Biology Books

I find that Dover's books are simply excellent and this text is no exception. The order of the material in the book is logical: starting with the basics of autocorrelation to how Maxwell's equations lead to intensity of scattered radiation. Then, that crucial leap from the theory of scattering to how radiation is measured by different detectors is made and what they lead to in terms of correlation functions. The book expands on the basics of ideal, non-interacting isotropic scatters to more complex situations. Many references are provided. Since DLS has applications in protein dynamics, I used this text as background.

Dynamic Light Scattering is a classic text, that presents a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the underlying physics and principles of DLS. The description is developed with the associated mathematics of fluctuations and time correlation functions, as well as various physical aspects of Brownian Motion. Examples drawn from physics, chemistry and biology are used to illustrate the usefullness of DLS in studying a diverse range of problems including cell motility, macromolecular dynamics, dynamics of anisotropics objects (rod-like particles, viruses), electrolytic solutions, etc. The book is ESSENTIAL for everyone with interest in 1) dynamics of complex fluids 2) Brownian Motion of particles and 3) Single Molecule Imaging!

The text is a beautifully written treatise on various applications of DLS, with a very insightful commentary on how various dynamics is detected by light, how underlying structure and relaxations translate to observable, how observables can be deduced by mathematical principles based on statistical mechanics (including non-equilibrium thermodynamics). This is a fairly advanced text, so I would advise someone to get a soft introduction to his/her topic of choice (polymers, gels, rods, colloids, cells, polyelectrolytes, etc.) and basic statistical mechanics before picking this text. Being a Dover publication, the book is priced cheaper than it ought to be:), and hence must make its way to the shelf of people who have any lasting interest in DLS. The book by Wyn Brown is a useful supplementary text (and includes more modern references, but comes at a high price). This book is an exercise in the mathematics of correlation functions, and associated hydrodynamics equations, and definitely requires concerted effort to become beneficial to the reader.

This is a laboratory manual aimed at people who work on Xenopus development in, well, laboratories. If you are a herpetologist or general frog enthusiast this book is not for you. As far as adult frogs go, Xenopus are actually quite ugly. However, if you work with their beautiful embryos and need to know how to do wholemount in situ hybridization, mark dorsal blastopore lips, dejelly embryos, or dozens of other technical processes- this book is exactly what you need. The experts who designed and optimized these various protocols give step by step instructions on how to perform procedures in your own lab, list reagents and suppliers, provide chemical safety information, and more.

Hardly a week goes by without us referring to this book in my lab.

Certainly a specialised book that would only appeal to herpetologists interested in developmental aspects of anuran larvae. Comprehensive nonetheless, and fascinating for the interested anuran biologist.

As a college professor, I have always tried to memorize important benchmarks in my field. One set of benchmarks that is critical in teaching geology are dates such as the dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago. I soon discovered that this task was going to be far more difficult then I first expected because for many dates, such as the age of the universe, many different estimates exist (in this case from around 5 to 25 billion years). It soon became apparent the many of the dates in geology are estimates at best and more often gestimates. Whitcomb in this excellent work does a much needed job critiquing many of the modern dating methods used in science today. He shows why many are not as accurate as commonly believed. Now when I teach geology or earth science I always stress that no one in science knows, for example, how old the earth or universe is, and therefore when providing dates one must not say that something is so many years old, but must say "according to carbon 14 or another dating method, some animal is estimated to have died 5730 years ago, and this date is based on the many assumptions of this method." Unfortunately, most texts and sources often dogmatically state that something is so many millions of years old when this cannot be known to be the case. This must read book will go a long way toward reducing the dogmatism now very common in geological dating and will help the dating process to be more scientific and less dogmatic. In short The Early Earth is an antidote to dogmatism

This expanded and revised edition of "The Early Earth," by Dr. John C. Whitcomb, Biblical Professor of Old Testament for 38 years at Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana, startles the reader with an excellent in-depth examination of the earth as created rather than evolved.

Bracing his position with the first and second laws of Thermodynamics, Dr. Whitcomb thus handily develops his stance for Biblical Creationism while dismantling many of the foundational suppositions of evolutionary conjecture.

