Nature Education e-books are intuitive introductions to a range of topics relevant to science students, young scientists, and science enthusiasts of all ages.
Infection rates of Dengue Fever-causing virus are on the rise in recent decades. The World Health Organization estimates the number of infections across the globe to be 50 million per year. As this debilitating and sometimes lethal infection affects more and more people every year, science research is on notice, and moving fast to catch up. In this eBook, you will learn the symptoms of dengue, how it spreads via mosquitoes, and what new research is emerging to stop the disease in its tracks. Nature Education's editorial team developed this eBook as a result of the generous financial support of Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, to ensure it is available to all users free of charge.
Essentials of Genetics is a guided introduction to many key concepts in genetics, from DNA structure and function to population genetics. It provides an excellent reference for students or lifelong learners and can be a teaching tool for faculty, featuring high quality video-based visualizations of genetics processes, clear explanations, and links to advanced study resources.
Essentials of Cell Biology introduces readers to the core concepts of cell biology. It provides an introduction for students of all ages and can be a springboard to more specialized topics for advanced students. It begins with a discussion of the fundamental properties of cells: the origin of the cell, how cells are organized, how they reproduce, and how they use energy. Other subjects include the cellular structures responsible for cell function, the signals that cells use to communicate with one another, and the intricate controls on cell division. At the end of each unit in this eBook there is the option to test your knowledge with twenty multiple-choice questions.
Cell Biology for Seminars introduces cell biology concepts and follows them with selected readings from the Nature archive that deepen the learning experience. The book begins with a discussion of the fundamental properties of cells: the origin of the cell, how cells are organized, how they reproduce, and how they use energy. Other subjects include the cellular structures responsible for cell function, the signals that cells use to communicate with one another, and the intricate controls on cell division. At the end of each unit in this eBook there is the option to test your knowledge with 25 multiple-choice questions. This seminar edition of the Cell Biology eBook is meant for advanced students or seminar settings.
English Communication for Scientists is a brief guide on how to communicate more effectively in English, no matter how much previous experience you have. Although it was developed with non-native speakers of English in mind, it should prove useful for native speakers, too. Created by seasoned communicators, English Communication for Scientists provides no-nonsense, directly applicable guidelines, illustrated with examples of written documents, oral presentations, and more.
The Guide to Life Science Careers helps you to explore and choose what career is best for you. Interviews with professionals about how they chose their career paths are included so you can learn how others became successful and understand the positive and negative aspects of various career choices. Strategies for networking, overcoming shyness, and building your résumé are also discussed to help you lay the groundwork for success and present the best you to potential employers.
Topic Rooms are hubs for in-depth exploration of a range of topics, from life sciences to scientific communication and career planning. Topic Rooms include introductory summaries of key concepts, evidence-based readings on advanced topics, and more.
To better inform our decisions at the doctor, the grocery store, and at home, it is crucial for us to know something about genetics. As we cultivate this understanding, we need to explore the evidence that supports our modern knowledge of genetics. Scitable invites you to do so, throughout our Topic areas.
Transmission genetics is the study of how genes are passed from one generation to the next. The articles in this room explore a wide range of topics in classical genetics. They also illustrate how the analytical power of gene inheritance combined with the molecular approaches covered in the other topic rooms help us to understand some of the most complex problems in genetics.
Gene expression and regulation describes the process by which information encoded in an organism's DNA directs the synthesis of end products, RNA or protein. The articles in this room explore the vast array of molecular and cellular processes and environmental factors that impact the expression of an organism's genetic blueprint.
The articles in this topic room describe the science surrounding the structure and function of DNA. Here, you will find information on the chemical structure of DNA; organization of DNA into chromosomes, genes, and gene families; the processes of DNA replication, transcription, and translation; as well techniques related to manipulation of the genetic sequence.
Cytogenetics is the study of chromosomes and their role in heredity. The articles in this room provide rich information on chromosome structure and composition, the methods that scientists use to analyze chromosomes, chromosome abnormalities associated with disease, the roles that chromosomes play in sex determination, and changes in chromosomes during evolution.
