Instant Biology: From Single Cells to Human Beings, and Beyond

by Boyce Rensberger

Whether you're bewildered by the vast number of organisms inhabiting our planet or just crave a clear and comprehensive explanation of the endoplasmic reticulum, Instant Biology will guide you through the science that brings the very act of living (and dying) to life.

From an enlightening walk down the double helix stairway to a look at Darwin's evolutionary musings on the diversity of existence, Instant Biology lays bare the facts of life. But Boyce Rensberger goes beyond the birds and the bees to delight in the details that make science fun, like the stubborn micro-species of mite that insist on living in your eyelashes.

With Instant Biology you'll

Everything you always wanted to know about sex and the single cell.
How the fuzzy pizza crust under the bed is diligently working its way to the top of the food chain.
Which is the interior surface of your lungs or a badminton court.
How a species of soil and pond dwellers can dry out, shrivel up, then return from the dead.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 13, 1996

Reviews

[Lily]

It was okay!

[Dan]

Useful as a refresher on basic biology, though I could have done with less corny jokes.

[Christine Gustin (christinebookstagram)]

Some good content, but middling overall.

[Marina]

I'm in the middle of Easy Biology Step-By-Step right now and I have to say Instant Biology has better explanations and diagrams that rival the depth of textbooks (the kingdoms of life and DNA transcription were especially well done). I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a concise introduction/review of the principals of biology. I personally think I got just as much information out of this book than the year long course I took in high school.

[Andrew]

Never having taken a full biology class through undergraduate engineering and into one class of graduate-level industry-focused Electrical Power for Satellites, I found the 1996 version of Instant Biology an outstanding replacement. I wonder how it compares with "Biology for Idiots" or "KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid) Biology," if they exist.

[Noelle M]

The best who-done-it I've read. Wonderful retelling of the DNA RNA puzzle resolution. I read it while taking a micro-bio class. Got me through the technical stuff nicely, and made the labs comprehensible. Well worth the reading time.

[Xenophon Hendrix]

This book helped me get a high score on the CLEP. I recommend it highly for that purpose.