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Biology: The Science of Life
- Narrated by: Stephen Nowicki
- Series: The Great Courses: Biology
- Length: 36 hrs and 38 mins
- Lecture
- Categories: Science & Engineering, Science
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Publisher's Summary
One of the greatest scientific feats of our era is the astonishing progress made in understanding biology-the intricate machinery of life-a progress to which the period we are living in right now has contributed the most.
As you read these words, researchers are delving ever deeper into the workings of living systems, turning their discoveries into new medical treatments, improved methods of growing food, and innovative products that are already changing the world.
The 72 lectures in this comprehensive exploration of living systems at all levels-from biological molecules to global ecosystems-will give you all the information you need to grasp this fascinating field and its impact on both our own lives and our understanding of the life that surrounds us.
Professor Nowicki presents his subject in a conceptual format, emphasizing the importance of broad principles. Though facts and details are offered in abundance, it is always in the context of developing a context listeners can readily absorb.
Your newfound mastery of the fundamentals of biology will serve you in many ways-whether you want to read the headlines with greater insight, update a subject you studied long ago, view the natural world with new appreciation, become a better-informed voter and consumer, or gain the intellectual stimulation of understanding the basic principles that unite all living things.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about Biology: The Science of Life
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rbrod045@uottawa.ca
- 2019-05-19
Very informative, good companion for Cell Bio 1101
Really well put together, and I found very useful this term as it hardly deviated at all from the course curriculum of university of Ottawa's cell bio course (bio1140) and had elements of organismal bio 1130. Highly recommended, even for the non-student looking to educate themselves!
2 people found this helpful
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- Shesophist
- 2021-01-17
Solid Survey of Biology
This was a pretty good survey of the field of biological sciences, from molecular genetics to global ecology. Complexity of the material I would put at senior year high school to first year college biology, minus the homework. a great refresher for me, oh how it all fades. could be a good audio supplement for someone studying
1 person found this helpful
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- Vacant Thought
- 2020-11-17
Best Intro to Biology and Genetics
I will never look at life the same again. This is a fantastic lecture series, suitable for anybody that is serious about understanding life in our modern world. As a teen I had zero interest in biology. It seemed such a chaotic subject, dedicated to memorizing abstract, non-deterministic relationships. Physics, chemistry, and computing were so much more interesting, with their concrete, predictable patterns. Forty years later and that has all changed. Science now understands many of the mechanisms underlying life, and Dr. Nowicki provides a very detailed, yet consumable guide to understanding those mechanisms.
Very well presented, and easy to follow.
1 person found this helpful
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- Erinija
- 2019-09-20
very good course!
This course gives very well structured overall view of the important topics and trends in modern biology. I especially liked short biographical and historical notes about scientists, not to mention very interesting lectures per se. Thank you professor!
1 person found this helpful
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- brent crawford
- 2021-10-04
Easier and more informative than you think
Having only vague memories of high school biology, I was unnecessarily daunted by this book. I regret waiting so long to invest the time. Structured as (or perhaps actually) a series of 1st or 2nd year biology lectures, I gained a stronger vocabulary and understanding of biology on the conceptual, molocular, cellular, and global scales. I can now explain in broad terms how DNA works (seriously), discuss evolution (it's real), understand why the postmans eyes look so familiar (genetics), grok gene expression (this will blow your mind), understand signals & receptors (brains & nerves), and carry on an intelligent conversation about how energy flows through ecosystems.
This course makes all of these things accessible to anyone with only some curiousity and some rudimentary knowlege to build on. The narration is energetic and contagious.. it is hard to be feel less involved or less interested than the lecturer appears to be in the material.
This was my first 'The Great Courses' title, but certainly not the last. Ill be watching for more from the same author.
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- ok
- 2018-03-10
narrator made this enjoyable
Learned how men only have x y chromosomes, more from mom side.
Learned about the importance of calcium ions.
3 people found this helpful
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- Patricia
- 2014-04-25
Great purchase even for a bio major!
Any additional comments?
I am using this audiobook to review some of the concepts I learned during my time as a Biological Sciences major. Although I am already familiar with most of the material being covered, I have been using this audiobook to review for the MCAT. I would totally recommend this to anyone looking for an easy way to review major concepts. He does an excellent job of describing mechanisms and processes in a way that is easy to comprehend. I typically listen to this while driving or on the bus. However, I should mention that this may not be an easy listen for someone who has never taken an introductory biology course at the university level. For those people, I would suggest getting a general biology book containing related figures and diagrams or better yet getting the video version of these lectures because it may be difficult to visualize certain processes just by his description.
113 people found this helpful
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- Kimberly
- 2016-03-08
PDF images in black & white
Any additional comments?
