Molecular and Cell Biology For Dummies

This book did just what I had hoped it would do. It took a very complex subject and explained it in as simple terms as possible. I've never had a formal course in biology, but I had watched all the lectures in an MIT Open Courseware course on the subject that had left me confused about a number of things. Of course, this book is not as comprehensive as a full course, but it did clarify a number of things for me. Many of the illustrations are much better than in the textbook that the MIT course was based on. Near the end of the book the author began giving specific study tips -- what things a student needs to be familiar with and what things they need to have down cold. In fact, the last chapter is entitled "Ten Ways to Improve Your Grade." I thought this a little strange, because the introduction does not mention this aspect of the book. It is done unobtrusively, so it shouldn't lessen a non-student's enjoyment of the book. I mention it because it might be a big plus to some prospective readers.

I found this book to be an excellent overview on how cells function and how genetics work. Most major aspects of cells are covered from what each organelle does and how certain processes cells perform work. These include things such as cell respiration, photosynthesis, and mitosis. The other important aspect covered in this book is DNA and genetics. The explanation of what purpose DNA has and how gene traits work is very good and easily understandable. Although this book is intended for mostly anyone from a student of biology to the reader with a casual interest in science, I found the section on cell respiration, with its multi-step processes, to be rather confusing. However, that is my only real complaint about the book. In conclusion, I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in biology, cells, or genetics.

This nicely illustrated and easy to read guide is comprehensive, though you will need to be willing to expand your vocabulary considerably. I wish it had a glossary! I bought both the paper and the Kindle editions to see if reading would be better with one than the other. It's definitely better to have the paper edition because it allows you to quickly page back and forth to see illustrations (all are black and white) while reading the text. The illustrations are larger with the paper edition, as well, and the book is lightweight so not difficult to carry with you on the commuter train. Last but not least, you can pass your paper edition on to another reader, impossible with the Kindle edition unless you want to loan your Kindle to someone for a while. I've learned from my comparison that for books with many illustrations, the hard copy is the way to go.

This book is an excellent introduction to the subject of molecular and cell biology. Like all "for Dummies" books, it is written for the person who has little or no background in the subject, and is slightly whimsical and presented in language I could understand. I recently read a couple of other books that talked about how genes play an important part in driving our behavior and I wanted to check it out. I wanted to understand just what DNA is and why it is important and how it fits together with molecules, cells, genes and chromosomes. This book did the job.

I bought this book to help me study for a test so that I could get into LPN school. I had to either take a biology class or challenge out of it by passing a test before I could even start nursing school. I chose to try to challenge out of the class so that I could start nursing school earlier. There is no way I would have passed the test without this book! I have been out of school for over 15 years and had to learn biology all over again. With the help of this book and a lot of prayer I passed the test and get to go straight into nursing classes this fall! I plan to buy more of these "Dummies" books to help me with my nursing classes!

My last brush with molecular biology was in college, 25 years ago... It was fascinating to revisit the subject, along with all the discoveries that have happened in the meantime. The text is clear, as are the illustrations, and it puts in persepective all the amazing things that happen in the cell, as well as in the body: Extrapolating the abundance of information to understand how specialized cells do their work is actually easy - the overview is that good and thorough.

Although the material is pertinent and accurate, I don't refer to this book often at all. The "dummies" books are laid out in a manner that doesn't fit my learning style very well, I guess - I tend to read through quickly, but never use it as a regular resource. I don't know exactly why, but it feels a little "scattered" for my liking....too many side notes and tangent topics. In all fairness, it has good information in it; if it suits your style of information processing, you'll probably love it!

Really a great way to learn Molecular Biology. The writing style is excellent with enough humor to make the information fun to read. I found this book to be a replacement for a number of introductory books on this subject since it covers the subject in a thorough and informative way, better than most others. Would recommend it highly to those interested in the subject.

Estoy satisfecho con el producto

Prior to reading this, I'd read a number of books about evolution and related topics. But I always wondered how things work on a more practical level; just how do all the molecules come together to produce the incredibly complex world we see around us? This is a good place to start to find the answers, though of course there is still much to be learned. I've never had any formal education in biology, though I have a technical background. I bought this book in order to gain a better understanding and fill in some of the blanks. However, I think this book would also be useful as a primer for people embarking on formal studies. Having since read and investigated other related books, I see that Rene Kratz's book follows a fairly standard outline. She first describes the nature of cells in a general way, and then goes on to look at various topics in more detail, including basic biochemistry, the main types of organic molecules, genetics and gene transfer, the structure of DNA and RNA, energy processes in cells and metabolism, and so forth. Another reviewer had very negative comments about the biochemistry part of this book. It does seem that biochem was probably not the author's favorite subject. However, it makes up a fairly small part of the book, and it is sufficient to understand that various chemical reactions are behind the interaction of molecules and their function in cells. You really don't have to understand the chemical details to understand the topic, especially at an introductory level. On the other hand, you do have to understand the various types of organic molecules such as fats, carbohydrates and proteins and their roles in living cells, and this book explains those roles well. The sections on basic cell biology, gene transfer, and DNA are very well-written, and really interesting. In particular, I doubt that the description of how DNA is copied and proteins are fabricated could be improved much. It's quite remarkable how it all works. As noted, this book inspired me to read some others because it really whetted my curiosity to learn more. In spite of the introductory nature of Kratz's book, I've read discussions in other more advanced books where I found myself thinking that I could have explained the given topic better, which tells me a lot about what I gained from this book. Kratz is a good teacher. Overall, then, this is a great introduction to the subject.

I found this book just perfect. As a physicist working on interdisciplinary subjects I often had problems following the biologists' talks and hence bought this book. It changed that and in addition was fun to read. It focuses on the right things to convey the big picture quickly and leaves aside the numerous little details that finally do not matter so much. Admittedly, it is quite short on some things. But I found it much easier to get the missing details from Wikipedia or in-depth books than to get the big picture from the common 2000-page biology bibles.

This book has helped me out massively while studying at uni to help me understand the nitty gritty before delving into further research! Very easy to read and understand what is being said and easy to find what your looking for if you need a specific section or topic!

i bought this book to learn more about molecular biology as biology is my favorite subject. my mind was blown, after i read the first chapter. the author explains everything so easily that the whole section about carbohydrates looks like child's play. Love the book