 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | NO STARCH PRESS | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | MASAHARU TAKEMURA / SAKURA | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | WESTERN / COLOR | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 256 | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 08/28/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 01/24/2010 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology is a charming cartoon guide to molecular biology, and part of a whole series of books that deal with different school subjects, and then deliver them in a fun, manga oriented kind of way. What a neat idea! If they’d had these available about 10 years ago, school might have been much more interesting for the likes of many of us (if you’re now 25 like me) – and if you’re still in school, these books might be just the ticket. It’s not always fun to learn, but when you’re learning with the help of a media like manga, how can you really go wrong? This book is NOT just learning by any stretch – it actually has a fun story with good characters and a real setting. Rin and Ami have been skipping molecular biology class all semester, and Professor Moro has had enough - he's sentencing them to summer school on his private island. But they're in store for a special lesson. Using Dr. Moro's virtual reality machine to travel inside the human body, they'll get a close-up look at the fascinating world of molecular biology. Join them in The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology, and learn all about DNA, RNA, proteins, amino acids, and more. Along the way, you'll see chemical reactions first-hand and meet entertaining characters like Enzyme Man and Drinkzilla, who show how the liver metabolizes alcohol. Together with Ami and Rin, you'll learn all about:
- The organelles and proteins inside cells,
and how they support cellular functions
- The processes of transcription and translation,
and your genes' role in synthesizing proteins
- The pieces that make up our genetic code,
like nucleotides, codons, introns, and exons
- The processes of DNA replication, mitosis and cytokinesis
- Genetic technology like transduction and cloning,
and the role of molecular biology in medicine Whether you need a molecular biology refresher or you're just fascinated by the science of life, The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology will give you a uniquely fun and informative introduction. Honestly, this book is amazingly setup with all the “aces in their places” – the art is fantastic, and the teaching method is both fun and educational. I’m not always easy to impress when it comes to something like this, but I think these books are awesome and have a lot of potential to teach kids (and adults!) a lot about whatever subject they are dealing with. I now know more about molecular biology than I knew existed! So what about a bit about the author and the artist to finish up? Masaharu Takemura is a Lecturer at the Tokyo University of Science in biology, molecular biology, and life sciences. A Doctor of Medical Science, Takemura has written several books about biology.
IN SUMMARY:
This series of books continues to be very impressive both in its use as an educational tool, and in the fact that it educates while still being entertaining. The characters and art style are both a lot of fun, and makes it much easier to stay focused and learn something complex like molecular biology. |
