Enduring Features:
An engaging, uncluttered narrative-describes and develops fundamental ideas, terms, or processes in clear and straightforward terms.
Experimental focus as an integral feature of the text-throughout, as a defining feature of the text's narrative style, biological concepts and processes are described in the context of the research that led to their discovery.
A wealth of striking examples and evocative applications-the authors enliven concepts by continually reinforcing the relevance of biological research to students' lives.
Strong emphasis on evolution-throughout, evolution is presented as a core, unifying theme binding the entire text together.
Innovative art with balloon-style captions describe each distinct stage of biological processes.
Effective pedagogy-interpretive headings provide fuller descriptions of chapter sections, while end-of chapter summaries, organised around those headings, review the chapter section by section.
New to this Edition:
Enhanced Art:
"Experiment" and "Research Method" illustrations guide students through the experimental foundation of biology.
Extensive use of numbering of the popular balloon-style captions makes the illustrations easier to follow.
New Coverage:
A completely new chapter, Cell Signaling and Communication (in Part Two) focuses primarily on the signal transduction pathway (see annotated table of contents for more about this chapter).
Expanded coverage of plant and animal diversity (Part Four) goes from three to five chapters (see annotated table of contents for more about this section).
Co-author David Sadava has thoroughly revised the cell chapters (2-8) with a distinctive blend of breakthrough research and applications in the same way that he enhanced the genetics chapters in the previous edition (see the annotated table of contents for more about these chapters).
New Presentation:
In response to lecturers' comments, the book's length has been substantially reduced - by about 150 pages - by focusing on the most important concepts and experiments and through careful pruning.
Text and media are closely integrated. In-text icons identify activities, video, or animations on the student CD and Web site that expand or support the discussion of important topics.