In addition, he establishes the suddenness of creation as scientifically supported by many such as Dr. Carl Baugh, Creation Evidence Museum, while proving the instantaneity of earth's beginning over the provably unscientific spontaneity professed by evolutionists.

Written as a scholarly textbook, yet formed in lucid prose, Dr. Whitcomb's work is an excellent primer for any seeking an introduction to the main questions demanded of earth's beginnings.

Perhaps the only surprise is the wonder remaining at the end of the book as to why any would continue to pursue the theory of evolution when even the laws of thermodynamics obliterate all reason for valuing Darwin's hypothesis.

Genesis thus excelled clearly enhances the Psalmist's prophetic utterance, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork." {Psalm 19:1, The New King James}

A hearty 'Amen' must be added to the exhortation that 'The Early Earth' is indeed a "must read."

TL Farley,
Author,
When Now Becomes Too Late,
Distant Reaches

When Now Becomes Too Late { Print Edition }

When Now Becomes Too Late ( Kindle Edition }

{ Prophecy : The Rapture in Brief }

Distant Reaches { Print Edition }

{ True Life Adventures in Ireland, Boston and on the North Atlantic }

I bought this for my daughter who is a graduating biologist with a strong interest in mammals. She loves it and has requested several other volumes in the set for birthday or christmas. I've spent some time with it and it almost exceeds description. The pencil drawings (by the author, also an artist) are definitive, the coverage is exhaustive, and there is but one problem. The whole set, of which this is just one volume, is slowly going out of print. Grab them while you can; used they sell for MORE than new, if you can find them at all.

As a professional Wildlife Artist, my field includes painting, sculpture, and taxidermy.

This makes all of the "East African Mammals" series of books by Jonathan Kingdon an absolute necessity. The text gives a wonderful insight into the natural history as well as the historical ancestry of the majority of East Africa's wild children.

But even more, it is Mr. Kingdon's exquisite pencil renderings of the individual species as well as the structure of their musculature, that make these books so special.

It will be funny to those who have never seen an animal without its' hide on, to see how some predators - including the hyena, and leopard - look without their coat of fur. For instance, the anatomical study of the Sidestriped Jackal will remind the reader of a popular Chihuahua pitch-man ... er, dog!

These musulature drawings, in turn, are further enhanced by deeper dissection-like illustrations revealing the deeper muscle structures responsible for much of the movement and support for the mammal in question. These types of drawings are especially fascinating in the Large Mammals volume, wherein the trunk of the elephant and the mouth structure of the hippopotamus are visually dissected to provide a greater insight into these structures, and their performance in the animal.

The books in this series are therefore especially indispensable to the Wildlife Restorer (taxidermist) as a guide to anatomy that we rarely get to see "in-the-flesh" as it were.

I can, therefore, wholeheartedly recommend this series of books to anyone who cares enough about their chosen field of art, to pursue all ends to collect as much reference material as possible.

These books are an excellent addition to the wildlife artists' library.

This is an excellent book for the studying ecologist or field biologist, a professional would certainly want more, such as Techniques for Wildlife Investigation and Management by the Wildlife Society. This handbook is just that and it offers the basics for just about any survey. For undergraduates interested in independent studies or grad students just getting started, this is your book. It will guide you through everything from sampling techniques based on specific classes (ie fishes, amphibians, etc.) to statistical analysis and common errors.

This book is useful and unbiased. It covers both animal and plant censuing. I found it very useful and informational.

Krebs' text is a thorough and outstanding reference for any ecologist. This is is the ideal balance of technical background and practical application of methods commonly used in ecology. Ive found other sources either too cursory or far too involved with derivations of formulae, etc. Krebs hits the major points for the methods he discusses, describes the strengths and weaknesses, and gives the original citations (for most) so the reader can seek more information if necessary.

