Description:
Living in a Microbial World
by Bruce Hofkin
Garland Science | April 2010 | ISBN-10: 081534175X |PDF | 496 Pages | 70.7 mb
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Microbial-World-Bruce-Hofkin/dp/081534175X
Living in a Microbial World is a textbook written for students taking a general microbiology or microbiology-themed course for non-science majors. It teaches the essential concepts of microbiology through practical examples and a conversational writing style intended to make the material accessible to a wide audience.
In order to make the science relevant to students, every chapter of the book contains a series of cases intended to motivate learning the microbiology concepts. The cases present microbiology in the news, in history, in literature, and in scenarios of everyday life. Each case ends with several questions intended to pique student interest, and those questions are answered in the next section of the chapter.
By clearly and succinctly explaining the fundamentals of microbiology through practical examples, the book provides a scientific framework through which students can understand critical issues about microorganisms and disease that they will encounter throughout their lives. They will learn the role that microorganisms play not only in our health but also in ecosystem processes, our diet, industrial production, and human history. Topics that we hear about every day, from global warming to energy independence to bioterrorism, all have a microbial angle. This text is designed to provide the reader with the background needed to understand and discuss such topics with a genuine understanding rooted in science.
About the Author
Bruce V. Hofkin received his PhD from the University of New Mexico where he is currently a faculty member in the Department of Biology. His primary research interest is the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Living in a Microbial World 1
Chapter 2 The Chemistry of Life 17
Chapter 3 The Cell: Where Life Begins 45
Chapter 4 A Field Guide to the Microorganisms 71
Chapter 5 The Microbiology of History and the History of Microbiology 107
Chapter 6 Microbial Genetics 133
Chapter 7 Metabolism and Growth 169
Chapter 8 Microbial Evolution: The Origin and Diversity of Life 203
Chapter 9 An Ecologist’s Guide to Microbiology 229
Chapter 10 The Nature of Disease: A Pathogen’s Perspective 259
Chapter 11 Host Defense 285
Chapter 12 Control of Microbial Growth 315
Chapter 13 Epidemiology: Who, What, When, Where, and Why? 343
Chapter 14 The Future Is Here: Microorganisms and Biotechnology 367
Chapter 15 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner: Microorganisms and Food 395
Chapter 16 Better Living With Microoorganisms: Industrial and Applied Microbiology 417
Glossary G:1
Figure Acknowledgments F:1
Index I:1 |
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