Evolutionary genetics examines the genetic relationships among groups of organisms and how changes in their genes shape the patterns of evolution and biodiversity. The articles in this room focus on five main areas: phylogenetics; mutation and molecular population genetics; the genetics of speciation; genome evolution; and evolution and development.
Population and quantitative genetics focus on the genetic basis of variation among the individuals in a population. Population genetics focuses on allele and genotype frequencies, whereas quantitative genetics focuses on the ways that variation in genotype and environment contribute to variance in phenotype among individuals. The articles in this room address both subjects.
A genome is an organism's complete set of genetic material. Thus, genomics is genetics on a huge scale, including information about vast numbers of genes and DNA sequences from scores of organisms. The articles in this room explore genomics-based methods for the study of genetic variation, the value of genomic data, and of course, the politics surrounding the uses of genomic data.
Understanding the role of genetics in disease has become a central part of medical research. As such, the articles in this topic room explore the complex relationship between human genetics and various disease states. This room examines current medical research and tools targeting these conditions in the effort to better treat or prevent them.
This topic room covers the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of genetic advances and their applications. To lay a foundation for ELSI discussions, this collection of articles explores the unique medical, ethical and legal issues encountered in genetic diseases, and the profound impact genetic conditions have at the individual, family, and societal levels.
Cell biology is the study of cell structure and function, and revolves around the concept that the cell is the fundamental unit of life. Focusing on the cell allows a detailed understanding of the tissues and organisms that cells compose. Scitable invites you to explore our Topic Rooms in cell biology, and learn about the origin, diversity, and fascinating functions of cells.
This Topic Room focuses on how cells became individual units, separate from the external environment and capable of producing energy to sustain themselves. Discussion of cell origin is inevitably linked with issues of cell energy, and how a cell evolved to acquire and process its own energy via metabolic processes.
This Topic Room covers a range of subjects, from how the sequence of amino acids in a protein determines its structure to how the structure of proteins impacts essential cell function, such as gene expression. A particular emphasis is placed on the modulation of gene expression by proteins.
This Topic Room focuses on how subcellular compartments create an efficiency and divided labor within the cell. The subdivision of cells into discrete compartments or parts enables the cell to create specialized environments for specific functions. These compartments can be organelles, specific structures that take on sets of tasks within the cell, or they can be local regions of the cel...
This Topic Room focuses on how a cell gives and receives messages with its environment and with itself. Cell survival depends on the ability to receive and process information from the outside environment. Cells can communicate directly with one another via a variety of chemical and mechanical signals, and these signals are crucial to the growth, health, and maintenance of organisms.
This Topic Room focuses on mechanisms that regulate the timing and frequency of DNA duplication and cell division. The study of the cell cycle has vast relevance to the health, well-being, and biology of all organisms, from the growth and development of these organisms, to cancer and aging humans, to the potential for disease and injury repair via stem cell therapies.
This Topic Room contains a range of materials designed to help students and young scientists learn to communicate more effectively, whether in research papers or public presentations.
This Topic Room contains a range of resources intended to help graduate, undergraduate, and high school students with interest in science plan a meaningful career path. Resources include interviews with professionals about how they chose their careers, overviews of dozens of possible science-related career paths, and strategies for building a successful application.
The Knowledge Project is an effort to work with the science academic community to build a reliable, openly accessible library of educational science content for college and high school students. Each article is written by experts in their field. The Knowledge Project is a living effort; articles will be updated over time in response to new developments in the field and specific suggestions by users.
The field of ecology is more and more central in the minds of scientists and citizens because of the challenges we face with supporting life on Earth in the twenty-first century as our physical environment rapidly changes around us. Ecologists help us meet these challenges by advancing our understanding of the interactions of organisms and their environment.
To fully understand ecology, you must first be able to grasp the underlying concepts of evolution, genetics, and biodiversity. Articles in this room introduce you to these underlying concepts. Also included are articles on using molecular techniques to study ecology.
Ecosystem ecology is the study of questions about the living and nonliving components within the environment, how these factors interact with each other, and how both natural and human-induced changes affect how they function. The biosphere is the ultimate determinant of where organisms can live, grow, and reproduce. The biosphere includes climate, which consists of long-term trends in temperature and precipitation and soils.
