Biology: The Science of Life

by Stephen Nowicki

Six part series taught by Professor Stephen Nowicki of Duke University. Each part contains six audio tapes and a booklet.

Genres: Science, Biology, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Education, Textbooks, Nature

36 pages, Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Stephen Nowicki Jr., PhD, is the author of over 150 publications and presentations and the coauthor of several books. He received his PhD from Purdue University and lives in Georgia.

Reviews

[Tomislav · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first time I watched a video lecture course, and I was very impressed. My education and career emphasized math, physics, engineering – but I had literally not taken a biology class since high school. Altogether it is a very nice package, consisting of 12 DVDs containing 72 half-hour lectures, and a 450-page guidebook. As a retiree, I was able to study at times of my own choosing, and I went through it in about 6 months – viewing the lectures and reading the accompanying book chapters of each. Of course, if I had concentrated I could have finished it faster than that, but there were some family caregiver obligations that took me away for periods of time, and at this point in my life it is the joy of learning that motivates me.

The flow of the course moves up from the atomic and molecular level, through cells, organisms, populations, to ecosystems – and then down again - topically for biochemistry, genetics, evolution, development and growth, energy and resource management. The up-and-down flow nicely reinforces materials from the one pass to the next. The course should state a prerequisite of basic chemistry. I have more chemistry background than that, so it was not a problem for me, and a lot of the relevant chemistry is re-explained anyway. The course has no math prerequisite. Dr. Nowicki waves his hands over even high-school level probability and algebra, which disappointed me. But introductory courses are mostly about vocabulary and concepts.

I was curious about what might be the college-level equivalence of the material; there are 72 lectures, which sounds like more than a single semester. I looked up the biology curricula at Duke University where Dr. Nowicki was faculty when this course was created. There is a two-semester “gateway biology” sequence for biology majors there (Courses 201 and 202), which can be compressed into one semester for advanced students (Course 203). My assumption is that is what was used as the basis of these lectures. And of course, consider that we get lectures and reading with no lab, no q-and-a discussions, and no tests.

The lectures were recorded in 2004, and that was 15-16 years ago at the time I viewed and read this. Of course, fundamentals have not changed – and that met my needs. Two areas that I noticed in particular as out of date were 1) genetic engineering technology, very few genomes fully sequenced, no mention of CRISPR, and 2) the concluding discussion of biodiversity loss and climate change is very basic and tentative compared to what is known now.

I started this in the fall of 2019, before SARS-Coronavirus-2 and COVID-19 were even named. But by the time I reached lectures 44 (The Innate Immune System) and 45 (The Acquired Immune System), I was riveted. I’ve watched those twice now, and probably will again. For review purposes, owning a copy makes more sense to me than streaming. And also, there are important illustrations incorporated within the lectures, that I feel would not be adequately understood in an audio-only format. Unfortunately, these lectures are pretty pricey, but if you watch the used market, and The Teaching Company’s sale pricing parade, and licensed subcontractors like Amazon, you will not pay the list price.

It would be daunting to try to list all the things I learned – but a simple list of the lecture titles should give an impression of the extensive scope.

