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Instant Biology: From Single Cells to Human Beings, and Beyond
 
 
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Instant Biology: From Single Cells to Human Beings, and Beyond [Paperback]

Boyce Rensberger (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Price: $12.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

February 13, 1996
Whether you're bewildered by the vast number of organisms inhabiting our planet or just crave a clear and comprehensive explanation of the endoplasmic reticulum, Instant Biology will guide you through the science that brings the very act of living (and dying) to life.

From an enlightening walk down the double helix stairway to a look at Darwin's evolutionary musings on the diversity of existence, Instant Biology lays bare the facts of life. But Boyce Rensberger goes beyond the birds and the bees to delight in the details that make science fun, like the stubborn micro-species of mite that insist on living in your eyelashes.

With Instant Biology you'll learn:

Everything you always wanted to know about sex and the single cell.
How the fuzzy pizza crust under the bed is diligently working its way to the top of the food chain.
Which is larger: the interior surface of your lungs or a badminton court.
How a species of soil and pond dwellers can dry out, shrivel up, then return from the dead.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance $12.14

Instant Biology: From Single Cells to Human Beings, and Beyond + The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance
  • This item: Instant Biology: From Single Cells to Human Beings, and Beyond

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  • The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance

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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Whether you're bewildered by the vast number of organisms inhabiting our planet or just crave a clear and comprehensive explanation of the endoplasmic reticulum, Instant Biology will guide you through the science that brings the very act of living (and dying) to life.

From an enlightening walk down the double helix stairway to a look at Darwin's evolutionary musings on the diversity of existence, Instant Biology lays bare the facts of life.  But Boyce Rensberger goes beyond the birds and the bees to delight in the details that make science fun, like the stubborn micro-species of mite that insist on living in your eyelashes.

With Instant Biology you'll learn:

Everything you always wanted to know about sex and the single cell.
How the fuzzy pizza crust under the bed is diligently working its way to the top of the food chain.
Which is larger: the interior surface of your lungs or a badminton court.
How a species of soil and pond dwellers can dry out, shrivel up, then return from the dead.

About the Author

Boyce Rensberger is the editor of "Horizon: The Learning Section," a monthly supplement to the Washington Post.  He previously has written for The New York Times, Science 81-84 and "3-2-1 Contact," a PBS TV science program for children.  He has written three books, all of which explain science to the lay reader.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (February 13, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0449907015
  • ISBN-13: 978-0449907016
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Boyce Rensberger has been a science writer or science editor for more than 32 years, beginning in 1966 at The Detroit Free Press. From there he went to The New York Times from 1971 through 1979. He left The Times to freelance and to become head writer of a PBS science series for children, "3-2-1- Contact!" In 1981, he became senior editor of Science 81-Science 84 magazine, a popular monthly published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At the end of 1984 Rensberger went to The Washington Post, where he served as science writer and science editor. At The Post, he created the paper's acclaimed monthly supplement, "Horizon: The Learning Section." Rensberger has written four science books, most recently Life Itself: Exploring the Realm of the Living Cell.

From 1998 to 2008 Rensberger was director of the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships at M.I.T. This is a program that brings a dozen professional journalists to MIT and Harvard to take courses for one academic year. He also established a series of "boot camps" on various subjects, bringing additional journalists to campus for shorter workshops.

Rensberger has twice won the AAAS top award for science writing. In 1973-74 he was an Alicia Patterson Fellow, spending a year in East Africa studying human evolution and wildlife conservation. In 1987 he was a Science Writing Fellow at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.

Rensberger, who received a B.S. in zoology and journalism from the University of Miami and an M.S. in mental health communications from Syracuse University, also was co-director of the summer Science Writing Fellowships Program at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. His outside interests include gardening and woodworking. He lives in rural Maryland with his wife.

 

Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent writing, March 13, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Instant Biology: From Single Cells to Human Beings, and Beyond (Paperback)
I idly picked up this book expecting it to be a member of the disgusting clan of "Thirteen dimension string theory in a week for the totally clueless." Instead it is a fascinating overview of biological science, complete with humor, history and wonderful imagery. It makes you wonder why biology is not one of the hottest conversation topics around, once you begin to appreciate the complexity of living organisms. It contains more facts than the average popular science book and is wonderfully written. While you're reading this one, check out his "Life Itself," which goes into great and fascinating detail on the cell.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent intro that makes biology seem like a real science, March 17, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Instant Biology: From Single Cells to Human Beings, and Beyond (Paperback)
I majored in Physics so all other sciences seem like also-rans to me. Chemistry is a sort of trade-school subject and bio is just an exercise in labeling things. Or so I thought. This book starts at the molecular level and builds up to forests. Every step connects neatly with the ones before and after to show that biology is truly a scientific field, not just jars of glop. I was impressed and fascinated.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, informative, a great refresher!, March 11, 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: Instant Biology: From Single Cells to Human Beings, and Beyond (Paperback)
He does a great job of reviewing all that stuff you slept through during high school biology! The analogies are reasonable and helpful for those that have no understanding of the subject. Reviews many important issues from A to Z
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Living organisms come in millions of different shapes and sizes (most of which haven't been discovered yet), each with specialized features that help them live in specific environments. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
true embryo
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Charles Darwin, North America, These Magic Moments
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Concordance | Text Stats
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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