of Evolutionary Change
	Natural Selection Leads to Adaptive Evolution
	Adaptations
	Sexual Selection
	The Evidence for Biological Evolution
	The Impact of Evolutionary Thought
	Darwin’s Finches: Evolution in Action
Chapter 15 The Origin of Species
	Cichlid Mysteries
	What Are Species?
	Speciation: Generating Biodiversity
	Adaptive Radiations: Increases in the Diversity of Life
	Evolution Can Explain the Unity and Diversity of Life
	Rates of Speciation
	Lake Victoria: Center of Speciation
Chapter 16 The Evolutionary History of Life
	Puzzling Fossils in a Frozen Wasteland
	Macroevolution: Large-Scale Body Changes
	The Fossil Record: A Guide to the Past
	The History of Life on Earth
	The Effects of Plate Tectonics
	Mass Extinctions: Worldwide Losses of Species
	Rapid Macroevolution through Differential Gene Expression
	Phylogenetics: Reconstructing Evolutionary Relationships
	When Antarctica Was Green
Chapter 17 Bacteria, Archaea, and Viruses
	A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Human Body
	The Diversity of Life
	Bacteria and Archaea: Tiny, Successful, and Abundant
	Viruses: Nonliving Infectious Agents
	All of Us Together
Chapter 18  Protista, Plantae, and Fungi
	Did Plants Teach Rivers to Wander?
	The Dawn of Eukarya
	Protista: The First Eukaryotes
	Plantae: The Green Mantle of Our World
	Fungi: A World of Decomposers
	Lichens and Mycorrhizae: Collaborations between Kingdoms
	The Root of the Problem: Why Rivers Meander
Chapter 19 Animalia
	Who We Are
	The Evolutionary Origins of Animalia
	Characteristics of Animals
	The First Invertebrates: Sponges, Jellyfish, and Relatives
	The Protostomes
	The Deuterostomes
	Chordates like Us: TheVertebrates
	Clues to the Evolution of Multicellularity
Chapter 20 The Biosphere
	Ecology: Understanding the Interconnected Web
	Climate’s Large Effect on the Biosphere
	Terrestrial Biomes
	Aquatic Biomes
	How Invasive Mussels Can Harm Whole Ecosystems
Chapter 21 Growth of Populations
	What Is a Population?
	Changes in Population Size
	Exponential Growth
	Logistic Growth and the Limits on Population Size
	Applications of Population Ecology
	What Does the Future Hold?
Chapter 22 
Animal Behavior
	The Evolution of Niceness
	Sensing and Responding: The Nature of Behavioral Responses
	Fixed and Learned Behaviors in Animals
	Social Behavior in Animals
	Facilitating Behavioral Interactions through Communication
	Mating Behaviors
	The Genetics of Domestication
Chapter 23 Ecological Communities
	Fatal Feline Attraction
	Species Interactions
	How Species Interactions Shape Communities
	How Communities Change over Time
	Human Impacts on Community Structure
	How a Parasite Can Hijack Your Brain
Chapter 24 
Ecosystems
	Deepwater Horizon: Death of an Ecosystem?
	How Ecosystems Function: An Overview
	Energy Capture in Ecosystems
	Energy Flow through Ecosystems
	Biogeochemical Cycles
	Human Actions Can Alter Ecosystem Processes
	What Happens When the Worst Happens?
Chapter 25 Global Change
	Is the Cupboard Bare?
	Land and Water Transformation
	Changes in the Chemistry of Earth
	Human Impacts on the Global Carbon Cycle
	Climate Change
	Timely Action Can Avert the Worst-Case Scenarios
	Bye-Bye, Food Chain?
Index
Glossary
Credits