Bioinformatics For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))

Book Description

Were you always curious about biology but were afraid to sit through long hours of dense reading? Did you like the subject when you were in high school but had other plans after you graduated? Now you can explore the human genome and analyze DNA without ever leaving your desktop!

Bioinformatics for Dummies is packed with valuable information that introduces you to this exciting new discipline. This easy-to-follow guide leads you step by step through every bioinformatics task that can be done over the Internet. Forget long equations, computer-geek gibberish, and installing bulky programs that slow down your computer. You’ll be amazed at all the things you can accomplish just by logging on and following these trusty directions. You get the tools you need to:

Analyze all types of sequences
Use all types of databases
Work with DNA and protein sequences
Conduct similarity searches
Build a multiple sequence alignment
Edit and publish alignments
Visualize protein 3-D structures
Construct phylogenetic trees

This up-to-date second edition includes newly created and popular databases and Internet programs as well as multiple new genomes. It provides tips for using servers and places to seek resources to find out about what’s going on in the bioinformatics world. Bioinformatics for Dummies will show you how to get the most out of your PC and the right Web tools so you’ll be searching databases and analyzing sequences like a pro!

Customer Reviews:

Using the free software on internet sites to help your research.......2007-03-14

The first chapter is a short review of DNA and RNA sequences, amino acids, and protein. The other chapters teach you to use the free software found on the Internet to work with your research. Information is also given which helps explain some biochemicals. My skills are in Software Development using C++ language, and I need more information on biochemicals to understand the problems and to develop algorithms to solve them.
My only criticism is that I would like the book to give more biochemical theory before taking up the subject of Internet software.
Overall, this is a good beginner's book on biochemistry.

Good.......2007-02-16

I am a couple years into a PhD in bioinformatics, but this is the book I started with. I knew some biology and some computer science, but I still found a lot of the databases, etc. confusing and the field has a decided lack of simplified documentation (though it is getting better).

Of course, bioinformatics is a pretty broad topic and no book could possibly cover everything.

If you do not know any biology at all you probably should also get a basic text on genetics/molecular biology (or read thema at the NCBI web site books section for free). You don't need anything in depth to read the dummies book, just at the level of an introductory biology book. Hint: DNA to RNA, RNA to Protein. And you want to know why proteins are similar because proteins with similar amino acid sequences often have similar chemical properties and therefore similar functions, so if you know what one protein does you can guess what a protein like it probably does.
:-)

And despite the name of the book the authors are REAL bioinformaticists (T-Coffee rocks!)

Yes, It's Really Written at the For Dummies Level........2007-01-18

This book kind of blew me away. Bioinformatics is such a big word.

Then in the second chapter they tell you 'How Most People Use Bioinformatics.' And all of a sudden they have you on line to the National Library of Medicine at the National Institute of Health. They have you looking at protein sequences, and you even understand what they are saying.

This is a 'For Dummies' book. It is written in their traditional style, assuming that you know very little -- well to be sure they say they are making the assumption that 'You likely have a background in molecular biology. If you don't - or if you need to brush up on your molecular biology - Chapter 1 gives you a brief overview of the basics.'

I found that the first few chapters went down pretty easily. By part IV it had gone further than I wanted to go, and I quit reading.

BUT if I were going to be taking a course in bioinformatics, or even thinking about taking such a course, or just looking at a degree in biology, I'd spend a week or two getting around this book. It's written a hell of a lot better than any text you're likely to get assigned, and at its price it's quite a deal.

Great introductory text.......2006-09-20

This is an excellent introduction to Bioinformatics. It does assume some very basic knowledge of biology- perhaps a couple of paragraphs could help the total newbies.

Have you noticed that reviews of bioinformatics books tend to follow certain patterns? The Computer Scientists and mathematicians complain that there is not enough detail about the algorithms, the biologists complain that they could not get through the math, and everyone complains that there is not enough detail about their favorite programs! Let us face the fact that this is a very broad field, and most people that want to learn about it will never design algorithms.

great beginner.......2005-12-16

In spite of the title (I don't know many dummies interested in multiple sequence alignments) this reference is written by experts in the field of bioinformatics and is very accessable for the beginner. I purchased this book as a beginning graduate student so that I could learn which programs to use to compare amino acid and nucleic acid sequences as well as prepare them for publication and this book was perfect for this end. This text doesn't delve into the algorithms or much theory (which is learned through practice and other sources), nevertheless, I recommend this for the researcher for a crash course or quick reference. This book really helped me get my feet wet in this area (and recently publish a nice alignment) and will certainly reduce my workload next semester for my bioinformatics course!