This is a wonderful book. As a graduating senior in Ecology, I can say that there is no way I could have completed my research without this book. Krebs is cited in journal articles constantly, and there is a reason - this reference work is thorough, well written and gives many examples to follow. I also recommend the EcoMeth software mentioned in the text, it is well worth the cost. Just browsing through the book will give you ideas on how to analyze your data. It even provides wonderful advice for those just in the process of setting up their experiments. All in all, it's top notch!

I have read the book and heard Jora speak -- they are both incredibly inspiring. Sustainability is one of those terms that is often used in ecological circles -- Ted and Jora give concrete examples of its application in our society, and from those examples flow hope. I bought this book thinking that I would read two scientists' view of ecology. When I finished I realized that I had not only learned some science, I had also been persuaded by the authors appreciation of the spiritual basis of ecology. Wanted: Reformers not of others, but of self.

This wonderful book gives us hope -- if we are willing to pitch in and work with others. It gives examples of how people in very different communities have come together to overcome difficulties and make significant improvements to their environments. Menominee Indians are maintaining a sustainable timber forest in the midst of land that have been devastated by loggers, and suburban Chicagoans are restoring nearby prairie lands to their original condition. Based on the authors' experiences gained while visiting these groups, the last chapter provides very helpful practical suggestions of how people can effectively be organized to bring about positive change. This book, if taken seriously by enough people, can turn us in the right direction

If you are interested in Ecosystem Managment, than you probably have heard of most of the concepts in this book. However, this book provides a good easy to read (and easy to understand) summary of concepts related to Ecosystem Managment.

The collective and collaborative effort of Gary K. Meffe (Adjunct Professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida), Larry A. Nielsen (Fisheries biologist and Den of the College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University), Richard L. Knight (Professor of Wildlife Conservation, Colorado State University), and Dennis A. Schenborn (Chief of Planning and Budget for the Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat protection of the Wisconsin State Department of Natural Resources), Ecosystem Management: Adaptive, Community- Based Conservation is an intelligently organized, "reader friendly" textbook which is an ideal resource and teaching tool for discusses a wide range of environmental issues including: genetic diversity in ecosystem management, landscape-level conservation, single-species land management, the skill and art of keeping fragile ecosystems in balance; methodology, examples, and mathematical models. An astute presented and detailed college-level text, Ecosystem Management is a welcome and highly recommended contribution to Environmental Studies reference collections in general, and Ecosystem Management curriculum reading lists in particular.

What a fascinating theory: that electrodynamic fields can indicate moods and other psychological characteristics. A most interesting application of this theory was for birth control: the data showed that, through non-instrusive methods, one can determine exact moments of ovulation.

Why hasn't anybody followed up on this theory? I'd love to see data developed by more recent experiments using the most modern equipment.

For those interested in EMF, and this should be just about everyone interested in the dynamics of life processes, this is the bible of electrodynamic theory and the history of EMF discoveries, the main original researchers (Harold S. Burr- 1889-1973, Dr. Leonard J. Ravitz, and F.S.C. Northrop- 1893-1992) and a in-depth catalog of EMF applications. "Life is organized around electricity" and this is the focus of the research and discoveries.

The studies showed that EMF affects all living entities with influences stretching all the way from Earth and into the far reaches of the solar system and with EMF detection devices, weather can be forecasted: earthquakes, hurricanes, rain, etc., and as accurately as animals can "feel" their approach along with detectable influences of the moon and sun and beyond; women's monthly cycles and ovulation; cancer detection; agricultural crops, esp., seeds can be analyzed for their vitality, etc.

These studies have influenced research in just about all disciplines: the EMF influence and it's importance cannot be understated. In their book, "The Secret Life of Plants", authors Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, used data from the original EMF studies and cited Ravitz's work.

The book is technical but approachable to those familiar with EMF studies. One won't loose anything by passing over some of the more dense language, the importance of EMF phenomenon is easily harvested and digestible.

This is a concise and brilliant book! Basu is a leader in forensics and has written a masterpiece. This is a "must read" for the serious electronic microscopist.

'Elecron Microscopy in Forensic, Occupational, and EHS' is concise and intriguing. Dr. Basu is an accomplished and knowledgeable scientist; I recommend this book fully