Biology 2e is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester biology course for science majors. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology includes rich features that engage students in scientific inquiry, highlight careers in the biological sciences, and offer everyday applications. The book also includes various types of practice and homework questions that help students understand—and apply—key concepts. The 2nd edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Art and illustrations have been substantially improved, and the textbook features additional assessments and related resources.

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe how changes to gene expression can cause cancer
Explain how changes to gene expression at different levels can disrupt the cell cycle
Discuss how understanding regulation of gene expression can lead to better drug design

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Explain how chromatin remodeling controls transcriptional access
Describe how access to DNA is controlled by histone modification
Describe how DNA methylation is related to epigenetic gene changes

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Understand RNA splicing and explain its role in regulating gene expression
Describe the importance of RNA stability in gene regulation

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Discuss the role of transcription factors in gene regulation
Explain how enhancers and repressors regulate gene expression

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Understand the process of translation and discuss its key factors
Describe how the initiation complex controls translation
Explain the different ways in which the post-translational control of gene expression takes place

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe the steps involved in prokaryotic gene regulation
Explain the roles of activators, inducers, and repressors in gene regulation

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Discuss why every cell does not express all of its genes all of the time
Describe how prokaryotic gene regulation occurs at the transcriptional level
Discuss how eukaryotic gene regulation occurs at the epigenetic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe how signaling pathways direct protein expression, cellular metabolism, and cell growth
Identify the function of PKC in signal transduction pathways
Recognize the role of apoptosis in the development and maintenance of a healthy organism

Join us for a talk on CRISPR by Jessica Whited, Assistant Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. Dr. Whited studies limb regeneration in axolotl salamanders, with the ultimate goal of discovering how to regenerate limbs in patients. Her work involves using Cas9-mediated gene drives to generate axolotls with the desired genetic backgrounds. Recorded live: July 30th, 1 – 2:30 pm EDT.

This pathway includes an introduction to how genetic information is replicated and expressed to form proteins. For a deeper look at this topic, we recommend the pathways DNA Structure and Function and Genes and Proteins from the OpenStax textbook Biology for AP® Courses.

Students paticipate in a hands-on lesson discovering how cancer is caused by mutations that accumulate over time.

Join us for a talk on gene cloning by Richard Sherwood, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Molecular cloning is essential to research in genetics and cell biology. Dr. Sherwood will share how his lab uses molecular cloning to power their work in genetics and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Recorded live July 28, 2020.

This pathway includes an introduction to the ways that gene expression is regulated in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. For a deeper look at this topic, we recommend the pathway Gene Regulation from the OpenStax textbook Biology for AP® Courses.