Explore Life

This fresh approach to teaching introductory biology to non-science majors is based on two sets of beliefs. First, that nonscience majors absorb biology best when it is presented in the context of personal experience or human relevance. Second, that today's variety of media--video, CD-ROMs, and the Internet--offer unprecedented opportunities to bring people, imagery, biological processes, hands-on interactivity, and up-to-the-minute data into the study of biology. Authors John Postlethwait and Janet Hopson have created a topical, case-history approach to teaching life science fundamentals that fully integrates electronic media so that the student can explore relevant biology in ways suited to his or her own learning style. An engaging, student-relevant case study opens and is interwoven throughout each chapter. Additional examples, anecdotes, research stories, and applications are also used to give students a well-rounded framework for learning core biological concepts. The book's innovative design allows integration of references to the other EXPLORE LIFE components within it. The media are integrated into the course line by line, not just attractively packaged and offered as ancillaries. This complete integration can be seen in every chapter. This multimedia, applications-driven approach in EXPLORE LIFE has the potential to reshape the teaching of non-majors biology. Instructors can adopt this approach with a high level of flexibility, using as much or as little of the media as they deem appropriate, incorporating their own material, and adapting EXPLORE LIFE to their individual needs.

John H. Postlethwait is professor of Biology at the University of Oregon where he has taught general biology for 29 years, to both biology majors and non-majors, as well as upper division courses in embryology and genetics. His research on the genetic mechanisms of embryonic development and the origin of vertebrate genomes is supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. For three one-year periods, Dr. Postlethwait conducted research supported by Fullbright grants at the Institute für Molekular Biologie in Salzburg, Austria, the Laboratoire de Genetique Moleculaire des Eucaryotes in Strasbourg, France, and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in Oxford, England. A recipient of the Ersted Distinguished Teaching Award, Dr. Postlethwait encourages active participation of undergraduates in research and many of his publications include undergraduate students as coauthors. His love of teaching stems from his undergraduate days at Purdue University, where for three years he was a teaching assistant in General Biology.

Janet L. Hopson has authored or coauthored seven books. a popular book on human pheromones, another on human brain development and enrichment, and five different college biology textbook titles for students of various levels. She has taught science writing on two campuses of the University of California. Ms. Hopson has won awards for magazine writing, and her articles have appeared in Smithsonian, Psychology Today, Science Digest, Science News , Outside, and others. She is happily married and she and her husband enjoy pets, tennis, golf, skiing, swimming, and travelling.