Lecture 01 - The Scope of Life
Lecture 02 - More on the Origin of Life
Lecture 03 - The Organism and the Cell
Lecture 04 - Proteins: How Things Get Done in the Cell
Lecture 05 - Which Molecule Holds the Code?
Lecture 06 - The Double Helix
Lecture 07 - The Nuts and Bolts of Replicating DNA
Lecture 08 - The Central Dogma
Lecture 09 - The Genetic Code
Lecture 10 - From DNA to RNA
Lecture 11 - From RNA to Protein
Lecture 12 - When Mistakes Happen
Lecture 13 - Dividing DNA between Dividing Cells
Lecture 14 - Mendel and His Pea Plants
Lecture 15 - How Sex Leads to Variation
Lecture 16 - Genes and Chromosomes
Lecture 17 - Charles Darwin and The Origin of Species
Lecture 18 - The Natural Selection in Action
Lecture 19 - Reconciling Darwin and Mendel
Lecture 20 - Mechanisms of Evolutionary Change
Lecture 21 - What Are Species and How Do New Ones Arise?
Lecture 22 - More on the Origin of New Species
Lecture 23 - Reconstructing Evolution
Lecture 24 - The History of Life, Revisited
Lecture 25 - From Cells to Organisms
Lecture 26 - Control of Gene Expression I
Lecture 27 - Control of Gene Expression II
Lecture 28 - Getting Proteins to the Right Place
Lecture 29 - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Lecture 30 - How Cells Talk: Signals and Receptors
Lecture 31 - How Cells Talk: Ways that Cells Respond
Lecture 32 - From One Cell to Many in an Organism
Lecture 33 - Patterns of Early Development
Lecture 34 - Determination and Differentiation
Lecture 35 - Induction and Pattern Formation
Lecture 36 - Genes and Development
Lecture 37 - Homeostasis
Lecture 38 - Hormones in Animals
Lecture 39 - What is Special about Neurons?
Lecture 40 - Action Potentials and Synapses
Lecture 41 - Synaptic Integration and Memory
Lecture 42 - Sensory Function
Lecture 43 - How Muscles Work
Lecture 44 - The Innate Immune System
Lecture 45 - The Acquired Immune System
Lecture 46 - Form and Function in Plants I
Lecture 47 - Form and Function in Plants II
Lecture 48 - Behavior as an Adaptive Trait
Lecture 49 - Energy and Resources in Living Systems
Lecture 50 - How Energy is Harnessed by Cells
Lecture 51 - Enzymes-Making Chemistry Work in Cells
Lecture 52 - Cellular Currencies of Energy
Lecture 53 - Making ATP: Glycolysis
Lecture 54 - Making ATP: Cellular Respiration
Lecture 55 - Making ATP: The Chemiosmotic Theory
Lecture 56 - Capturing Energy from Sunlight
Lecture 57 - The Reactions of Photosynthesis
Lecture 58 - Resources and Life Histories
Lecture 59 - The Structure of Populations
Lecture 60 - Population Growth
Lecture 61 - What Limits Population Growth?
Lecture 62 - Costs and Benefits of Behavior
Lecture 63 - Altruism and Mate Selection
Lecture 64 - Ecological Interactions among Species
Lecture 65 - Predators and Competitors
Lecture 66 - Competition and the Ecological Niche
Lecture 67 - Energy in Ecosystems
Lecture 68 - Nutrients in Ecosystems
Lecture 69 - How Predictable Are Ecological Communities?
Lecture 70 - Biogeography
Lecture 71 - Human Population Growth
Lecture 72 - The Human Asteroid

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best biology lectures available.

One critique is that even though this was a 2013 lecture, it was still a bit out of date, even for 5 years ago. The RNA world is posited as the most plausible hypothesis for the generation of new life. Even in 2013 there was enough evidence to suggest that metabolism first at deep hydrothermal vents (Nick Lane and company) is far more plausible than the gene first RNA hypothesis. It is always a deep disappointment when current writers and lecturers focus on RNA world studies, which still cannot account for the energy needed for replication (basically ignoring the fundamental laws of thermodynamics) and do not focus on the models of serpentinization at deep ocean vents that is one of the best examples of thermodynamics in action. If the hypothesis doesn't jive with the laws of thermodynamics, like RNA world, you need to go back to the drawing board. It the hypothesis is in line with the laws of thermodynamics, like generation of life at deep ocean vents, you are probably on the right track, even if you have to tweak your understanding a bit as new evidence filters in. So, if you listen to this lecture and are not yet familiar with First Life hypotheses (how the first protocells were generated), do yourself a favor and read The Vital Question by Nick Lane or watch the many lectures he has available on YouTube.

