Biotechnology: An Introduction (with InfoTrac) (Paperback)

Biotechnology instructors require currency, sound pedagogy and a brief objective introduction to a broad range of topics and technologies. Students need an accessible and clear presentation along with hot topics and real-world examples. Susan Barnum meets all these requirements and needs in this second edition of her enormously popular text, BIOTECHNOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION, Second Edition. Barnum offers a broad view of biotechnology, integrating historical and modern topics. She then describes the processes and methods used to manipulate living organisms or the substances and products from these organisms for medical, agricultural, and industrial purposes. Using case studies and examples, the author rounds out discussions by detailing the technology and how it is applied, including discussions on the implications of biotechnology in such areas as gene therapy, medicine, agriculture, marine biology, and forensics. More complex and difficult-to-teach topics are given special coverage, by providing outlines, bulleted lists, and tables for simplifying and clarifying topics such as immunology, construction of recombinant DNA molecules, relevant lab techniques, monoclonal antibodies, and plant transformation/regeneration. Besides the addition of color, this new edition places more information in boxes to focus on the process of science, the accomplishments of researchers in the field, and real-world examples of biotechnology. In addition, Susan Barnum extends her already excellent objective coverage of the ethical and social implications of biotechnology by focusing on the most relevant topics in a sidebar in each chapter. Commercial, economical, and medical effects of current biotechnology practices are also made clearer and more relevant for students.