Biological Sciences

Many of our ideas of what makes these cells “tick” come from ideas developed decades ago. But, lakes and oceans are changing- and so, too are phytoplankton. Our understanding has to change accordingly. Nutrient pollution is a major problem worldwide, and climate is changing, altering temperature, CO2 and pH, as well as the physics that control water stratification.

Analysis of tRNA provides clear insights into evolution of the genetic code, ribosomes and the origin of life.

The central themes of Cell Boundaries concern the structural and organizational principles underlying cell membranes, and how these principles enable function.

This volume provides in depth reviews of the protein targeting translocation processes, gene transfer processes and genome reduction processes in the host and in the endosymbiont which were likely utilized during the evolution of an endosymbiont into mitochondria, mitochondria related organelles, simple and complex chloroplasts.

From a pair of male swans raising young to splitgill mushrooms with over 23,000 mating types, sex in the natural world is wonderfully diverse. Josh L. Davis considers how, for many different organisms--animals, plants, and fungi included--sexual reproduction and sex determination rely on a surprisingly complex interaction among genes, hormones, environment, and chance.

A spectacularly illustrated field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of California is home to more than 200 species of reptiles and amphibians that can be found in an extraordinary array of habitats, from coastal temperate rainforests with giant redwoods to southeastern deserts offering dazzling wildflower displays each spring.

A remarkable story of the scientists behind a long-forgotten and life-saving cure: the healing viruses that can conquer antibiotic resistant bacterial infections First discovered in 1917, bacteriophages-or "phages"-are living medicines: viruses that devour bacteria.

This book tells the stories of the physicists, mathematicians, and biologists who found themselves magnetically drawn to Fibonacci spirals in plants, seeking an answer to why these beautiful and seductive patterns occur in botanical forms as diverse as pine cones, cabbages, and sunflowers.