Average customer rating:

muddled thinking and weak presentation
A good book for making biology easier.
Somewhat helpful, but sloppy
Arrrghhhhhhh!
Biology for Dummies

Biology for Dummies
Donna Rae Siegfried
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764553267

Book Description

Ever wondered how the food you eat becomes the energy your body needs to keep going? If DNA is a set of instructions in your cells, how does it tell your cells what to do? How does your brain know what your feet are doing? The theory of evolution says that humans and chimps descended from a common ancestor, but does it tell us how and why? We humans are insatiably curious creatures who can’t help wondering how things work – starting with our own bodies. Wouldn’t it be great to have a single source of quick answers to all our questions about how living things work? Now there is.

From molecules to animals, cells to ecosystems, Biology For Dummies answers all your questions about how living things work. Written in plain English and packed with dozens of illustrations, quick-reference “Cheat Sheets” and helpful tables and diagrams, it can get you quickly up to speed on what you need to know to:

Understand how cells work
Ge t a handle on the chemi stry of life
Find out how food becomes energy
Get to know your body’s systems
Decode the secrets of DNA
Find out what evolution is and isn’t and how it works
Take a peek into the lives of bacteria
Explore how viruses do their thing

Most basic biology books take a very round about approach, dividing things up according to different types of organisms. Biology For Dummies cuts right to the chase with fast-paced, easy-to-absorb explanations of the life processes common to all organisms. Topics covered include:

How plants and animals get nutrients
How organisms transport nutrients and expel waste
How nutrients are transformed into energy
How energy is used to sustain life
How organisms breathe
How organisms reproduce
How organisms evolve into new life-forms
How organisms create ecosystems

With this engaging guide in your corner, you’ll get a grip on complex biology concepts and unlock the mysteries of how life works in no time – no advanced degrees required.

Customer Reviews:

muddled thinking and weak presentation.......2007-01-04

As a mathematician with no biology background
who needed to quickly learn some
basic facts in the field, I was hoping a 'for dummies' book would
be a quick and worthwhile read.
I was anticipating that the book would be at the freshman college
level. When I received the book, it was clear (from the introduction)
that it was intended for a high school audience. Moreover, the
presentation of basic physics concepts as they apply in
biology --- e.g. osmosis --- was so dumbed down and muddled as
to actually be incomprehensible to me. Finally, the author tries
to make up for poor presentation of the material with frequent humor
which unfortunately is not actually funny and further distracts the
reader. This book was very disappointing and of no use to me.

A good book for making biology easier........2004-08-29

I found this book easier to understand then my regular required college biology textbook. Chapters on evolution and ecosystems were very interesting to me. I also would reference this book when I came across a hard topic in my college bio textbook. Donna Rae Siegfried does a good job of explaining hard topics into simplier forms to understand. I also highly recommend
The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations
Volume 1 isbn;1933023007
Volume 2 isbn;1933023015
Volume 3 isbn;1933023023
These three books were so good for helping know the type of questions to get ready for in my college biology I and II tests. These four books were a definite assets to helping me get very good grades in my biology classes.

Somewhat helpful, but sloppy.......2004-08-16

Some useful simplifications here, but an inexcusable amount of factual errors for a science book. And way too many unwanted attempts at humor.

