Includes index.

pt. I. Cells -- 1. The cell -- Our common ancestor -- Chemicals to cells -- The two types of cells -- Basic cell structure -- Membranes -- Cytoplasm -- Genetic material -- 2. How the first cells emerged on Earth -- Carbon -- The first organic molecules -- How chemicals lead to life -- Amino acids and proteins -- Protein structure -- Ribonucleic acid (RNA) -- Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) -- The first cell -- 3. The prokaryotic cell -- Bacteria and archaea -- Inside prokaryotes -- Outside prokaryotes -- Diversity in prokaryotes -- Extremophiles -- Cyanobacteria -- The domains of living things -- 4. The eukaryotic cell -- The first eukaryotes -- What is an organelle? -- Protists -- Algae -- Diatoms -- Water molds, white rusts, and downy mildews -- Protozoa -- Algae lead to the first green plants -- 5. How your cells work -- Biological membranes -- Lipid bilayer -- How substances go through membranes -- Energy generation in membranes -- How membranes help cells communicate -- Mitochondria -- The nucleus -- Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) -- Golgi apparatus -- Other parts of your cells -- Peroxisomes -- Lysosomes -- 6. How cells communicate -- Chemotaxis -- Quorum sensing -- Multicellular organisms -- Cell signaling -- Neurons -- Controlling gene expression -- pt. II. Energy -- 7. Introduction to metabolism -- Enzymes -- How enzymes run chemical reactions -- Coenzymes -- Regulating enzymes -- Anabolism and catabolism -- Equilibrium -- ATP : the cell's energy currency -- How ATP stores energy -- How ATP performs work -- How ATP regenerates -- 8. Respiration -- How we get energy from organic fuel -- Glycolysis -- Krebs cycle=citric acid cycle=tricarboxylic acid cycle -- Electron transport -- Phosphorylation : big word and big meaning -- Oxygen -- Respiration's ATP output -- 9. Fermentation -- Getting energy without using oxygen -- Types of fermentation -- Alcohol fermentation -- Lactic acid fermentation -- Mixed acid fermentation -- 10. Photosynthesis -- Photosynthetic organisms -- Cyanobacteria -- Chloroplasts -- Light and photosynthetic pigments -- Photosynthesis in bacteria -- Photosynthesis' two stages -- Light reactions -- Dark reactions -- pt. III. Basics of genetics -- 11. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and chromosomes -- Your cells' DNA -- Complementary strands -- The genetic alphabet -- What is a gene? -- How DNA replicates -- Chromosomes -- How chromosomes control the traits you inherit -- 12. The cell cycle -- Cell division -- Cell division in prokaryotes -- Cell division in eukaryotes -- Mitosis -- The importance of cell cycles -- A typical cell cycle -- How nature controls cell cycles -- Cancer : when the cell cycle goes out of control -- 13. Genetic information travels from genes to proteins -- What does gene expression mean? -- RNA's job in transcription -- RNA's job in translation -- The genetic code -- Other components of gene expression -- Protein : the final product -- 14. Genetics and inheritance -- Heredity, genetics, and inheritance -- Mendelian genetics -- Law of segregation -- Law of independent assortment -- Following traits through generations -- Recessive and dominant traits -- How genes are linked on chromosomes -- Sex-linked genes --

