The Living World

The Living World is often considered a student favorite. George Johnson has written this non-majors textbook from the ground up to be an engaging and accessible learning tool with an emphasis on "how things work and why things happen the way they do". The Living World focuses on concepts rather than terminology and technical information, and features a straightforward, clear writing style and a wide variety of media assets to enhance the content of the textbook.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 The Study of LifeChapter 1 The Science of BiologyChapter 2 Evolution and EcologyPart 2 The Living CellChapter 3 The Chemistry of LifeChapter 4 Molecules of LifeChapter 5 CellsChapter 6 Energy and LifeChapter 7 Photosynthesis: Acquiring Energy from the SunChapter 8 How Cells Harvest Energy from FoodPart 3 The Continuity of LifeChapter 9 MitosisChapter 10 Meiosis Chapter 11 Foundations of GeneticsChapter 12 DNA: The Genetic MaterialChapter 13 How Genes WorkPart 4 The New BiologyChapter 14 Gene TechnologyChapter 15 GenomicsChapter 16 The Revolution in Cell TechnologyPart 5 The Evolution and Diversity of LifeChapter 17 Evolution and Natural SelectionChapter 18 How We Name Living ThingsChapter 19 The First Single-Celled CreaturesChapter20 Advent of the EukaryotesChapter 21 Fungi Invade the LandPart 6 Plant LifeChapter 22 Evolution of PlantsChapter 23 Plant Form and FunctionChapter 24 Plant Reproduction and GrowthPart 7 Evolution of Animal LifeChapter 25 Evolution of the Animal PhylaChapter 26 History of the Vertebrates27 How Humans EvolvedPart 8 Animal LifeChapter 28 The Animal Body and How It MovesChapter 29 CirculationChapter 30 RespirationChapter 31 The Path of Food Through the Animal BodyChapter 32 Maintaining the Internal EnvironmentChapter 33 How the Body Defends ItselfChapter 34 The Nervous SystemChapter 35 Chemical Signaling Within the Animal BodyChapter 36 Reproduction and DevelopmentPart 9 The Living EnvironmentChapter 37 EcosystemsChapter 38 Populations and CommunitiesChapter 39 Behavior and the EnvironmentChapter 40 Planet Under Stress

About the Author :
George B. Johnson, Ph.D., is a professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis and a professor of genetics at the university's School of Medicine. He is a prolific author of life science texts and curriculum products in a variety of media. New to his list of works are the Explorations of Human Biology CD-ROM and the textbook Human Biology, both offered by Wm. C. Brown Publishers. Johnson is acknowledged as an authority on population genetics and evolution variability, and he has published more than 50 research papers dealing with these and related topics. Visitors to the St. Louis Zoo can appreciate Johnson's work in the Living World, the educational center of which he is the founding director. Jonathan Losos is a Monique and Philip Lehner Professor for the Study of Latin America in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Herpetology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. Losos's research has focused on studying patterns of adaptive ratiation and evolutionary diversification in lizards. The recipient of several awards including hte prestigious Theodosius Dobzhansky and David Starr Jordan Prizes for outstanding young evolutionary biologists, Losos has published more than 100 scientific articles.