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Human Biology: Concepts and Current Issues, 8th edition

Published by Pearson (January 5, 2016) © 2017

  • Michael D. Johnson West Virginia University
from$149.32

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Human Biology: Concepts and Current Issues, 8th Edition is also available via Pearson eText, a simple-to-use, mobile, personalized reading experience that lets instructors connect with and motivate students — right in their eTextbook. Learn more.

About the Book

A strong connection to real world issues makes biology interesting to non-science majors

  • UPDATED! Current Issues essays open each chapter and draw students into the subject with interesting science and health news items that connect human biology to real-world issues.  
  • Each essay discusses contrasting views on the featured hot topic.
  • Questions to Consider conclude each essay and encourage students to form their own opinions on the featured topic.
  • NEW Current Issues essays discuss the 2013 Ebola outbreak (Chapter 9), proposed regulation of e-cigarettes (Chapter 10), and choosing between organic or conventional foods (Chapter 14).
  • UPDATED! MJ’s Human Biology Blog explores up-to-date insights on important issues in the news that relate to Human Biology course topics.  Author Michael Johnson posts 3-4 short articles each month.
    • NEW!  Three access options are provided within the text’s Blog in Focus references.  Students may scan a QR code using a smartphone, type the URL (www.humanbiologyblog.blogspot.com) into a search engine, or log into their MasteringBiology subscription.

Unifying core themes keeps the text cohesive and engaging throughout

  • Recurring themes such as homeostasis, structure and function relationships, and evolution tie together for a comprehensive exploration of anatomy and physiology in the context of biology.

UPDATED! Enhanced pedagogy increases student retention and enjoyment of the text

  • NEW! Key Concepts are now listed at the beginning of each chapter to provide a handy “big picture” overview of topics that will be discussed in greater detail in the pages that follow.
  • NEW! Connections Passages are indicated by a chain link icon and indicate how a specific chapter topic relates to the overall subject of human biology, biology in general, and to the larger world.
  • Quick Check questions assess student understanding of the material as they read each chapter.
  • End of Chapter questions range from Concept Review to Recall Application to test students’ knowledge of key topics and stimulate critical thinking skills.
  • NEW! Over 170 new and heavily revised figures and photos include process figures with new, numbered Step Iconsthat walk students through complex processes in both the text and its accompanying figure.
  • Flexible structure of standalone chapters allows instructors to adapt the text to their course length and teaching interests.


Also available with Mastering Biology

Mastering™ Biology is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment product proven to improve results by helping students quickly master concepts. Students benefit from self-paced tutorials that feature personalized wrong-answer feedback and hints that emulate the office-hour experience and help keep students on track. With a wide range of interactive, engaging, and assignable activities, students are encouraged to actively learn and retain tough course concepts.

