An accessible but rigorous introduction to genes for non-experts, explaining what genes are and what they can and cannot do.

Making Sense of Evolution explores contemporary evolutionary biology, focusing on the elements of theories—selection, adaptation, and species—that are complex and open to multiple possible interpretations, many of which are incompatible with one another and with other accepted practices in the discipline. Particular experimental methods, for example, may demand one understanding of “selection,” while the application of the same concept to another area of evolutionary biology could necessitate a very different definition. Spotlighting these conceptual difficulties and presenting alternate theoretical interpretations that alleviate this incompatibility, Massimo Pigliucci and Jonathan Kaplan intertwine scientific and philosophical analysis to produce a coherent picture of evolutionary biology. Innovative and controversial, Making Sense of Evolution encourages further development of the Modern Synthesis and outlines what might be necessary for the continued refinement of this evolving field.

In Chris Barker's sequel to Cultural Studies, the author addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the discipline and investigates its practical and academic boundaries. The author also clarifies its underlying themes of study.

This book looks at sport not just as recreation, but as an integral part of contemporary culture, with connections to industry, commerce and politics. It explores the history and theories of sport, and touches on more controversial issues.

Over the past decade, the amount of data on viruses has grown dramatically. How can a virology student possibly make sense of all this information? In How Pathogenic Viruses Think, Second Edition, Dr. Sompayrac introduces an “organizing principle” – a paradigm to use to cut through all the details and focus on what’s important. He demonstrates the use of this paradigm by “interviewing” twelve medically important viruses. During these interviews, each virus is encouraged to disclose not only what it does, but why it does it. And when a “talking virus” reveals its secrets, they are hard to forget! How Pathogenic Viruses Think covers the essential elements of virus-host interactions with descriptive graphics, helpful mnemonic tactics for retaining the information, and brief reviews of important concepts. It is an ideal book to help medical, science, and nursing students make sense of this complex subject. Example: Interviewer: I always ask the viruses I interview, “How do you attack your hosts, and why have you chosen that route?” Flu Virus: I favor the respiratory route. Interviewer: Okay, but why? For example, why not enter via the digestive tract? Flu Virus: Are you kidding me? Do I look like a dumb virus to you? My Uncle Harold tried the digestive tract once, and got as far as the stomach before the acid in there ate him alive! Not me. I take the easy way in. The respiratory route of infection provides direct access to my favorite target cells – the epithelial cells which line the human airway.

What do biologists want? How will we know when we have 'made sense' of life? Explanations in the biological sciences are provisional and partial, judged by criteria as heterogenous as their subject matter. This text accounts for this diversity.

We listen to a cacophony of voices instructing us how to think and feel about nature, including our own bodies. The news media, wildlife documentaries, science magazines, and environmental NGOs are among those clamouring for our attention. But are we empowered by all this knowledge or is our dependence on various communities allowing our thoughts, sentiments and activities to be unduly governed by others? Making Sense of Nature shows that what we call ‘nature’ is made sense of for us in ways that make it central to social order, social change and social dissent. By utilising insights and extended examples from anthropology, cultural studies, human geography, philosophy, politics, sociology, science studies, this interdisciplinary text asks whether we can better make sense of nature for ourselves, and thus participate more meaningfully in momentous decisions about the future of life – human and non-human – on the planet. This book shows how ‘nature’ can be made sense of without presuming its naturalness. The challenge is not so much to rid ourselves of the idea of nature and its ‘collateral concepts’ (such as genes) but instead, we need to be more alert to how, why and with what effects ideas about ‘nature’ get fashioned and deployed in specific situations. Among other things, the book deals with science and scientists, the mass media and journalists, ecotourism, literature and cinema, environmentalists, advertising and big business. This innovative text contains numerous case studies and examples from daily life to put theory and subject matter into context, as well as study tasks, a glossary and suggested further reading. The case studies cover a range of topics, range from forestry in Canada and Guinea, to bestiality in Washington State, to how human genetics is reported in Western newspapers, to participatory science experiments in the UK. Making Sense of Nature will empower readers from a wide range of fields across the social sciences, humanities and physical sciences.

When children begin secondary school, they already have knowledge and ideas about many aspects of the natural world from their experiences both in primary classes and outside school. This collection of support materials is designed especially for teachers of the early years in secondary school to give guidance both on the ideas which children are likely to bring with them and also on using these ideas to help pupils to make sense of their experiences in science lessons. The materials are in 24 sections, structured around three themes - life and living processes, materials and their properties and physical processes. Included in each section is a science map identifying key science ideas and also a set of learning guides which give detailed advice on helping children to develop these ideas. Written in collaboration with teachers, field-tested in schools and suitable for use with any published science scheme, these materials will be an essential resource for all science teachers who are planning teaching schemes and developing science lessons within the National Curriculum. A separate paperback, Making Sense of Secondary Science: Research into Children's Ideas comes with the file and is also available separately. This provides a summary of research in the area and a detailed bibliography for those who want to pursue certain aspects further.

Haught offers a provocative take on how reconciliation between evolution and Christian theology might begin, and questions whether the two concepts must be mutually exclusive.

In this book, Neven Sesardic defends the view that it is both possible and useful to measure the separate contributions of heredity and environment to the explanation of human psychological differences. He critically examines the view - very widely accepted by scientists, social scientists and philosophers of science - that heritability estimates have no causal implications and are devoid of any interest. In a series of clearly written chapters he introduces the reader to the problems and subjects the arguments to close philosophical scrutiny. His conclusion is that anti-heritability arguments are based on conceptual confusions and misunderstandings of behavioural genetics. His book is a fresh and compelling intervention in a very contentious debate.