Biological Science (With CD-ROM) [Hardcover]

Scott Freeman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130093386 | ISBN-13: 978-0130093387 | Publication Date: January 1, 2002 | Edition: 1st

Infused with the spirit of inquiry, Freeman's Biological Science helps teach readers the fundamentals while introducing them to the excitement that drives the science. By presenting unifying concepts and methods of analysis, this book helps its readers learn to think like biologists and gives them the tools they need for success in understanding more advanced subjects. A nine-part organization covers topics under the general headings of: the origin and early evolution of life, cell functions, gene structure and expression, developmental biology, evolutionary patterns and processes, the diversification of life, how plants work, how animals work, and ecology. For science enthusiasts who want to be inspired with a sense of wonder and excitement that makes learning about biology interesting and fun.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Infused with the spirit of inquiry, Freeman's Biological Science helps teach readers the fundamentals while introducing them to the excitement that drives the science. By presenting unifying concepts and methods of analysis, this book helps its readers learn to think like biologists and gives them the tools they need for success in understanding more advanced subjects. A nine-part organization covers topics under the general headings of: the origin and early evolution of life, cell functions, gene structure and expression, developmental biology, evolutionary patterns and processes, the diversification of life, how plants work, how animals work, and ecology. For science enthusiasts who want to be inspired with a sense of wonder and excitement that makes learning about biology interesting and fun.

About the Author

Scott Freeman received his Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Washington and was nominated for an Excellence in Teaching Award in 1989. He was subsequently awarded an Albert Sloan Postdoctoral Fellowship in Molecular Evolution at Princeton University to investigate how generation time affects the rate of molecular evolution. Dr. Freeman's research publications explore a range of topics from the behavioral ecology of nest parasitism to the molecular systematics of the blackbird family. As an affiliate faculty member at the University of Washington, he has taught courses in evolution and has played an active role in the redesign of the general biology course. He is currently teaching the majors general biology course using an inquiry-based approach that emphasizes the logic of experimental design and the mastery of core concepts required for success in upper-level courses. Dr. Freeman is the co-author of Evolutionary Analysis, which presents evolutionary principles in the same spirit of inquiry that drives research.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1096 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1st edition (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130093386
• ISBN-13: 978-0130093387
• ASIN: 0130819239
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars University Lvl Bio Student's Opinion, March 20, 2005

By 

DC (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biological Science (With CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

This is the worst bio book I have read. I've had at least 3 different biology courses with their respective books, but this one was so bad I felt obligated to warn others. I don't bother with these reviews but in this case the book "earned" it.

The pros: I am at length impressed at Freeman's attempt to draw an inquisitive experimental nature into a bio book. He talks about many interesting scientific experiments and really introduces you to the scientific method. His diagrams while usually not as detailed as other biology books are sufficient.

The cons: What Dr. Freeman attempts in his book forces him to leave out a lot of basic bio. A multitude of biology terms are just missing, as if they never existed. What's worse is that this terminology is actually required on bio tests. I had to refer extensively to my professor's notes and look up the missing terms through the web to make the grade.
Unfortunately Dr. Freeman is not a very clear writer either, at least in this volume. He talks about many important topics but with his writing style, I have actually mentally missed many important points. He just doesn't emphasize what you need to know in basic biology. There are many decent biology books that have the organization you need to sort through the unimportant and the important material but Freeman's somewhat conversational style muddles his book.
Furthermore, many of his multiple choice practice problems in the text have incorrect solutions in the back of the book. In fact for some odd reason the solutions in the back of the book cover all the volumes. I felt he should have instead devoted the answers to the correct solution and the reasoning behind the solution instead of putting up these additional answers to volumes I don't have and don't intend to purchase. The index and the glossary do the same thing; they pull material from all volumes. It would have benefitted his book if he used that extra space to put in more indexed topics that actually appear in this volume. The result was that the usage of these back pages was disgracefully subpar and inefficient. In addition, the included CD is outdated for macs with OS X. To be fair, I don't know about its functionability on the PC, since I predominately use OS X. From what I've heard the CD is actually one of the most useful parts of the book, so keep this in mind.

In summary if you are a student who is well versed in biology, this book will frustrate you to no end. I acquired the paperback version for $25 from another student of which I felt was not worth that price. The book only functions well as a supplement when you want to read more about the experiments done in biology. It should not be used as the main reading material. In this regard I have to be brutally honest. The book fails miserably. There are many other better bio books to invest your money in and you will know the difference if you've read a few of them.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book Great CD rom, October 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Biological Science (With CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

I think this text is very well done. The writing is clear and the examples and graphics are very useful. The CD rom, although it does need some massaging to work (requires Netscape 4 or 5, and shockwave I forget which), the necessary programs are included on the CD. Once it's up and running, it's great! The tutorials and activities are very useful in clarifying the information- it even shows a movie of Mitosis and Meiosis happening side by side, to illustrate the similarities and differences- something which otherwise is difficult to envision and comprehend at the intro level. The web resources that also come with this book are very useful. The CD rom is repeated there (so you don't have to "downgrade" your software), plus it has quite a bit of extra material.

I would use this text if I were teaching an college, or even high school, intro bio course.

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit philosophical, but it does the job, May 1, 2011

By 

sentry - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Biological Science (With CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

The important concepts seem to be covered in this textbook, but the author goes into philosophical tangents quite often. For a biology text, I rather expected straight-forward facts like "here is the cell structure, these are the components, here is what they do". Freeman seems to go off on these kicks about unanswered questions and the debate of evolutionary steps. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but not exactly appropriate for the subject matter either.

On a second note, this was a used copy that I purchased at a very competitive rate here, and the book is in near-perfect shape. The previous owner was not highlighter-happy either! Thanks, Amazon.