  • UPDATED! MJ’s Human Biology Blog explores up-to-date insights on important issues in the news that relate to Human Biology course topics.  Author Michael Johnson posts 3-4 short articles each month.
  • NEW!  Three access options are provided within the text’s Blog in Focus references.  Students may scan a QR code using a smartphone, type the URL (www.humanbiologyblog.blogspot.com) into a search engine, or log into their MasteringBiology subscription.
  • NEW!  Mobile-ready Interactive Physiology 2.0 assignment options help students advance beyond memorization to a genuine understanding of physiological processes.  IP 2.0 features new graphics, quicker navigation, and more robust mobile-ready interactives for exploration.
  • NEW! Evaluating Science in the Media activities challenge students to evaluate information from websites, articles, and videos.
  • NEW! Everyday Biology Videos briefly explore interesting and relevant biology topics that relate to concepts that students are learning in class. These 20 videos, produced by the BBC, can be assigned in MasteringBiology with assessment questions.
  • NEW! Dynamic Study Modules help students study effectively on their own by continuously assessing their activity and performance in real time. Here's how it works: students complete a set of questions with a unique answer format that also asks them to indicate their confidence level. Questions repeat until the student can answer them all correctly and confidently. Once completed, Dynamic Study Modules explain the concept using materials from the text. These are available as graded assignments prior to class, and accessible on smartphones, tablets, and computers.
  • NEW! Learning Catalytics™ is an interactive, student response tool that uses students’ smartphones, tablets, or laptops to engage them in more sophisticated tasks and thinking. Now included with MyLab & Mastering with eText, Learning Catalytics enables you to generate classroom discussion, guide your lecture, and promote peer-to-peer learning with real-time analytics. Instructors can:
  • Pose a variety of open-ended questions that help your students develop critical thinking skills.
  • Monitor responses to find out where students are struggling.
  • Use real-time data to adjust your instructional strategy and try other ways of engaging your students during class.
  • Manage student interactions by automatically grouping students for discussion, teamwork, and peer-to-peer learning.
  • BioFlix™ 3D movie-quality animations help your students visualize complex biology topics and include automatically graded coaching activities with personalized feedback and hints.
  • You Decide Coaching Activities explore the data behind hot topics to guide students through a process for making informed decisions.
  • GraphIt! Activities contain multiple-choice questions that can be assigned, graded, and tracked in the MasteringBiology gradebook.
  • Current Events Activities with links to articles from the New York Times, including assessment questions, are updated twice a year.  These are listed under “General Chapter Content” in the item library.

Human Biology: Concepts and Current Issues, 8th Edition is also available via Pearson eText, a simple-to-use, mobile, personalized reading experience that lets instructors connect with and motivate students – right in their eTextbook. Learn more.

About the book


A strong connection to real world issues makes biology interesting to non-science majors

  • Current Issues essays open each chapter and draw students into the subject with interesting science and health news items that connect human biology to real-world issues.  
  • Each essay discusses contrasting views on the featured hot topic.
  • Questions to Consider conclude each essay and encourage students to form their own opinions on the featured topic.
  • Current Issues essays discuss the 2013 Ebola outbreak (Chapter 9), proposed regulation of e-cigarettes (Chapter 10), and choosing between organic or conventional foods (Chapter 14).
  • MJ’s Human Biology Blog explores up-to-date insights on important issues in the news that relate to Human Biology course topics.  Author Michael Johnson posts 3-4 short articles each month.
    • Three access options are provided within the text’s Blog in Focus references.  Students may scan a QR code using a smartphone, type the URL (www.humanbiologyblog.blogspot.com) into a search engine, or log into their MasteringBiology subscription.

Enhanced pedagogy increases student retention and enjoyment of the text

  • Key Concepts are now listed at the beginning of each chapter to provide a handy “big picture” overview of topics that will be discussed in greater detail in the pages that follow.
  • Connections Passages are indicated by a chain link icon and indicate how a specific chapter topic relates to the overall subject of human biology, biology in general, and to the larger world.
  • Quick Check questions assess student understanding of the material as they read each chapter.
  • End of Chapter questions range from Concept Review to Recall Application to test students’ knowledge of key topics and stimulate critical thinking skills.
  • Over 170 new and heavily revised figures and photos include process figures with new, numbered Step Iconsthat walk students through complex processes in both the text and its accompanying figure.
  • Flexible structure of standalone chapters allows instructors to adapt the text to their course length and teaching interests.

Also available with Mastering Biology

Mastering™ Biology is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment product proven to improve results by helping students quickly master concepts. Students benefit from self-paced tutorials that feature personalized wrong-answer feedback and hints that emulate the office-hour experience and help keep students on track. With a wide range of interactive, engaging, and assignable activities, students are encouraged to actively learn and retain tough course concepts.

