Molecular & Cell Biology For Dummies

by Rene Fester Kratz

Your hands-on study guide to the inner world of the cell

Need to get a handle on molecular and cell biology? This easy-to-understand guide explains the structure and function of the cell and how recombinant DNA technology is changing the face of science and medicine. You discover how fundamental principles and concepts relate to everyday life. Plus, you get plenty of study tips to improve your grades and score higher on exams!

Explore the world of the cell ― take a tour inside the structure and function of cells and see how viruses attack and destroy them Understand the stuff of life (molecules) ― get up to speed on the structure of atoms, types of bonds, carbohydrates, proteins, DNA, RNA, and lipids

Watch as cells function and reproduce ― see how cells communicate, obtain matter and energy, and copy themselves for growth, repair, and reproduction

Make sense of genetics ― learn how parental cells organize their DNA during sexual reproduction and how scientists can predict inheritance patterns

Decode a cell's underlying programming ― examine how DNA is read by cells, how it determines the traits of organisms, and how it's regulated by the cell

Harness the power of DNA ― discover how scientists use molecular biology to explore genomes and solve current world problems

Open the book and

Easy-to-follow explanations of key topics The life of a cell ― what it needs to survive and reproduce

Why molecules are so vital to cells

Rules that govern cell behavior

Laws of thermodynamics and cellular work

The principles of Mendelian genetics

Useful Web sites

Important events in the development of DNA technology

Ten great ways to improve your biology grade

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology, Reference, Textbooks, Medicine

385 pages, Kindle Edition

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers a lot of material very accessibly, with plenty of black-and-white illustrations. The author's teaching background gives her knowledge of where students have trouble, so she gears down to explain those sections extra carefully. And the price of the book is a small fraction of what the university textbooks cost.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this is "for Dummies" I still had a difficult time with it. I'll need to go back some other time and re-read the section of cellular respiration - that one kinda kicked my ass. Lots of terms that are, at times, hard to keep straight. The section explaining the Periodic Table was great. As was the explanation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics and the chapter on Gregor Mendal. Probably better to use this as a quick reference book as opposed to reading it straight through.

[Yates Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful top view of the field. The reason this book is useful is that molecular and cell bio scaffolds on so much background that any big picture guide really helps ground trying to get to grips with the material.

I would recommend it even to people that have studied this before as a quick 15 minute read refresher.

[Sean Hannam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I would have had this book while I was in school. I am a chemist/biologist and figured it would not hurt to brush up on cell bio. This book has a good amount of chem and genetics in it as well. I love the way she teaches and uses real life examples for most of the subjects in each chapter.

[Alec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a textbook with fancy headings

[Hussein Kamal · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impressive way of delivering the information even if it is in the most complex pattern ..

[Pat Watt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough and well explained for those with some science background.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro to the structure & lifecycle of cells, as well as a high-level overview of the current gene-editing techniques.

[Nishelle D’souza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and packed with information while making it digestible

[Fred Kohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My impetus for reading this book was that my book group is reading Inferno, which involves biological viruses (no, I won't spoil it for you by explaining further). I was surprised at how thin the offerings were at my local library; there was only one full length book devoted to viruses that I could find in the catalog and it was a reference book at a branch I found it inconvenient to visit. Hence, I settled on this book with its single chapter on viruses. Although that chapter held my interest because of my immediate concern, most of the other chapters were interesting as well. A few chapters just didn't interest me at all. One thing I found helpful was that when something was referenced that had been explained in a previous chapter or would be explained further in a later chapter, the text directed you to that chapter. That makes it possible to read only the chapters you are interested in and to skip the rest.

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book simply because I wanted a general "primer" on the subject of Molecular and Cell Biology prior to digging into other materials. It has served that purpose well. I feel as though I have a general grasp of many new concepts. I must admit that I did find it necessary to re-read many chapters to truly grasp the material sufficiently. Occasionally new vocabulary and terms were used in a chapter but not explained until one or two chapters later. Also, not all referenced images were helpful. Overall though, a great 'starter' book.

[Greg Parrott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not use this as a primary text, but if you have another text and need help, don't mind lot's of repetition, and exclamation points at the end of sentences, this is a decent book. I flagged several (a dozen?) pages for typos and noticed several places where abbreviations or acronyms were used without explaining what they meant. All-in-all, an OK book.

[Charles]

Actually,I'm just beginning to read this book from the Nook on my computer.I have glanced through the chapters.It seems full of interesting material wrote in simple to understand language.

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book as a companion of other sources. Very clear and concise.