Biological Science, 8th edition

Published by Pearson (May 10, 2024) © 2025

  • Scott Freeman University of Washington
  • Kim Quillin Salisbury University
  • Lizabeth Allison College of William and Mary
  • Michael Black California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
  • Jeff Carmichael University of North Dakota
  • Emily Taylor California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
  • Greg Podgorski Utah State University
  • Jeremy Hsu Chapman University

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ISBN-13: 9780138276263
Biological Science
Published 2024

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Known for its discovery-based, student-centered approach, Scott Freeman’s Biological Science emphasizes higher-order thinking, skill development and active learning. Strategies in the textbook go beyond memorization and guide you in making connections between core concepts and content.

In the 8th Edition, cutting-edge and core biology content is seamlessly intertwined with development of skills with an emphasis on metacognition, study strategies and quantitative reasoning. New and updated features guide you to reflect on your thinking, to construct your own knowledge and to think like biologists.

  1. Biology: The Study of Life

BIOSKILLS

UNIT 1 THE MOLECULAR ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF LIFE

  1. Water and Carbon: The Chemical Basis of Life
  2. Protein Structure and Function
  3. Nucleic Acids and an RNA World
  4. An Introduction to Carbohydrates
  5. Lipids, Membranes, and the First Cells

UNIT 2 CELL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

  1. Inside the Cell
  2. Energy and Enzymes: An Introduction to Metabolism
  3. 9 Cellular Respiration and Fermentation
  4. 10 Photosynthesis
  5. 11 Cell–Cell Interactions
  6. 12 The Cell Cycle

UNIT 3 GENE STRUCTURE AND EXPRESSION

  1. Meiosis
  2. Mendel and the Gene
  3. DNA and the Gene: Synthesis and Repair
  4. How Genes Work
  5. Transcription, RNA Processing, and Translation
  6. Control of Gene Expression in Bacteria
  7. Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes
  8. The Molecular Revolution: Biotechnology, Genomics, and New Frontiers
  9. Genes, Development, and Evolution

UNIT 4 EVOLUTIONARY PATTERNS AND PROCESSES

  1. Evolution by Natural Selection
  2. Evolutionary Processes
  3. Speciation
  4. Phylogenies and the History of Life

UNIT 5 THE DIVERSIFICATION OF LIFE

  1. Bacteria and Archaea
  2. Diversification of Eukaryotes
  3. Green Algae and Land Plants
  4. Fungi
  5. An Introduction to Animals
  6. Protostome Animals
  7. Deuterostome Animals
  8. Viruses

UNIT 6 HOW PLANTS WORK

  1. Plant Form and Function
  2. Water and Sugar Transport in Plants
  3. Plant Nutrition
  4. Plant Sensory Systems, Signals, and Responses
  5. Flowering Plant Reproduction and Development

UNIT 7 HOW ANIMALS WORK

  1. Animal Form and Function
  2. Water and Electrolyte Balance in Animals
  3. Animal Nutrition
  4. Gas Exchange and Circulation
  5. Animal Nervous Systems
  6. Animal Sensory Systems
  7. Animal Movement
  8. Chemical Signals in Animals
  9. Animal Reproduction and Development
  10. The Immune System in Animals

UNIT 8 ECOLOGY

  1. An Introduction to Ecology
  2. Behavioral Ecology
  3. Population Ecology
  4. Community Ecology
  5. Ecosystems and Global Ecology
  6. Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

APPENDICES

  • A. Answers
  • B. Periodic Table of Elements

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