Books for Biologists
{short description of image}Shelf 4: Non-fiction

Author and Title Reviews and Reader's comments taken from
{short description of image}

Spencer Wells:

The Journey
of Man

 Spencer Wells traces human evolution back to our very first ancestor in The Journey of Man. Along the way, he sums up the explosive effect of new techniques in genetics on the field of evolutionary biology and all available evidence from the fossil record. Wells's seemingly sexist title is purposeful: he argues that the Y chromosome gives us a unique opportunity to follow our migratory heritage back to a sort of Adam, just as earlier work in mitochondrial DNA allowed the identification of Eve, mother of all Homo sapiens.
Brian Sykes:

The Seven
Daughters
of Eve		 This very interesting book brings state-of-the-art genetics to bear on genealogy, anthropology, and archeology. About 95% of white Europeans, according to the study of donated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) described in this book, can trace back their matrilineal descent (their mom, to her mom, to her mom, to her mom, etc. etc. etc.) to just seven women who lived between about 45,000 and 10,000 years ago in various Eurasian territories.
{short description of image} Bert
Holldobler,
Edward. O. Wilson:
Journey
to the Ants		 I haven't enjoyed a book like this in a long time. I plan to re-read it soon. It leaves you boogled by the complexity that can be introduced by simple evolutionary rules. That fun part is that it is rooted in a reality that can be found on the sidewalks and in your back yard. I almost gave it a ten, but I wanted to leave myself some room to grow. It is a great book.

See also : Ants at Work
{short description of image} Stephen J. Gould:
Bully for
Brontosaurus		 Stephen Jay Gould has a wide range of interests, and for many years he has shared his enthusiasms in the pages of Natural History and the New York Review of Books, among other journals. His passions include baseball, the puzzles of evolutionary theory, and the game of scholarly detection as it applies to questions such as, "What became of dinosaurs, anyway?".
{short description of image} Boyce Rensberger:
Life Itself		 A science writer for The Washington Post takes readers to the front lines of cell research with some of the brightest investigators in molecular, cellular, and development biology. Life Itself covers virtually all the hottest topics in biomedical research, from cell movement to regeneration to the definition of cancer and the nature of life.
{short description of image} Charles A.
Pasternak
The Molecules Within Us		 What goes on in the liver? Who were Watson and Crick? Why do we get old? Pasternak's lively book answers these and thousands of other fascinating questions, but isn't afraid to say, "Nobody knows." Even if you hated biochemistry (or never took it), you'll love the down-to-earth examples and stories of how people's lives are affected by submicroscopic particles. Learn why you can't get peanuts on plane flights and why we might be "hard-wired" for religion--you're sure to find some surprises while studying The Molecules Within Us.
{short description of image} David Goodsell:
The Machinery
of Life		 Now available in soft-cover, this bestselling, well-received book takes readers on a fascinating journey into the world of cells and molecules. With a crisp text and extraordinary illustrations, "The Machinery of Life" guides readers through the interior of cells, exploring the ways in which molecular machines drive the process of life.
{short description of image} Kary Mullis:
Dancing
Naked in the
Mind Field		 Awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1993, Kary Mullis has frequently been at odds with the scientific establishment. Legendary for his invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which redefined the world of DNA and genetics, Mullis is also an accomplished surfer, a veteran of Berkeley in the sixties, and perhaps the only Nobel laureate to describe a possible encounter with aliens.
{short description of image} David Suzuki:
The Secret of Life		 The companion volume to an eight-part public television series explains the importance of DNA, its role in evolution, human biology, cancer and AIDS, and explores the problems and possibilities of genetic manipulation.
{short description of image} Harry Greene:
Snakes: The
Evolution of
Mystery in
Nature		 Harry W. Greene offers life histories of cobras and adders, of rattlers and constrictors, showing the astonishing variety in what is, all in all, a fairly simple form. He discusses snake locomotion, adaptation, coloration, nomenclature, mimicry, and habits; and he offers a rigorous account of herp physiology, all the while peppering his scientific prose with personal notes on encounters with sometimes testy subjects around the world.
{short description of image} Katy Payne:
Silent
Thunder		 Naturalist and bioacoustics researcher Katy Payne stood near an elephant cage at a zoo and felt a strange "throb and flutter" in the air. When she later realized that the feeling was very like that caused by the lowest notes of a pipe organ, she embarked on a journey of scientific and personal discovery that took her to Africa to study how the huge mammals communicate. For years, she lived close to the elephants she loved, getting to know individuals and describing their long-distance infrasound "conversations."
{short description of image} Sue Savage-
Rumbaugh:
Kanzi		 Although we share 99 percent of our genetic makeup with chimpanzees and even more humanlike characteristics with bonobos (miniature chimpanzees), language sets us apart from our hairy brothers and sisters. Ape researcher Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and her coauthor document her years of psychological studies, laboratory work, and life experiences with bonobos.
{short description of image} Franz De Waal:
Bonobo: the
Forgotten Ape		 The author has long been intrigued by chimpanzee politics and mores, and now he has turned his human heart and scientific mind to a species science has tended to celebrate solely for its sex drive. Bonobos may look like chimps, but they are actually even closer to us--far more upright, physically, for a start. Furthermore, where chimpanzees hunt, fight, and politic like mad, bonobos are peaceful, often ambisexual, and matriarchal.
{short description of image} Franz De Waal:
Good Natured		 In Good Natured Frans de Waal, ethologist and primatologist, asks us to reconsider human morality in light of moral aspects that can be identified in animals. Within the complex negotiations of human society, a moral action may involve thoughts and feelings of guilt, reciprocity, obligation, expectations, rules, or community concern. De Waal finds these aspects of morality prevalent in other animal societies, mostly primate, and suggests that the two philosophical camps supporting nature and nurture may have to be disbanded in order to adequately understand human morality.
{short description of image} Diane Ackerman:
The Moon
by
Whale Light		 In a rare blend of scientific fact and poetic truth, the acclaimed author of A Natural History of the Senses explores the activities of whales, penguins, bats, and crocodilians, plunging headlong into nature and coming up with highly entertaining treasures.
Go to
Shelf 1		 Go to
Shelf 2		 Go to
Shelf 3		 Go to
Shelf 5		 NEW:
Go to
Shelf 6
Books
Recommended
by Students
Science books from
{short description of image}
{short description of image}{short description of image}
{short description of image}science books
{short description of image}