  • MJ’s Human Biology Blog explores up-to-date insights on important issues in the news that relate to Human Biology course topics.  Author Michael Johnson posts 3-4 short articles each month.
  • Three access options are provided within the text’s Blog in Focus references.  Students may scan a QR code using a smartphone, type the URL (www.humanbiologyblog.blogspot.com) into a search engine, or log into their MasteringBiology subscription.
  • Mobile-ready Interactive Physiology 2.0 assignment options help students advance beyond memorization to a genuine understanding of physiological processes. IP 2.0 features new graphics, quicker navigation, and more robust mobile-ready interactives for exploration.
  • Evaluating Science in the Mediaactivities challenge students to evaluate information from websites, articles, and videos.
  • Everyday Biology Videos briefly explore interesting and relevant biology topics that relate to concepts that students are learning in class. These 20 videos, produced by the BBC, can be assigned in MasteringBiology with assessment questions.
  • Dynamic Study Modules help students study effectively on their own by continuously assessing their activity and performance in real time. Here's how it works: students complete a set of questions with a unique answer format that also asks them to indicate their confidence level. Questions repeat until the student can answer them all correctly and confidently. Once completed, Dynamic Study Modules explain the concept using materials from the text. These are available as graded assignments prior to class, and accessible on smartphones, tablets, and computers.
  • Learning Catalytics™is an interactive, student response tool that uses students’ smartphones, tablets, or laptops to engage them in more sophisticated tasks and thinking. Now included with MyLab & Mastering with eText, Learning Catalytics enables you to generate classroom discussion, guide your lecture, and promote peer-to-peer learning with real-time analytics. Instructors can:
    • Pose a variety of open-ended questions that help your students develop critical thinking skills.
    • Monitor responses to find out where students are struggling.
    • Use real-time data to adjust your instructional strategy and try other ways of engaging your students during class.
    • Manage student interactions by automatically grouping students for discussion, teamwork, and peer-to-peer learning.

1. Human Biology, Science, and Society

2. The Chemistry of Living Things

3. Structure and Function of Cells

4. From Cells to Organ Systems

5. The Skeletal System

6. The Muscular System

7. Blood

8. Heart and Blood Vessels

9. The Immune System and Mechanisms of Defense

10. The Respiratory System. Exchange of Gases

11. The Nervous System. Integration and Control

12. Sensory Mechanisms

13. The Endocrine System

14. The Digestive System and Nutrition

15. The Urinary System

16. Reproductive Systems

17. Cell Reproduction and Differentiation

18. Cancer. Uncontrolled Cell Division and Differentiation

19. Genetics and Inheritance

20. DNA Technology and Genetic Engineering

21. Development, Maturation, Aging, and Death

22. Evolution and the Origins of Life

23. Ecosystems and Populations

24. Human Impacts, Biodiversity, and Environmental Issues

Glossary G-1

Answers to Figure Check, Quick Check, and Test Yourself Questions A-1

Credits C-1

Index I-1

 

Dr. Michael D. Johnson spent most of his youth in the fields and forests of rural Washington, observing nature. He earned his B.S. degree in zoology from Washington State University and then moved east to earn a Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Michigan. After completing a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School he joined the faculty of West Virginia University, where he remained for most of his career.

In 2001, Dr. Johnson moved to the Middle East, where he served first as the founding dean of Oman Medical College in the Sultanate of Oman and then as associate dean for premedical education at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. In both positions, he directed the premedical education of students from more than 25 countries. He returned to the United States in 2011 to focus on his writing.

Dr. Johnson received several teaching awards during his career, including the West Virginia University Foundation Outstanding Teacher award and the Distinguished Teacher Award of the School of Medicine. He is a member of the American Physiological Society, the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society, the National Association of Biology Teachers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Whether teaching undergraduates or medical students, Dr. Johnson has always had a keen interest in instilling in students an appreciation of science. He seeks to show students how the advancement of scientific knowledge sometimes raises unforeseen ethical, political, economic, and social issues for all of us to discuss and solve. Through this book, he encourages students to become scientifically literate so that they will feel comfortable making responsible choices as consumers of science.

You can contact Dr. Johnson at mdj5412@gmail.com with comments or questions about this book.

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