Biology: Scientific Process and Social Issues - Softcover

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Garland E. Allen, Ph.D. (Harvard University) is professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis where he has taught introductory biology to majors and non--majors for over 25 years. He has also taught at Harvard University and has been the Sarton Lecturer at the AAAS. He is the author of T.H. Morgan, the Man and His Science, Life Science in the Twentieth Century, and co--author with Jeffrey J.W. Baker of The Study of Biology, a series of basic biology texts for college and university students. He is presently serving as co--editor of the Journal of the History of Biology. Dr. Allen is an expert on the history of genetics and the misuse of genetics that resulted in the eugenics movement in the early twentieth century. He lectures to scientific and general audiences and has been involved in teaching courses at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusettes, where he served as a trustee for eight years, and at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. Jeffrey J.W. Baker taught for many years at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and has held faculty positions at Washington University in St. Louis, The George Washington University, the University of Puerto Rico, and the University of Virginia. Professor Baker is the author or co--author with Dr. Allen of more than a doozen books in the biological sciences, a book on the American Civil War, and two science--related childrena s books, one of which was selected by the New York Times Book Review as one of the ten best of the year. He has written extensively concerning modern day conflicts between science and religion and was invited to present his views at the Pontifical Academy of Science in the Vatican. Now retired from teaching but still actively writing and lecturing, Professor Baker divides his time between residences in central Virginia and the Island of Vieques, Puerto Rico.

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"It is truly a great time in human hisory to be a biologist...or perhaps to consider becomming a biologist!" With these words Garland Allen and Jeffrey Baker invite students into the exciting world of the contemporary life sciences. Written by distinguished scientists and teachers, this new core or supplementary text focuses on how the science of biology is done and how science and society interact. Designed to complement traditional fact–driven basic biology texts or media, Biology: Scientific Process and Social Issues is sure to light a fire in students for learning science and maybe even doing science one day.

Praise from notable life science authors and educators:

"In an era when the discovery avalanche is suffocaating biology and students under a pile of details, this new book by Garland Allen and Jeffrey Baker is a welcome reminder that science is not just about "what we know," but "how we know." In their clear and engaging presentation of how science works, the authors encourage students to think more critically, inspire them to participate in scientific inquiry, and enhance their appreciation of the central role that science plays in modern culture. Allen and Baker′s Biology: Scientific Process and Social Issues is certain to improve science education." Neil Campbell, Visiting Scholar, University of California, Riverside

"This is a time of enormous change in the life sciences, and today′s students need to appreciate science as an ongoing process. Using colorful and interesting examples ranging from medicine and cell biology to evolution and ecology, this book gives the reader a real feel for the dynamic process of science and conveys a clear sense of how discoveries are made. Together with its treatment of important ethical issues, this well written book will make a major contribution to teaching introductory biology." Geoffrey M. Cooper, Professor of Biology and Chair, Department of Biology, Boston University

"This book presents a lucid exposition of the field of biology that should prove widely useful in understanding the way that science works the construction and testing of hypotheses and the building of a robust body of knowledge that serves humanity well. The text is well suited to several diverse approaches to the field of biology, and should be widely adopted as a thoughtful approach to the field." Peter Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Garden