PrefaceMy writing career began with a study guide. I
was an instructor of biology at a small community college
where the emphasis was on teaching, not research, and the
members of the Biology Department worked together to develop
a course that reached out to science-shy students. We
all believed in the human approach, and regardless of that
week’s topic, we sought human applications that would
make the material more relevant to the student. After teaching
for several years, I began to develop a methodology that
enabled most students to learn biology. This resulted in
handouts that I distributed in my own classes and made
available to the other biology instructors. I tired of duplicating
the handouts every morning and decided to put them in
a printed Study Guide instead. The first edition of Inquiry
into Life was based on that Study Guide.
My own background is highly traditional, and Inquiry
into Life is a traditional text. The levels of biological organization
serve as a guide, and the text begins with chemistry
and ends with ecology. Students need to know not only
about themselves but also about the other organisms that
share this planet with us. Although the systems chapters in
Inquiry into Life pertain to humans, the anatomy and physiology
of other animals is discussed in the Animal Kingdom
chapters. I firmly believe that students must develop an understanding
and appreciation of how the biosphere works in
order to make political decisions that will help the biosphere
endure.
Biology has changed rapidly since Inquiry into Life was
first published in 1976. New findings, ideas, and concepts
have emerged over the years and created an excitement that
I have always worked hard to convey. Still, we should remember
that most students using Inquiry into Life are just
beginning their study of biology and need a good foundation
in basic principles. My goal is to blend the classic with
the new, and I hope you will agree that this edition of Inquiry
into Life is both time-tested and current.
Although I wrote the first edition of Inquiry into Life on
a portable typewriter I had received as a gift, the text was
digitized as soon as computers became generally available.
Since that time, my technical proficiency has increased, and
now I am able to page the book using desk-top publishing
software. In the first several editions of Inquiry into Life it
was difficult, if not impossible, to have each illustration appear
near its reference. Now, because I page the book, every
illustration is on the same or facing page. This helps students
enormously because they can read the text and see the
illustration at the same time. Illustrations
The illustrations in Inquiry into Life are developed with the
utmost care. With the early editions, I had excellent artists
who were able to assist me in the development of an illustration
before it was committed to paper. Now a member of
my staff, Evelyn Jo Hebert, and I work on illustrations almost
every day to make sure they will be both instructional
and beautiful. A team of illustrators takes our rough sketches and turns them into the finished products that appear
in the text. The results of this process are seen in the
many new illustrations in this edition that make difficult
subject matter more understandable.This Edition
The many changes and revisions in this edition are too numerous
to completely review here, but these may be of special
interest:
■ In the introductory chapter, The Study of Life, new
text and illustrations strengthen the presentation of the
characteristics of life, the organization of the biosphere,
and the scientific process. A new experiment regarding
the use of artificial versus natural fertilizers serves as
the basis for discussion of the scientific process.
■ Chapter 8, Photosynthesis, in Part II has been reorganized
and mostly rewritten. The terminology and
illustrations are now more student friendly. The
chapter begins with an overview of what types of
organisms photosynthesize, and the new Figure 8.3
serves as an icon for the chapter.
■ The genetics chapters in Part V have been reorganized
to include a new chapter on Genetic Counseling
(Chapter 26). This chapter shows how all aspects of
genetics are involved in understanding and correcting
our genetic inheritance. Chapter 24 now combines
DNA biology with DNA technology to make a
better connection between the two. Chapter 25,
Control of Gene Expression and Cancer, includes a
discussion of reproductive and therapeutic cloning,
control of gene expression in bacteria and humans,
and an expanded section regarding cancer treatment.
■ In Part VI, Microbiology (Chapter 28) not only covers
the biology of viruses, bacteria, archaea, and fungi,
but also discusses some of the major infectious diseases
in humans. Chapter 29 is a much improved
look at plant evolution and diversity.
■ Chapter 36, Environmental Concerns, in Part VII is a
new chapter that shows the relationship between consumption
of resources and pollution and their effects
on biodiversity.
■ Many new chapter opening vignettes and boxed
readings will capture students’ interest.
■ Additional review and study aids have been added to
the end of each chapter. In addition to more Testing
Yourself questions, there is a new Understanding the
Terms section that lists all boldfaced terms in the
chapter and gives the page number where each term
is defined. Following the list is a matching exercise
that allows students to test their understanding of
the terms.
Overview Of Changes To Inquiry Into Life, 11e
■ New Vignettes and Boxed Readings
This edition includes many new vignettes and
boxed readings to capture students’ interest.
■ Revised Chapter 8: Photosynthesis
This chapter has been reorganized and mostly
rewritten. The terminology and illustrations are now
more student friendly.
■ Revised Part V: Continuance of the Species
This part has been reorganized to include a new
chapter on Genetic Counseling (Chapter 26).
Chapter 24 now combines DNA biology and DNA
technology. Chapter 25, Control of Gene Expressions
and Cancer, includes the latest information on
cloning, gene expression, and cancer treatment.
■ Revised Part VI: Evolution and Diversity
Chapter 28, Microbiology, now includes discussions
on some of the major infectious diseases in humans.
■ Part VII: Behavior and Ecology
A new chapter, Environmental Concerns (Chapter 36)
shows the relationship between consumption of
resources and pollution and their effects on
biodiversity.
■ Additional Study Helps for Students
Many new Testing Yourself questions have been
added to the end of each chapter, as well as
Understanding the Terms, a new section that helps
students learn biology terminology.
Acknowledgments
It would be impossible for a single individual to publish a
book of the quality of Inquiry into Life. I want to begin by
thanking my associates at McGraw-Hill publishing. It has
been a pleasure to work with Tom Lyon, my editor;
Margaret Horn, my developmental editor; and Jayne Klein,
my production manager. We supported one another and
urged each other on to reach a higher level of accomplishment
than would have otherwise been possible.
The design of the book is the result of the creative talents
of Wayne Harms, who also lent a hand when I was baffled over the best design for an individual illustration. In
general, the illustration program was carried to completion
by the artists at Imagineering who always cheerfully carried
through on my many additional instructions. Lori Hancock
and Connie Mueller did a superb job of tracking down
those hard-to-find photographs we needed to finish off the
illustrations.
My staff, consisting of Evelyn Jo Hebert and Beth Butler,
faithfully applied their many talents to this text and its ancillaries.
I could not have finished this edition without them.
Textbook writing is very time consuming, and I have always
appreciated the continued patience and encouragement of
my family. By now, my children are grown, but they never
fail to keep up with how I am progressing with my work. My
husband, Arthur Cohen, himself a biology teacher, gives me
considerable support each day and discusses with me the
details of my work. His input is invaluable to me.
The draft for the first edition of Inquiry into Life was
improved by the comments of my colleagues in the Biology
Department, but my publisher soon requested input from
instructors around the country, and so the process continues
today. Inquiry into Life is the product of my own efforts
and those of the many reviewers that give me guidance on
particular parts of the book. I am extremely grateful to these
reviewers whose comments were so valuable as I worked
on this edition.
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2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education