Biology: Life on Earth with Physiology, 11th Edition

Book Preface

The Case for Scientific Literacy

Climate change, biofuels versus food and forests, bioengineering, stem cells in medicine, potential flu pandemics, the plight of polar bears and pandas, human population growth and sustainability: these are just some of the very real, urgent, and interrelated concerns sweeping our increasingly connected human societies. The Internet places a wealth of information—and a flood of misinformation—at our fingertips. Never have scientifically literate students been more important to humanity’s future. As educators, we feel humbled before this massive challenge. As authors, we feel hopeful that the Eleventh Edition of Biology: Life on Earth will help lead introductory biology students along paths to understanding.

Scientific literacy requires a foundation of factual knowledge that provides a solid and accurate cognitive framework into which new information can be integrated. But more importantly, it endows people with the mental tools to separate the wealth of data from the morass of misinformation. Scientifically literate citizens are better able to evaluate facts and to make informed choices in both their personal lives and the political arena.

This Eleventh Edition of Biology: Life on Earth continues our tradition of:

• Helping instructors present biological information in a way that will foster scientific literacy among their students.
• Helping to inspire students with a sense of wonder about the natural world, fostering an attitude of inquiry and a keen appreciation for the knowledge gained through science.
• Helping students to recognize the importance of what they are learning to their future roles in our rapidlychanging world.

What’s New in This Edition?

Each new edition gives the authors a fresh opportunity to ponder: “What can we do better?” With extensive help from reviewers, development editors, and our coauthors, we’ve answered this question with the following changes organized around three major goals:

Highlight an Inquiry-Driven Approach to Learning

• Probing questions at the end of the extensively revised “Case Study Continued” segments help students anticipate what they will learn.
• Three unique question types in essays and figure captions encourage students to think critically about the content: “Think Critically” questions focus on solving problems, thinking about scientific data, or evaluating a hypothesis; “Evaluate This” questions ask students to interpret or draw conclusions from a hypothetical scenario; and “Consider This” questions invite students to form an opinion or pose an argument for or against an issue, based on valid scientific information. Answers to “Think Critically” and “Evaluate This” questions are included in the back of the book; hints for “Consider This” questions are included on MasteringBiology.
• New multiple choice questions at the end of every chapter address students’ recall and comprehension and help them prepare for tests.