In this dictionary the authors' aim is to explain biological terms which a layman may meet when reading scientific literature; to define the terms which a student of biology has to master at the beginning of his career - the thousand or so words which so grimly guard the approaches to the science; and to provide a reminder for the professional biologist reading outside his own narrow field.
The Penguin Dictionary of Biology defines some 6,000 terms relating to this rich, complex, and constantly expanding subject�from amino acids, bacteria, and the cell cycle to X-ray diffraction, Ychromosomes, and zygotes. Long established as the definitive single-volume source, the dictionary has now been extensively updated for its eleventh edition. With expanded encyclopedic entries to explain the most crucial concepts, it explores the very latest discoveries and developments, containing more than 400 new entries to take account of the latest thinking on genetics, human physiology, disease, and cell biology. All key botanical and zoological concepts as well as the core vocabulary of biochemistry, immunology, evolutionary theory, and ecology are defined in depth, making this the ideal reference for students, teachers, professionals, and amateur biologists.