Aside from the above critique, this course was incredible. Thank you Stephen Nowicki for bring to life some of the most magical phenomena known to humans! The world of biology is endlessly fascinating and Nowicki packed and delivered that magic in the most enjoyable way possible. Full of passion and information, this lecture series will take the listener through a summary of University courses in basic Biology, Biochemistry, and to a lesser extent Neuroscience. Better yet, no exams of equations, just tons of useful and essential information for the curious student who wants to know how life works.

Nowicki takes his student on a journey of how atoms interact. From there, he examines how those atoms made living organisms, how those organisms generate energy, and how those organisms have become more complex throughout evolutionary time. The organization of this course is perfection, making the world of biology feel intuitive instead of overwhelming and hard to understand. A beginners dream come true. Even if you are well familiar with biology and love it, as I do, this course can help you brush up on concepts you might have forgotten or concepts you want to think about more deeply. I loved every second of this lecture

[Beauregard Bottomley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most complicated course I have ever listened to. Science is hard and biology in particular is jargon full.

This course takes most of the metaphor out of the subject and looked at the methodology, processes, and relationships inherent within the Biological Sciences. There's no end to the interesting things one can learn from this course. DNA to RNA back to DNA (both meiosis and mitosis processes) seems like an impossibility, but is real and this lecture series will tell you why (in excruciating) detail. Life on earth is characterized by getting energy from ATP (and sometimes, AGP) and this lecture series will go through all the steps and the exchange of electron across barriers and such. I think this lecture is from 1999 and some genomic stuff is not talked about fully if the series was done today.

This is lecture is much better than a college course. I don't have to take a test, and I didn't have to memorize hundreds of words which are alien to me. A biology major would profit from listening to this course.

Under no circumstance get this lecture from The Great Courses, get it from audible or used from Amazon. I have no idea why The Great Courses charge such large amounts for these great lectures. Why can't they just charge us a flat monthly fee and make their courses available through Roku so I can watch it on my TV?



This is the review for the 72 half hour course offered by "The Great Courses".

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best biology lectures available.

One critique is that even though this was a 2013 lecture, it was still a bit out of date, even for 5 years ago. The RNA world is posited as the most plausible hypothesis for the generation of new life. Even in 2013 there was enough evidence to suggest that metabolism first at deep hydrothermal vents (Nick Lane and company) is far more plausible than the gene first RNA hypothesis. It is always a deep disappointment when current writers and lecturers focus on RNA world studies, which still cannot account for the energy needed for replication (basically ignoring the fundamental laws of thermodynamics) and do not focus on the models of serpentinization at deep ocean vents that is one of the best examples of thermodynamics in action. If the hypothesis doesn't jive with the laws of thermodynamics, like RNA world, you need to go back to the drawing board. It the hypothesis is in line with the laws of thermodynamics, like generation of life at deep ocean vents, you are probably on the right track, even if you have to tweak your understanding a bit as new evidence filters in. So, if you listen to this lecture and are not yet familiar with First Life hypotheses (how the first protocells were generated), do yourself a favor and read The Vital Question by Nick Lane or watch the many lectures he has available on YouTube.

Aside from the above critique, this course was incredible. Thank you Stephen Nowicki for bring to life some of the most magical phenomena known to humans! The world of biology is endlessly fascinating and Nowicki packed and delivered that magic in the most enjoyable way possible. Full of passion and information, this lecture series will take the listener through a summary of University courses in basic Biology, Biochemistry, and to a lesser extent Neuroscience. Better yet, no exams of equations, just tons of useful and essential information for the curious student who wants to know how life works.

Nowicki takes his student on a journey of how atoms interact. From there, he examines how those atoms made living organisms, how those organisms generate energy, and how those organisms have become more complex throughout evolutionary time. The organization of this course is perfection, making the world of biology feel intuitive instead of overwhelming and hard to understand. A beginners dream come true. Even if you are well familiar with biology and love it, as I do, this course can help you brush up on concepts you might have forgotten or concepts you want to think about more deeply. I loved every second of this lecture.