pt. IV. Adaptation and evolution -- 15. Mutation and other genetic errors -- What is mutation? -- Types of mutation -- What causes mutations? -- Mutation rate -- How mutation leads to adaptation -- An introduction to natural selection -- 16. Evolution and extinction -- Even the theory of evolution evolved! -- Catastrophism -- Gradualism -- Lamarck's ideas on evolution -- Darwin's theory of evolution -- The origin of species -- The relationship between evolution and biodiversity -- Extinction -- Types of extinction -- 17. How we organize species -- Phylogeny, systematics, and taxonomy! Oh my! -- How hierarchies work -- Domains -- Kingdoms -- A taxonomist's life -- How humans fit into taxonomy -- pt. V. Prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and viruses -- 18. Single-celled organisms : bacteria and archaea -- Archaea -- Sulfur users -- Methane producers -- Halophiles -- Archaea without cell walls -- Bacteria -- Photosynthetic bacteria -- Proteobacteria -- Spirochetes -- Purple and green sulfur and nonsulfur bacteria -- Mycobacteria -- Micoplasma -- 19. Algae, protists, and fungi -- Algae -- Protists -- Slime molds -- Fungi -- Multicellular fungi -- Mushrooms -- MOlds -- Yeasts -- 20. Viruses -- Meet a virus -- Bacteriophages : viruses that attack bacteria -- Virus size -- How we classify viruses -- How viruses infect -- The lytic cycle of virus infection -- The lysogenic cycle of virus infection -- Viral diseases -- Other nonliving particles in biology -- Viroids -- Prions -- pt. VI. Complex animals -- 21. Invertebrates -- Characteristics of early organisms -- Sponges : exceptions to the animal body plan -- Invertebrates that do not look like animals -- Invertebrates that look like animals -- Chordata -- 22. The animal body : the nervous system and circulation -- Tissue structure and function -- Epithelial tissue -- Muscle tissue -- Connective tissue -- Nerve tissue -- Body metabolism : how it all works together -- Ecotherms and endotherms -- Thermoregulation -- The nervous system -- Neurons and glia -- The circulatory system -- Open and closed circulatory systems -- Blood vessels -- Blood -- 23. The animal body : the endocrine, immune, and sensory systems -- The endocrine system -- Endocrine glands -- Hormones -- Pheromones -- The immune system -- Components of the immune system -- Cells of the immune system -- Antibodies -- Natural immunity -- Acquired immunity -- The sensory system -- Types of sensory receptors -- Components of the sensory system -- 24. The basics of animal reproduction -- Reproductive cycles -- Asexual reproduction in animals -- Fertilization -- Parts of the female reproductive system -- Parts of the male reproductive system -- Breeding --

VII. Plants -- 25. The plant body and plant growth -- Plant diversity -- Early plant life -- Mosses -- Ferns -- Vascular plants -- Anatomy of a plant -- Roots -- Stems -- Leaves -- 26. Seeds and plant life cycles -- What is a plant life cycle? -- Seeds -- Why seeds are important to us -- Life cycle of seed plants -- 27. Flowers, fruits, and pollination -- Parts of a flower -- Carpels -- The stigma -- Stamens -- Other parts of a flower -- Classifying flowers -- Pollination -- Insects and pollination -- Fruits -- An angiosperm life cycle -- 28. Plant sensory and defense systems -- Nature's stimuli sensed by plants -- Plant hormones -- Fruit growth and ripening -- Types of plant defenses -- Plant defenses against herbivores -- Plant defenses against pathogens -- pt. VIII. Environment and ecology -- 29. Environments -- The Earth's environments -- Soil environments -- Water environments -- Ecosystems -- 30. Ecology -- How humans fit into Earth ecology -- Human activities and ecology -- How species interact -- Nutrients cycle through Earth's ecosystems -- Prey and predators -- Biodiversity -- Biodiversity and ecosystems -- Climate and biodiversity -- Deforestation and desertification -- 31. Biodiversity -- The world's biodiversity hotspots -- Endemism -- Ways of protecting biodiversity -- Threats to biodiversity -- The value of biodiversity -- Indicator species -- 32. Today's biology -- Different types of biology -- Molecular biology -- Genomics -- Proteomics -- Conservation biology -- 33. The new frontiers in disease fighting -- How new technologies are developed -- Biotechnology -- Today's new technologies in disease fighting -- Biologics -- Gene therapy -- Which diseases will new technologies target first? -- 34. How to understand biology in the news -- How scientists talk -- Knowing a little statistics can't hurt -- How to spot junk science -- Our perception of biology -- Glossary.