Physiological ecologists study how an organism's physiology meets the challenges posed by its environment. Articles in this room introduces you to these challenges that include how organisms maximally adapt to varying temperatures and are able to obtain the energy, nutrients and water that they need to live, grow, and reproduce.
A population is a group of individuals of a single species that live in a particular area and interact with one another. Many of the central issues in ecology concern questions about how and why the locations and abundances of populations change over time.
Ecological communities are associations of species that co-occur in the same location and at the same time. Communities can cover large or small areas, and they can differ greatly in terms of the numbers and types of species found within them. Community ecology is a field that examines the effects of living and non-living features on the structure of a community.
Global and regional ecology considers the application of the science of ecology to the management of natural resources. Articles in this room introduce these emerging fields.
Restoration ecology is the scientific study of repairing disturbed ecosystems through human intervention. Whereas conservation biology is often focused on assessing and preventing ongoing degradation, restoration ecology seeks to actively reverse such degradation.
Animal behavior is a rapidly growing and advancing area of study. Articles in this room introduce you what we know about why animals behave the way they do.
Articles in this room serve as resources for faculty interested in new ways to reach their students, or who want to learn more about teaching and learning.
The diverse features of our planet's many environments are shaped by the interactions of our atmosphere with the rocks, water, and life at our planet's surface.
Our planet's climate has changed throughout its long history among various extremes and on different time scales, ranging from millions of years, to just a few millennia, to just a few centuries.
Our planet's surface is created by tectonic processes, but later molded into shape by water, wind, and ice. Discover the many terrestrial landscapes Earth contains and the processes that create them.
Over 70% of our planet's surface is covered by ocean. Discover oceanic processes, productivity of life in the ocean, and how ocean organisms and circulation respond to climate change.
Understanding the connections between soil, water, plants, and animals is essential for ensuring healthy ecosystems, sustained food production, and long-term human prosperity.
What responsibilities do we have to wild species and ecosystems - and to present and future generations of humans dependent on critical ecological services? How does the recognition of rapid, global environmental change challenge our traditional understandings of these obligations? What does it mean to be "sustainable" and why do many believe that achieving sustainability is an ethical imperative for science and society in this century?
Where do we come from? Where are we going? These are some of the big questions biological anthropology seeks to answer, using the principles of evolution as a backdrop for formulating and testing hypotheses about humanity's past, present, and future.
Did we destroy the Neanderthals? Did primates raft from Africa to South America? What influences the evolution of humans and our primate relatives today? What is it like to search for hominin fossils or to study wild apes? What tools can we use to study rare, endangered primates and help to conserve them in a rapidly changing world? These are some of the diverse questions answered in this topic room.
Why do many primates live in groups? Why do some male primates commit infanticide? Why do some females form strong bonds? What do primates eat and how do they live in ecological communities with other animals? How do primates communicate? Do primates deceive each other? Unraveling the sociality and ecology of our closest living relatives, the non-human primates, can help us shed light on the selective pressures that shaped humans through evolutionary time.
Our bodies are records of our evolution. Look at an unfolding embryo, a genome, or a skeleton and you will see our inner fishes, our inner mammals, our inner apes. We carry within us physical evidence of the developmental processes and biological traits that humans share with all — yes, all — other organisms.
Spotlights are focused explorations of key topics in science: current issues in the news, emerging lab techniques, thought leader perspectives, governmental policy, and a range of other subjects. Spotlights provide an entry point into the rich and dynamic world of science.
Some marine biologists believe that naval sonar testing is causing whales to flee so rapidly to the surface that they can die of acute decompression sickness. Others vigorously oppose this hypothesis. All agree that human activities, especially commercial shipping, have increased the amount of background noise in the ocean over recent decades to the point where marine mammals' lives have been disrupted.
The Scitable discussion sphere comprises a range of perspectives dedicated to presenting the world of science in a clear and readable way, and stimulating broad discussion on critical issues for the future of science. Writers include experienced researchers, science policy-makers, journalists, and undergraduate students.
Written by a revolving team of student writers, Student Voices covers current research, emerging ideas, compelling people, and key debates in science for the undergraduate and high school student community.