Molecular Biology of the Cell 6th Edition

Molecular Biology of the Cell 6th Edition
Author: Bruce Alberts ID: 0815344325

Review

“Throughout the book, emphasis is placed not just on what ‘we know’ but also on ‘how we know’ and ‘what remains to be discovered’- important for engaging and enthusing students….A quarter of a century after the first edition revolutionised cell biology textbooks, the new edition is as fresh, comprehensive and above all, as readable as ever….Like its predecessors, this is a superb textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students.”

-British Society for Developmental Biology Newsletter, Summer 2008, Vol. 29, No. 1

“Professors, lecturers, and instructors will find the fifth edition of the book Molecular Biology of the Cell and its accompanying Problems Book to be an excellent choice for guiding their students through the maze of the cell’s molecular structures and biochemical processes….With countless colorful illustrations and a large number of photographs and tables, reading the text becomes not only an educational experience, but also a highly enjoyable one for those students who wish to discover the inner workings of the magnificent cellular machine….Educators will also find the DVD-ROM to be a rich electronic resource when compiling their lectures….No less important is the Problems Book, which contains numerous exercises and questions that are an integral part of the learning process, and that teachers, instructors, and students are sure to appreciate.”

The Quarterly Review of Biology, September 2008, Volume 83, Number 3

About the Author

Bruce Alberts, University of California, San Francisco, USA

Alexander Johnson, University of California, San Francisco, USA

Julian Lewis, (Deceased), formerly of Cancer Research UK

David Morgan, University of California, San Francisco, USA

Martin Raff, University College London, UK

Keith Roberts, Emeritus, University of East Anglia, UK

Peter Walter, University of California, San Francisco, USA

Series: Molecular Biology of the CellHardcover: 1464 pagesPublisher: Garland Science; 6 edition (November 18, 2014)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0815344325ISBN-13: 978-0815344322 Product Dimensions: 2 x 9 x 12 inches Shipping Weight: 6.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Best Sellers Rank: #15,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Cell Biology #3 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology #5 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Engineering > Bioengineering > Biochemistry
This review is based (mostly, see update at the end) on the Kindle edition of the book, which is a "Print Replica" edition which exactly matches the printed textbook (it’s essentially like a PDF of the entire book). For textbooks, even the most valuable (like this one) that I love and plan to keep for a long time, I now much prefer electronic versions for many reasons, not the least of which is that it’s easier to hold up and read a tablet than a seven pound tome. You can also zoom in on text and figures as needed, and the illustrations are almost all in "vector" form meaning they stay sharp and detailed as you zoom in. You can also search the complete text of the book, do electronic underlining, set bookmarks, etc.

Yes, the Kindle textbooks have DRM that restricts what you can do with it, but I find the Kindle restrictions less onerous than many, and in most cases they give you an option to "rent" textbooks for the duration of a class which might be as economic as buying a physical copy and then reselling it when you’re done with it. But if you want complete freedom to resell what you buy, or maybe you just like the feeling of holding a real book in your hands, then the printed copy would probably be what you want. Note that I believe the physical version comes with a disc containing the movies and supplemental materials for the book (turns out it doesn’t, see update below), but you can also find all of this free on the Garland Science web site if you buy an e-book version.

So with that out of the way let’s talk about the book! There are basically two groups of people who are likely reading this. Either you’ve had this book assigned as the textbook for a class or you haven’t.
This edition of the textbook contains numerous updates as expected. However, there is an interesting new additional feature called "What We Don’t Know" questions near the summary of every chapter. These questions provide a better glimpse of issues that are either unclear, unknown, in progress, or still being debated among researchers. These questions can be of some use to researchers who are looking for areas that may yield fruitful pioneering opportunities or these questions can be of use to graduate students for their dissertations. Sometimes one is overwhelmed with choosing topics or questions for a dissertation (its an important decision since specialization is required in graduate school) or a grant or a research paper and these questions can provide some brainstorming material. Other novel features or updates in the 6th edition include: explaining newly discovered functions for RNA molecules; a new section in Ch. 8 emphasizing the need for mathematics to unravel the massive complexities of cellular functions (e.g. the use of differential equations to shed light on the incredible amounts of chemical dynamics in cellular processes – similar to how engineers have been using these keep track of system dynamics); focusing on cell signaling with emphasis on key principles in the circuitry of signaling systems; new sections on timing, growth control, and morphogenesis of multicellular organisms; updates on stem cell biology and technologies, etc. One sample on the current flood of data on biological systems, they wrote:

"Empowered by knowledge of complete genome sequences, we can list the genes, proteins, and RNA molecules in a cell, and we have methods that allow us to begin to depict the complex web of interactions between them.
Download Molecular Biology of the Cell 6th Edition PDF

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