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The Ideas of Biology
A series of concise essays explores the foundations of modern biology — the cell, genetics, development, and evolution — for coherent definitions of some of life's seemingly inscrutable processes. Using evolution as the central theme, it examines heredity, embryonic development, and ultimately, relations between organisms and their environment.
192 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1965
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About the author
John Tyler Bonner
53 books12 followersJohn Tyler Bonner is the George M. Moffett Professor Emeritus of Biology at Princeton University, a pioneer in the use of cellular slime molds to understand evolution and development, and one of the world's leading experts on cellular slime molds.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 18, 2021
Are you taking an advanced science class and completely lost? Are you tired of having information thrown at you with no purpose leaving you more confused than ever? John Bonner has written 14 books relating to scientific theories ranging from the ideas of cellular slime molds to life cycles and bacteria. His autobiography, “Lives of a Biologist: Adventures in a Century of Extraordinary Science” was the winner of the 2002 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award. He is best known as one of the world's leading experts on slime moulds and led the way in making a model called “Dictyostelium discoideum”; this model was a famous organism central that led to examining some of the major questions in experimental biology. According to Wikipedia, He was the chairman of the Princeton Biology department for over 10 years and also held four honorary doctorates. Without a doubt, out of 5 stars, this book earns a 5 because it exceeded my expectations and was one of the most useful nonfiction books I’ve ever read.
The Ideas Of Biology is a concise telling of the main foundation of biology. Rather than simply stating facts, John Bonner writes these themes out in the most understandable story-like way making it incredibly easy to piece together. Some main points include heredity, development, genetics, and a detailed hypothesis about the connection between organisms and their environment. Along with explanations, John Bonner introduces a visual to every complicated theory like Mendel’s Law and then relates it back to visuals and diagrams answering all questions one might have. His writing style is like trying to teach a young student complicated material in the most simple way possible; he leaves no room for confusion by explaining information like cell organelles by metaphors and simple vocabulary.
If read by the right person, it can give major understanding to complicated details in development and biological needs and foundations. By reading this book and simply understanding the basics, one can connect almost everything that is taught from Basic biology to micro and biochemistry. This book is not recommended for people who don’t have an interest in biology or science in general as it has no plot, storyline, or characters; teaching biology is the only purpose it serves. It is most definitely recommended for students struggling in biology and wanting to understand it better by reading it in a more clear and concise way. The whole book is a teaching of the succession of life from beginning to end. It is very hard to serve this information and have it be understood like a story but John Bonner does it extraordinarily well; he writes it as if he’s having a conversation and it is merely a dialogue between him and a clueless student.
John Bonner’s knowledge is well rounded and respected as he is a renowned scientist who published several books on biology and development. Before his recent death in 2019, he was a top professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University. He was also a pioneer in the use of cellular slime molds to understand evolution and development over a career of 40 years and was one of the world's leading experts on cellular slime moulds. Many top schools explored his theories and passed them down in their teaching and learning.
While I don’t plan on becoming a doctor or partaking in the sciences in any serious way, I highly enjoyed this book and would probably give it another read in the future. I am a student in AP biology and simply enjoy studying these ideas in my free time because it is a never ending cycle of knowledge. I would never recommend a book that explains such complicated themes if it wasn’t truly helpful in understanding life and the world better. John Bonner’s intentional and fluid writing is simply unforgettable and I can’t wait to explore his other works. Pick up this book, I’m sure you won’t regret it.
The Ideas Of Biology is a concise telling of the main foundation of biology. Rather than simply stating facts, John Bonner writes these themes out in the most understandable story-like way making it incredibly easy to piece together. Some main points include heredity, development, genetics, and a detailed hypothesis about the connection between organisms and their environment. Along with explanations, John Bonner introduces a visual to every complicated theory like Mendel’s Law and then relates it back to visuals and diagrams answering all questions one might have. His writing style is like trying to teach a young student complicated material in the most simple way possible; he leaves no room for confusion by explaining information like cell organelles by metaphors and simple vocabulary.
If read by the right person, it can give major understanding to complicated details in development and biological needs and foundations. By reading this book and simply understanding the basics, one can connect almost everything that is taught from Basic biology to micro and biochemistry. This book is not recommended for people who don’t have an interest in biology or science in general as it has no plot, storyline, or characters; teaching biology is the only purpose it serves. It is most definitely recommended for students struggling in biology and wanting to understand it better by reading it in a more clear and concise way. The whole book is a teaching of the succession of life from beginning to end. It is very hard to serve this information and have it be understood like a story but John Bonner does it extraordinarily well; he writes it as if he’s having a conversation and it is merely a dialogue between him and a clueless student.
John Bonner’s knowledge is well rounded and respected as he is a renowned scientist who published several books on biology and development. Before his recent death in 2019, he was a top professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University. He was also a pioneer in the use of cellular slime molds to understand evolution and development over a career of 40 years and was one of the world's leading experts on cellular slime moulds. Many top schools explored his theories and passed them down in their teaching and learning.
While I don’t plan on becoming a doctor or partaking in the sciences in any serious way, I highly enjoyed this book and would probably give it another read in the future. I am a student in AP biology and simply enjoy studying these ideas in my free time because it is a never ending cycle of knowledge. I would never recommend a book that explains such complicated themes if it wasn’t truly helpful in understanding life and the world better. John Bonner’s intentional and fluid writing is simply unforgettable and I can’t wait to explore his other works. Pick up this book, I’m sure you won’t regret it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review