[Cav · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to Biology. 72 lectures, each ~30 mins. A 460 page course guidebook came in handy when it came time to review the lectures.
Professor Stephen Nowicki is a bit odd; he stammers a bit, and frequently corrects things he said a few moments earlier, but overall he did a decent job of teaching this course.
The course covers most intro Biology; with lectures ranging from the structure of DNA and the cell, Crick's "Central Dogma", Mendel and his peas, Darwin, speciation, muscles, all the way to ATP synthesis and use, photosynthesis, and Malthus and population; to name just a few.
Although I found some of what Prof Nowicki was talking about a bit dry at times, I still learned quite a lot.
As such, I would recommend this course to anyone interested in biology; whether you already have a lot of knowledge to draw on, or are a newbie to the science.
He covers so much ground in here, that you're bound to learn something new.

[Irena Pasvinter · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a pleasure to listen to a lecturer who is passionate and knowledgeable about his subject like Stephen Nowicki. The only thing I still remember from biology lessons at school is the persistent feeling of dreadful boredom, so this 72 lectures course was perfect as an introduction into this fascinating science.

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible introduction to biology. From the evolution of life to human overpopulation. In this 36 hour audio program, it gave me a detailed overview of biology. He talked about how DNA, cells, plants, animals, and even ecosystems work. He provided great enough detail to keep it interesting and exciting. I'm so glad I tripped over this one. I will definitely listen to it multiple times, as the content is very dense and well done. It also comes with a PDF of the course materials, so it can be referenced during and after listening. Extremely valuable course!

[Hilary Whatley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is organized into three sections based on themes, and each section goes from micro to macro, looking at the themes all the way. The material is great. Be warned, however: some of the content in the molecular biology areas can be difficult to follow (esp. without visuals).

However, my favorite section of the book, the part I found the most interesting, was in the micro-biology section. He explains the concepts of genetic modification through restriction zones. These zones exist because early bacteria needed a way to defend their DNA from viruses, who would take over if they had the opportunity. Bacteria evolved to be able to separate their DNA at these sites, thus making their DNA immune to take-over. Then, they paste themselves back together after the threat is gone. We can use these sites to insert DNA from other organisms. The example of inserting firefly DNA into the bacteria, then the bacteria GLOWING as a result blew. my. mind. Love it.

[Fountain Of Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly The Teaching Company's best overall course. The professor is outstanding in knowledge, delivery, and the scope he covers in the course. I especially appreciated how interwoven biology is with so many other subjects one learns about throughout the years.

My sole issue is that the videographer or director decided to have the camera automatically center the professor in-frame at all times. He tends to bounce left to right a bit, and it can get distracting. I have not noticed this issue in other courses.

Regardless, this was well worth the time (72, 30-minute lectures, watched at 2x speed) and I recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in biology or the subjects it touches.

[Mathijs Aasman · Rating 5 out of 5]

All in all, a quite thorough course, the content would probably be equivalent to AP Biology, probably a bit more (I am not sure what the AP Bio curriculum is). Would be equivalent in breadth, but not in depth, to the 1st year of a biology degree in university. I do have a tendency to glaze over when I hear about all the steps in the citric acid cycle, but I would still want it to be covered. I was overall impressed by the course quality, though I must admit, I skipped the last two lectures on the human population explosion; that story has been pored over by myself too many times. I can't think of anything really important that was left out.

[Biblioworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Масштабный и интересный рассказ.

Профессор рассказывает и о деталях внутриклеточных механизмов и о макро процессах в биосфере Земли в целом.

Серия лекций относительно большая - 35 часов, но профессор по сути дал полный обзор текущего состоянии биологии вообще. Очень смелое и при этом вполне успешное предприятие.

Лично мне показались невнятными те несколько фрагментов, где профессор зачитывает химические формулы или описывает много-шаговые химические реакции. Возможно это конкретно мне было сложно воспринимать на слух из-за неродного языка. Или же в видео версии это было на слайде и профессор не думал об аудиоверсии.
Но таких мест совсем немного для общего объема лекции.

