Biology for Dummies 2ND EDITION

The fast and easy way to understand biology

From molecules to animals, cells to ecosystems, this friendly guide answers all your questions about how living things work. Written in plain English and packed with helpful illustrations, tables, and diagrams, it cuts right to the chase with easy-to-absorb explanations of the life processes common to all organisms.

Biology 101 — get the lowdown on how life is studied and open a window on the world's organisms

Jump into the gene pool — discover how cell reproduction and genetics work, from making sense of Mendel's Law of Segregation to dealing with DNA

Explore the living world — find out how ecology and evolution are the glue that holds everything together

Let's get physical — peruse the principles of physiology to get a handle on animal structure and function

Go green — take a look at the life of plants and understand how they acquire energy, reproduce, and so much more

Open the book and find:

Plain-English explanations of how living matter works

The parts and functions of cells

How food works as a source of energy

The 411 on reproduction and genetics

Fascinating facts about DNA technology

The biology of bacteria and viruses

How humans affect the circle of life

An overview of human anatomy

Innate human defenses (and adaptive ones, too!)

Learn to:

Identify and dissect the many structures and functions of plants and animals

Grasp the latest discoveries in evolutionary, reproductive, and ecological biology

Think like a biologist and use scientific methods