Fundamental Molecular Biology 1st Edition PDF download

The fast pace of modern molecular biology research is driven by intellectual curiosity and major challenges in medicine, agriculture, and industry. No discipline in biology has ever experienced the explosion in growth and popularity that molecular biology is now undergoing. There is intense public interest in the Human Genome Project and genetic engineering, due in part to fascination with how our own genes influence our lives. With this fast pace of discovery, it has been difficult to find a suitable, up-to-date textbook for a course in molecular biology. Other textbooks in the field fall into two categories: they are either too advanced, comprehensive, and overwhelmingly detailed, with enough material to fill an entire year or more of lectures, or they are too basic, superficial, and less experimental in their approach. It is possible to piece together literature for a molecular biology course by assigning readings from a variety of sources. However, some students are poorly prepared to learn material strictly from lectures and selected readings in texts and the primary literature that do not match exactly the content of the course. At the other end, instructors may find it difficult to decide what topics are the most important to include in a course and what to exclude when presented with an extensive array of choices. This textbook aims to fill this perceived gap in the market. The intent is to keep the text to a manageable size while covering the essentials of molecular biology. Selection of topics to include or omit reflects my view of molecular biology and it is possible that some particular favorite topic may not be covered to the desired extent. Students often complain when an instructor teaches “straight from the textbook,” so adding favorite examples is encouraged to allow instructors to enrich their course by bringing to it their own enthusiasm and insight.