Colorful images are a powerful tool to learn many scientific concepts, and help to retain information. Audio-only is rather difficult for so much information; thus, the workbook. The images were clearly created in color but converted to black & white for the PDF, diminishing the value considerably. Of course, the book cover on the PDF is in color, just nothing else. I will now need to search the web for each concept, where the book includes images, for a better learning experience. How very disappointing,
62 people found this helpful
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- Linnie Kate Schmidt
- 2014-02-16
Engaging and Edifying
If you could sum up Biology: The Science of Life in three words, what would they be?
Science is awesome
What about Professor Stephen Nowicki’s performance did you like?
This could be terribly dry material in other hands, but Nowicki is a very good speaker, and makes things seem alive.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, I'm listening to it on daily walks. Today I listened to the episodes about the discovery of DNA, however, and it was so gripping I walked an extra half mile to get to the end.
Any additional comments?
This is really helping me with the biology class I'm taking. Everything is explained thoroughly, but Nowicki doesn't get bogged down with details that aren't pertinent at the moment. I've been recommending this series very highly to my classmates!
25 people found this helpful
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- Kristi R.
- 2016-06-22
Great Overview of Biology the Science of Life!
“A great and growing volume of facts about life as it goes on about us
and within us becomes available for practical application … [But] this
new material is still imperfectly accessible to ordinary busy people.” H.G. Wells in The Science of Life.
1 The Scope of "Life"
2 More on the Origin of Life
3 The Organism and the Cell
4 Proteins—How Things Get Done in the Cell
5 Which Molecule Holds the Code?
6 The Double Helix
7 The Nuts and Bolts of Replicating DNA
8 The Central Dogma
9 The Genetic Code
10 From DNA to RNA
11 From RNA to Protein
12 When Mistakes Happen
13 Dividing DNA Between Dividing Cells
14 Mendel and His Pea Plants
15 How Sex Leads to Variation
16 Genes and Chromosomes
17 Charles Darwin and "The Origin of Species"
18 Natural Selection in Action
19 Reconciling Darwin and Mendel
20 Mechanisms of Evolutionary Change
21 What Are Species and How Do New Ones Arise?
22 More on the Origin of New Species
23 Reconstructing Evolution
24 The History of Life, Revisited
25 From Cells to Organisms
26 Control of Gene Expression I
27 Control of Gene Expression II
28 Getting Proteins to the Right Place
29 Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
30 How Cells Talk—Signals and Receptors
31 How Cells Talk—Ways That Cells Respond
32 From One Cell to Many in an Organism
33 Patterns of Early Development
34 Determination and Differentiation
35 Induction and Pattern Formation
36 Genes and Development
37 Homeostasis
38 Hormones in Animals
39 What is Special about Neurons?
40 Action Potentials and Synapses
41 Synaptic Integration and Memory
42 Sensory Function
43 How Muscles Work
44 The Innate Immune System
45 The Acquired Immune System
46 Form and Function in Plants I
47 Form and Function in Plants II
48 Behavior as an Adaptive Trait
49 Energy and Resources in Living Systems
50 How Energy is Harnessed by Cells
51 Enzymes—Making Chemistry Work in Cells
52 Cellular Currencies of Energy
53 Making ATP—Glycolysis
54 Making ATP—Cellular Respiration
55 Making ATP—The Chemiosmotic Theory
56 Capturing Energy from Sunlight
57 The Reactions of Photosynthesis
58 Resources and Life Histories
59 The Structure of Populations
60 Population Growth
61 What Limits Population Growth?
62 Costs and Benefits of Behavior
63 Altruism and Mate Selection
64 Ecological Interactions Among Species
65 Predators and Competitors
66 Competition and the Ecological Niche
67 Energy in Ecosystems
68 Nutrients in Ecosystems
69 How Predictable Are Ecological Communities?
70 Biogeography
71 Human Population Growth
72 The Human Asteroid
Professor Nowicki of Duke University starts out his first lecture with this quote from 75 years ago. He wants to make Biology more accessible to ordinary people also and that is what this course is. I have to be honest and say this was the toughest course I have taken yet in the Great Courses I own. There are a total of 72 thirty-minute lectures and a 460-page book that also comes with the course to get through. I probably retained about a third of what the Professor was teaching and will definitely listen to this again and again until I can absorb it all.
What I really loved about this book was the in depth study of how life begins, what each part of a living being does and how it is determined. My other favorite parts were about Mendel and his Peas that he studied and how they differ from Darwin and his Evolutionary theory.
I also was fascinated by the Professor talking about how many Humans the Earth can sustain and what is the next step when we finally reach that threshold. I am retired and have tried to keep my brain active by learning something new every day and this course really helped to stretch my mind.