[Andrej Drapal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoever wants to be decently educated about life sciences and has not studied high-level biology should go through this course. It is structured contrary to traditional doctrine and thus really provides meaningful insights into most important issues of life on Earth, but is also unorthodox in last chapters that address ecology. While the author is concerned about climate change, it also gives an unbiased view of possible effects of rising CO2 in our atmosphere. Should every scientist be so modest, there would be much less panic regarding climate change in western societies.

[Paul Abernathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have listened to a lot of Great Courses on Audible now, and this is the first time I have listened to one by a professor I had in college, back when history books were much thinner.

Overall, it was great. It is easy to get lost in the biochemical stuff, and certainly you won't remember all of the details just be passively listening. But it was about as good as you can expect a listen only biology course to be.

[5H3MS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Мне очень понравился формат подачи информации, то что разбито на мелкие куски. Мне кажется легко зайдет даже тем кто сильно не увлекается биологией. Но тем не менее дается все весьма глубоко и в то же время покрывается широкий спектр знаний. маст рид, особенно биологам, для того чтобы освежиться и посмотреть альтернативные способы подачи материала.

[Petr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long and demanding, but enormously interesting and enlightening. I have to admit it took me long time to finish it, I needed to go over certain parts multiple times but I loved it! It was so worth it.
The lecturer seem very natural and it was a pleasure to listen to his style of lectures. After so many hours I feel I know him as a person :-)

[Aman Goyal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of book is fascinating, taking through simple terms of evolution, cell structures and other details. Part two onwards become too complicated and frankly does not do justice to listen. That part needs to a video or in person lecture as it was extremely difficult to follow.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got most of the way through this series, thru about lecture 25 of 32 or so. It was quite good, but it is quite long. Stephen Nowicki is passionate about his subject, I enjoyed listening to him say exactly the same thing twice in a row from excitement.

Recommended!

[Richard Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's one thing to know that life is complex, something else to catch a glimpse of that complexity.
The lecturer had some annoying speech habits, but the actual content covered an impressive amount of ground.

[Victor N · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best of the lecture series so far. The information density is very high in comparison to most of the other courses so I can’t say that my comprehension was great, but that is my own problem. I’ll certainly revisit some sections in the future.

[Davood Shafiey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't complete reading and watching related DVDs.

[Joshout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wel een beetje veel om in 1 keer te begrijpen.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read.

[Anda Ionescu]

Very interesting lecture, but be warned, it does go into very much technical detail and can be boring at times. Also it is very long.

[Bernardo Vailati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall very complete, but the beggining with physics and basic chemistry is tought to understand in audio, and the end take on climate change is very americanized and soft-denialist.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good. a lot more chemistry than I was expecting, as a layperson who hasn't studied biology before.

[Kristi Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A great and growing volume of facts about life as it goes on about us
and within us becomes available for practical application … [But] this
new material is still imperfectly accessible to ordinary busy people.” H.G. Wells in The Science of Life.


