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Molecular Fungal Biology
Richard P. Oliver, and Michael Schweizer (ed.). Cambridge University Press 1999, Cambridge, 377 p., $80.00 (hardback), $34.95 (paperback).
Fungal biology used to be sketchy and poorly understood until the modern tools of molecular biology clarified the enigmas and misconceptions associated with fungi. Fungi have far-reaching consequences that impact various aspects of plant and animal life in both positive and detrimental ways. Molecular Fungal Biology aims to provide the reader with a ready understanding of how the employment of molecular genetics can explain varied aspects of fungal life including metabolism, growth, development, and pathogenesis. Molecular Fungal Biology would be a useful reference textbook for teachers of undergraduate courses in basic and applied mycology, as the book is primarily tailored for advanced undergraduate students. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows considering careers in fungal biology would also find the book a useful source of information. Unfortunately, detailed coverage of every aspect of fungal biology is beyond the scope of the book since it is intended to be introductory in nature and not an in-depth dissertation on any of the chosen topics. However, the material presented in the chapters and the bibliographies at the end of each chapter can be used as reference points to further expand on selected areas of interest.
Reading comprehension of Molecular Fungal Biology is facilitated by well-written material and simple and lucid illustrations. The book is divided into 12 chapters authored by researchers who are experts in their respective fields of fungal biology. Within the realm of the fungal kingdom can be found some of the best-developed genetic systems which have been employed to study eukaryotic metabolism, cell growth and division, development, and pathogenicity, and the book provides various examples of how these aspects have been investigated by harnessing fungal genetic systems. The historical overview in chapter 1 is particularly interesting, as it identifies the origins of some modern-day disciplines of biology and how fungi played a stellar role in the development of these sciences. The book also explains in simple detail fungal evolution, construction and evaluation of evolutionary trees, and how cellular structures and biochemical markers can be employed to define evolutionary relationships. Chapter 3 is a thorough overview of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome project and discusses the implications for other sequencing projects in progress, including the human genome project. Chapters 9-11 discuss deleterious ways in which fungi affect plants and animals, respectively, and the mechanics of pathogenicity. Finally, the book describes the numerous biotechnology applications that take advantage of fungal cell biochemistry and the ease with which genes can be manipulated in fungi. Thus, any reader of Molecular Fungal Biology will clearly appreciate how fungal research has contributed a fair share to basic and applied biology, and that significant technological advances, including the sequencing of fungal genomes, are harbingers of a lot more to come in the new millennium.
Cletus A. D'Souza
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, N.C.EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
Interactive Biology Multimedia Courseware
CD-ROMs (series of 18). Cybered Biology Programs, 1997, $89.95-$149.95 apiece or all 18 CD-ROMS with a 15% discount at $1869.24).
Target Audience: Grades 7-12 and college.
Purpose: To provide multimedia instructional tools for the active classroom.
Description: The set of 18 CD-ROMs covers several standard concepts in Biology including: The Chemistry of Life, The Biosphere, Birds: Characteristics and Adaptations, Blood and Immunity, Cell Structure and Function, Cellular Respiration, DNA: the Molecule of Life, Enzymes, From DNA to Protein, Food Chains and Webs, The Leaf, Meiosis, Mendel's Principles of Heredity, Mitosis, Photosynthesis, Plasma Membrane and Cell Transport, Roots and Stems, and Viruses and Bacteria.
Each unit has a 20- to 30-minute narrated and animated presentation with two-dimensional graphics, an index (called the "jump presentation"), interactive tutorials, pretest, posttest, glossary, and help. Navigation around the parts of the unit was easy; however, I was only allowed to review a short demo of one CD-ROM describing the plasma membrane. Unfortunately, this dated material has an annoying mechanical voice which often mispronounces common biological terms, and the graphics are jumpy and often depict contradictions in size and function of the cell membrane features. The section on Brownian movement might be improved by actually showing the microscopic phenomenon rather than the unrealistic graphics that were generated for this demo. The pre- and posttests were rather static and do not draw a person into finding the right answer.
Recommendation: Don't bother with this one. Your students deserve better.
Joy L. Frestedt
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Minneapolis, Minn.
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