I highly recommend this course to anyone who loves science and Biology especially as this is a great overview of the subject. I certainly was entranced by everything the Professor taught.
18 people found this helpful
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- Douglas
- 2016-04-17
Surprisingly more biochemistry-focused
It was good enough to keep me listening, but didn't stir the "soul". There are long periods of dry and cold material that leave you wanting a bit more inspiration. Otherwise, it was good and I appreciate the subject matter so I have bias towards this audio book.
11 people found this helpful
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- Lars
- 2015-09-04
Good place to start but outdated.
If you could sum up Biology: The Science of Life in three words, what would they be?
A great place to begin even for laymen, but the fact that this audiobook is from 2003 shows. This audiobook deserves a 2nd edition.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Biology: The Science of Life?
When Junk DNA (via retro viralesque means) was talked about as a viable possibility, BTW Junk DNA has been proven wrong.
This does not mean that this audiobook is useless, as there are a lot of relevant stuff in there as well.
What about Professor Stephen Nowicki’s performance did you like?
calm, clear, and easy to understand.
I would petition Stephen for a 2nd edition.
The way Stephen talks about the various subjects, as well as the way he structures his lessons, does credit to the initial goals, stated in lecture 1, that this is meant to be the layman's entry to the world of biology as well as useable by students seeking to get a college degree.
Any additional comments?
The title and intro (the opening lines of chapter 1) of this audiobook suggests that this is made for non-scientists as well. You cannot expect non scientists to be completely up to date on current scientific literature. Genetics happens to be an interest of mine(and i have Sadava's understanding genetics from the great courses), therefore i knew about junk DNA.
But the average curious Georges and Janes are not necessarily going to have my interest, and they will most likely not appreciate the 41$ price-tag (15 if they subscribe to audible), just to get outdated teaching material.
Now i know i have just blitzed this audiobook, but i still encourage you, dear fellow layman consumer, to at least consider this audiobook.
My tirade about junk DNA is about 5 sentences in one lecture, and junk DNA is served as a hypothesis and not as a theory, There are 72 lectures and most of this (at least to my knowledge) is still correct.
The course guidebook even comes with several graphs and models. so you get lectures as well as what is basically a biology book.
45 people found this helpful
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- Siddy Glenn
- 2016-03-28
My new addiction
I love all things science, so go figure this is in my top lectures. If you don't have a basic understanding of organic chemistry, this could be a bit overwhelming. For those that want to know more about biology or want to dust off their knowledge in general, this lecture is great. I will be listening to this lecture again.
9 people found this helpful
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- Dwayne the Luddite
- 2019-10-11
More for a second year Biology student than 1st yr
Nowicki knows the subject well, unfortunately he doesn't know how to communicate what he knows.
First thing he tells you is that while the majority of Biology courses (including the one you're likely studying for...) proceed to teach in a general order of A, B, C, D, etc... he is going to instead teach us in his own special, special, special way in order of 1, R, Blue, %, etc. Basically - he recategorizes biology to suit his view then teaches 'beginning to end' in each category... and those categories do NOT follow along with most Biology 101 & 102 class texts. He moves up into some advanced ideas before even covering the basics but hey - it's his own very special, special, special way of teaching.
You can't even jump around to follow by going to the various categories he's set up as each of them start with the assumption that you understood everything that he tossed into the prior category.
You'll also find yourself ready to scream as he subdivides a thought three or four degrees before actually making a point he started to make.
Useless to help study for Bio 101 & 102 but would be helpful for advanced students.
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- Hermano
- 2015-09-28
Outstanding
If my college Biology course covered this same content, I might have even considered a career in molecular Biology! While there are some lectures that didn't interest me, about 75 percent of them were fascinating. Prof. Nowicki does a masterful job of providing motivation for each lecture, then guiding the listener on a logical path to the goal. Considering the cost of tuition at Duke, getting these 72 half-hour lectures for a single credit is a steal. It takes focus to keep up at times, and it might take a couple of listens to sink in. However, there are several great stories and anecdotes that are easy to take and you'll the newly learned facts to your friends.
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- Helena R.
- 2016-06-07
Lost me in the last part.
I wanted to refresh my knowledge of biology just for personal enrichment. I hadn't had biology since high school. That said, I enjoyed the first two thirds of the course and was following along fairly well. Then the very technical biochemistry in the last third of the course quickly overwhelmed me. I found myself listening but not really paying attention any more. You could say my ears glazed over. However, the professor was fantastic and engaging enough. I'm sure if I were majoring in biology I'd enjoy his lectures more.
5 people found this helpful