Practical Skills in Biomolecular Science

Rob Reed, Professor Emeritus (Education and Science) at Central Queensland University, Australia.David Holmes, Emeritus Professor of Medical Sciences, St George's International School of Medicine, Grenada. Jonathan Weyers, Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Dundee, UK.Allan Jones, Chancellor's Award Fellow in Ecology, Environmental Science and Zoology at the University of Dundee, UK.

• PrefaceList of abbreviationsStudy strategies Developing your skillsSelf-managementLearning effectivelyMaking the most of learning resourcesLocating and citing published informationEvaluating informationWorking with othersMapping your personal developmentAssessment skills Succeeding in assessmentsScientific writingWriting essaysReporting practical and project workTackling literature surveys and reviewsPresenting written assignmentsPreparing a posterGiving a spoken presentationRevision strategiesImproving your performance in examsFundamental laboratory techniques Preparing for practical workWorking safely in the labBasic laboratory skillsMeasuring and dispensing liquidsPreparing solutions – principles and practiceMeasuring and maintaining pHUnderstanding microscopySetting up and using a light microscopeThe investigative approach Making measurementsUnderstanding SI units and their useDesigning experimentsUnderstanding bioethicsRecording data and imagesTackling project work and placementsWorking with microbes, cells and tissues Learning sterile techniqueCulturing cells and measuring growthCollecting and isolating microbesIdentifying microbesNaming microbes and other organismsWorking with bacteriaWorking with eukaryotic microbes: fungi and protistsWorking with virusesWorking with animal and plant cells and tissuesHomogenising and fractionating cells and tissuesAnalytical techniques Understanding calibration and quantitative analysisCentrifugation techniquesMeasuring lightUsing advanced spectroscopy and spectrometryCarrying out basic spectroscopy and spectrometrySeparating compounds using chromatographyDetecting and analysing compounds after chromatographyMethods of electrophoresisAdvanced electrophoretic techniquesElectroanalytical techniquesUsing immunological methodsUsing radioisotopesAnalysing stable isotopesAssaying biomolecules and studying metabolism Analysing biomoleculesAssaying amino acids, peptides and proteinsAssaying lipidsAssaying carbohydratesAssaying nucleic acids and nucleotidesProtein purificationStudying enzymesMeasuring membrane transportQuantifying photosynthesis and respirationGenetics and molecular biology Studying Mendelian and population geneticsStudying bacterial and phage geneticsUnderstanding molecular genetics – fundamental principlesUsing the polymerase chain reaction in molecular geneticsGenetic manipulation techniquesApplying bioinformaticsAnalysing and presenting data Manipulating and transforming raw dataAnalysing data with spreadsheetsSummarising data in tablesIllustrating data in graphsSolving numerical problemsUsing descriptive statisticsSelecting and interpreting statistical testsAppendix 1Index