Are all evolutionary changes due to natural selection? Do we inherit behaviour? How can we regrow damaged body parts? Are all living things part of a super-organism? This book provides succinct answers to these questions - and many more - in 50 lucid and engaging essays.

From mass extinction to immunity, and from sociobiology to swarm behaviour, 50 Biology Ideas You Really Need to Know will open you eyes to the fundamental biological processes that are essential to all life on earth. Beginning with innovations unique to animals - such as the development of muscles and importance of circulation - and moving through to genetics, cells, tissues and, finally, the nature of groups of organisms, this book will give you a complete overview of this fascinating subject.

Featuring short biographies of iconic biologists, explanatory diagrams and timelines showing discoveries within their historical context, this is the perfect guide to the fundamental concepts of biology, making even the most challenging theories easy to understand.

Contents include: Evolution, Genes, Homeostasis, Endosymbiosis, Sex, Multicellularity, Nerves, Genetic Drift, Speciation, Convergent Evolution, Pollination, Mimicry, Laws of Inheritance, DNA, Alternative Splicing, Viruses, Epigenetics, Photosynthesis, Cancer, Differentiation, Regeneration, Morphogenesis, Memory, Sleep, Ageing, Consciousness and the Gaia Hypothesis.

Are all evolutionary changes due to natural selection? Do we inherit behaviour? How can we regrow damaged body parts? Are all living things part of a super-organism? This book provides succinct answers to these questions - and many more - in 50 lucid and engaging essays.

From mass extinction to immunity, and from sociobiology to swarm behaviour, 50 Biology Ideas You Really Need to Know will open you eyes to the fundamental biological processes that are essential to all life on earth. Beginning with innovations unique to animals - such as the development of muscles and importance of circulation - and moving through to genetics, cells, tissues and, finally, the nature of groups of organisms, this book will give you a complete overview of this fascinating subject.

Featuring short biographies of iconic biologists, explanatory diagrams and timelines showing discoveries within their historical context, this is the perfect guide to the fundamental concepts of biology, making even the most challenging theories easy to understand.

Contents include: Evolution, Genes, Homeostasis, Endosymbiosis, Sex, Multicellularity, Nerves, Genetic Drift, Speciation, Convergent Evolution, Pollination, Mimicry, Laws of Inheritance, DNA, Alternative Splicing, Viruses, Epigenetics, Photosynthesis, Cancer, Differentiation, Regeneration, Morphogenesis, Memory, Sleep, Ageing, Consciousness and the Gaia Hypothesis.