Biology: How Life Works

Rethinking Biology

The Biology: How Life Works team set out to create a resource for today’s biology students that would reimagine how content is created and delivered. With this second edition, we’ve refined that vision using feedback from the many dedicated instructors and students who have become a part of the How Life Works community.

We remain committed to the philosophy of How Life Works: a streamlined, integrated, and modern approach to introductory biology.

Thematic

We wrote How Life Works with six themes in mind. We used these themes as a guide to make decisions about which concepts to include and how to organize them. The themes provide a framework that helps students see biology as a set of connected concepts rather than disparate facts.

The scientific method is a deliberate way of asking and answering questions about the natural world.
Life works according to fundamental principles of chemistry and physics.
The fundamental unit of life is the cell.
Evolution explains the features that organisms share and those that set them apart.
Organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment, shaping ecological systems that sustain life.
In the 21st century, humans have become major agents in ecology and evolution.

Selective

It is unrealistic to expect the majors course to cover everything. We envision How Life Works not as a reference for all of biology, but as a resource focused on foundational concepts, terms, and experiments. We explain fundamental topics carefully, with an appropriate amount of supporting detail, so that students leave an introductory biology class with a framework on which to build.

Integrated

How Life Works moves away from minimally related chapters to provide guidance on how concepts connect to one another and the bigger picture. Across the book, key concepts such as chemistry are presented in context and Cases and Visual Synthesis figures throughout the text provide a framework for connecting and assimilating information.

WHAT'S NEW IN THE SECOND EDITION?

Expanded ecology coverage on physical processes and global ecology provides additional emphasis on ecological concepts, while ensuring that content is integrated into the larger theme of evolution. Learn more about the expanded ecology coverage on page xviii.

Visual Synthesis Figures and Online Maps on the Flow of Matter and Energy through Ecosystems, Cellular Communities, and Viruses allow students to explore connections between concepts through dynamic visualizations. Learn more about the new media on page xix.

Lead Author Melissa Michael guides our assessment team in refining and expanding our collection of thoughtful, well-curated assessments. Dr. Michael’s role ensures a tight alignment between the assessments and the media and text. Learn more on page xvi.

A rich collection of in-class activities provides active learning materials for instructors to use in a variety of settings. Learn more about the new in-class activities on page xvii.

Improved LaunchPad functionality makes it easier to search and filter within our expansive collection of assessment questions. Learn more about new LaunchPad functionality on page xii.