1 The Scope of "Life"

2 More on the Origin of Life

3 The Organism and the Cell

4 Proteins—How Things Get Done in the Cell

5 Which Molecule Holds the Code?

6 The Double Helix

7 The Nuts and Bolts of Replicating DNA

8 The Central Dogma

9 The Genetic Code

10 From DNA to RNA

11 From RNA to Protein

12 When Mistakes Happen

13 Dividing DNA Between Dividing Cells

14 Mendel and His Pea Plants

15 How Sex Leads to Variation

16 Genes and Chromosomes

17 Charles Darwin and "The Origin of Species"

18 Natural Selection in Action

19 Reconciling Darwin and Mendel

20 Mechanisms of Evolutionary Change

21 What Are Species and How Do New Ones Arise?
22 More on the Origin of New Species

23 Reconstructing Evolution

24 The History of Life, Revisited

25 From Cells to Organisms

26 Control of Gene Expression I

27 Control of Gene Expression II

28 Getting Proteins to the Right Place

29 Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

30 How Cells Talk—Signals and Receptors

31 How Cells Talk—Ways That Cells Respond

32 From One Cell to Many in an Organism

33 Patterns of Early Development

34 Determination and Differentiation

35 Induction and Pattern Formation

36 Genes and Development

37 Homeostasis

38 Hormones in Animals

39 What is Special about Neurons?

40 Action Potentials and Synapses

41 Synaptic Integration and Memory

42 Sensory Function

43 How Muscles Work




44 The Innate Immune System

45 The Acquired Immune System

46 Form and Function in Plants I

47 Form and Function in Plants II

48 Behavior as an Adaptive Trait

49 Energy and Resources in Living Systems

50 How Energy is Harnessed by Cells

51 Enzymes—Making Chemistry Work in Cells

52 Cellular Currencies of Energy

53 Making ATP—Glycolysis

54 Making ATP—Cellular Respiration

55 Making ATP—The Chemiosmotic Theory

56 Capturing Energy from Sunlight

57 The Reactions of Photosynthesis

58 Resources and Life Histories

59 The Structure of Populations

60 Population Growth

61 What Limits Population Growth?

62 Costs and Benefits of Behavior

63 Altruism and Mate Selection

64 Ecological Interactions Among Species

65 Predators and Competitors

66 Competition and the Ecological Niche

67 Energy in Ecosystems

68 Nutrients in Ecosystems

69 How Predictable Are Ecological Communities?

70 Biogeography

71 Human Population Growth

72 The Human Asteroid

Professor Nowicki of Duke University starts out his first lecture with this quote from 75 years ago. He wants to make Biology more accessible to ordinary people also and that is what this course is. I have to be honest and say this was the toughest course I have taken yet in the Great Courses I own. There are a total of 72 thirty-minute lectures and a 460-page book that also comes with the course to get through. I probably retained about a third of what the Professor was teaching and will definitely listen to this again and again until I can absorb it all.

What I really loved about this book was the in depth study of how life begins, what each part of a living being does and how it is determined. My other favorite parts were about Mendel and his Peas that he studied and how they differ from Darwin and his Evolutionary theory.

I also was fascinated by the Professor talking about how many Humans the Earth can sustain and what is the next step when we finally reach that threshold. I am retired and have tried to keep my brain active by learning something new every day and this course really helped to stretch my mind.

I highly recommend this course to anyone who loves science and Biology especially as this is a great overview of the subject. I certainly was entranced by everything the Professor taught.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The course itself = at least 4 stars.
My enjoyment = at most 2.
Average of 3.

When I was in high school, I struggled with biology more than any other course. I did not have to take it in college. This refresher showed me that while many things have changed in the past couple of decades, my struggles with biology as a subject continue. Unlike high school, which included a lot of time on things like kingdoms/phyla and anatomy/physiology...this is about the basics of life itself. 36 hours of material, and most of it are about the information systems of life (cells, dna, etc). Just way too technical, and the first Great Courses series so far where I felt like attempting an audio version alone was a failure. I definitely need visuals for this. Even still, I know good material when I hear it, so have weighed that in my rating.

[Armando · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great course. It was comprehensive, and I understood (or at least, got an idea about) many concepts, such as cellular respiration, the one that comes to mind immediately.

Much of the book could be labeled "biochemistry of life". I know it is necessary, but I was not expecting so many compounds and reactions to be thrown in. It is one of the most challenging courses I've listened to from the Great Courses.

However, I need to stress that without that chemistry, the course would not have been good enough.

[Innastholiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boring at times, but that is probably because of my non-existent interest in genetics and development, and not due to lack of enthusiasm from the lecturer. Nowicki did a great job.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a set of 72 30-minute lectures published by The Teaching Company. Professor Nowicki is an excellent presenter, but also did an excellent job of structuring a very broad topic.

I looked for this after taking of one the courses on DNA also by The Teaching Company. I was looking for material on cell theory; this covered that as Information and Evolution, Development and Homeostasis, and finally Energy and Resources.