For nearly a quarter century Molecular Biology of the Cell has been the leading cell biology textbook. This tradition continues with the new Fifth Edition, which has been completely revised and updated to describe our current, rapidly advancing understanding of cell biology.
In this edition, we have included new material on many topics, ranging from epigenetics, histone modifications, small RNAs, and comparative genomics, to genetic noise, cytoskeletal dynamics, cell-cycle control, apoptosis, stem cells, and novel cancer therapies. As in previous editions, we have tried above all to give readers a conceptual framework for the mass of information that we now have about cells. This means going beyond the recitation of facts. The goal is to learn how to put the facts to use—to reason, to predict, and to control the behavior of living systems.
To help readers on the way to an active understanding, we have for the first time incorporated end-of-chapter problems, written by John Wilson and Tim Hunt. These emphasize a quantitative approach and the art of reasoning from experiments. These emphasize a quantitative approach and the art of reasoning from experiments.
A further major adjunct to the main book is the attached Media DVD-ROM disc. This provides hundreds of movies and animations, including many that are new in this edition, showing cells and cellular processes in action and bringing the text to life; the disc also now includes all the figures and tables from the main book, pre-loaded into PowerPoint® presentations. Other ancillaries available for the book include a bank of test questions and lecture outlines, available to qualified instructors, and a set of 200 full-color overhead transparencies.