Arrrghhhhhhh!.......2004-04-17

The 'science of life' is a wonderful, exciting, expanding area of knowledge. "What's not to love?", as they ask. When a book like this is promulgated, with the stated purpose of making complexity attainable to those with less than advanced degrees in the physical/biological/health sciences, it is expected that the facts, analogies, histories, conceptualizations, etc., be, well, CORRECT. (Can you hear me screaming?) There are so many errors in this book that I have decided to keep it: an exemplary star that brilliantly illuminates one more reason we (ah'm a 'merican)are losing the "science-math battle". I sat in my livingroom, opened the always eagerly-anticiptated package from Amazon, and began to peruse. In three minutes, my wife asked me what was so funny that I was laughing so hard. This is not made up! I am far from being a 'genius', but I do have significant degrees and experience in physiology, biophysics, microbiology, etc., including teaching "at the college level" - see the 'Dummies'author's CV. Even that quoted expression is somewhat disingenuous - college level where? Harvard? Berkeley? Mt.Mesmer pre-junior college? Trust me - if you want to learn basic biology - buy another book - there are lots of them out there. Since I only have 1000 words to write this, I can't list all the errors, although I would guesstimate that there are at least ten times more than enough to fill my quota of words. This estimate is not mere hyperbole - I mean it. I'll give you a few examples: first, a glaring example in both conceptualization and history. The author spends some time decrying, or maybe, complaining about, or maybe just has some dark, recondite resentment of Watson and Crick. She creates (somewhat fatuously, I thought) a 'tempest in a teapot' by informing us "Dummies" that Watson and Crick weren't the ones who 'discovered' DNA (duh!), and implies that their Nobel prize (for one of the most pivotal contributions in the history of our kind)was somehow not really deserved - she goes back to Miescher's work, which of course was contributory in identifying the "substance that had something to do with heredity" (my own quotes). Lotsa folks worked on DNA before W&C, including, contemporaneously, twice-Nobel prize winner Linus Pauling. That ain't the point. The author misleads the naive reader. That's what's so bad about this whole book - the author doesn't seem to know enough about the subject(s) to present complex ideas in simple terms that DO NOT DISTORT the FACTS. This, of course, requires considerable talent and MORE THAN SUPERFICIAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT. Years ago, I was fortunate enough to hear Dr. Linus Pauling lecture on protein chemistry. It was the clearest, most simply explicated lecture I ever heard on the subject- he UNDERSTOOD his proteins!Anyway, W & C got their Nobel for ELUCIDATING the STRUCTURE of the molecule, and, in the last sentence of their seminal paper, SUGGESTING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SUCH A STRUCTURE IN REPLICATION.(Another big "duh" here) The author coulda/shouda used the same space to show how biological science - like others - grows in small quanta and giant leaps. Missed the boat with a kinda carpy mish-mash of somehow interrelated facts that sum to a generally misleading presentation. Check out CO2 transport- the author gets it almost right with hemoglobin but totally blows it wrt phosphoric acid - I just don't have space to go into all that.(But the book does have the space - and blows it!) Additional factual and conceptual errors are NUMEROUS - I haven't even mentioned the dangling participles, verb-subject mismatchs, awkward constructions,and a legion of cutesy-artsy misguided and misleading flimflamfoolery, which does more to annoy and obfuscate than to enlighten and explicate. Buy this book if you know some biology and enjoy shaking your head in wonder at what can get published in today's market. I am going to buy the author's anatomy and physiology dummie's book. Why? Because I suspect it will be just as, if not more, amusing to the reader who enjoys a science book or two on his "humor" shelf, or a volume or two of humor on his science shelf. Wiley should find a good science editor/writer/SCIENTIST to edit this science editor's writing, and hey, I mean LINE editing. There are several somewhat superfluous (Ok, Ok, the alliteration is a little overdone...) illustrations, and a lack of illustration where a simple diagram or drawing would be worth...er...a thousand words, which is about my limit here. Dummies of the world, unite! This book is Wiley's bad!

Biology for Dummies.......2004-02-17

This book is okay for someone who is not looking for much detail, however, the writing style is reminiscent of a really campy (and likewise bad) B movie. It is halfway decent as a review if your biology knowledge has gone without use for a while, but that is only if you are capable of plodding through all of the inane asides, overuse of the word "bugger" and rather unnecessary comments that the author may have added to inject humour into the material which, in my humble opinion, failed to be funny.

Average customer rating:

Good...if you extremely dislike biology in the first place
fantastic reference bio book
An entertaining romp through the science of life on this earth

SAT II Biology For Dummies
Scott, J.D. Hatch , Lisa Zimmer Hatch , Scott Hatch , and Lisa Zimmer Hatch
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764578421

Book Description

Get tips on preparing for test traps

Psych yourself up and score your best

Yipes! You've got 60 minutes to answer 80 questions on plants and animals, ecology, genetics, cells and molecules, and evolution. How do you psych yourself up and score your best? This friendly guide delivers just what you need — a thorough review of biology, including special sections on "M" and "E" exam topics, plus two complete practice tests and lots of insider tips to help boost your score.

Discover how to

Recognize wrong answers
Zero in on the best answer
Manage your time
Minimize test-taking anxiety
Familiarize yourself with the format

Customer Reviews:

Good...if you extremely dislike biology in the first place.......2007-05-17

This book is one of those "fun books" where the author cracks jokes to make the material easily digestable. I have complains about the lack of details and mistakes. In page 42, the author shows a diagram of a phospholipid and labels the head hydrophobic, when the head is actually hydrophillic. A student who did not know this to begin w/ will be confused. Also, the lack of details make it hard for me to absorb the process. Even if its not on the test, how am i suppose to undersatnd DNA Replication if theres no detail on it! "Cells take advantange of [complimentary] rule when copying DNA--a process called replication, which is just a scientist's fancy name for copying. During DNA replcation, the two strands come apart and new nucleotides are matched up with each old strand according to the matching rules." What? The author fails to define old + new DNA as semiconservative replication or what unwinds DNA (helicase) or the enzyme that replcates DNA (DNA Polymerase). I'm taking the SAT in June and currently I'm using Biology Cliffs AP, which is easy to understand and comprehensive. I will use the Dummiesbook only for the practice test, which I think are adequate. I can't seem to trust this book's summary, however, because of the mistakes and the lack of details.

fantastic reference bio book.......2005-11-15

Thanks for writing this book. This is a useful reference for preparing for SAT II Biology. The ecology section I especially liked. I also found useful, The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: key review quesions and answers with explanations. This had really good review questions.
Also I found useful,Campbell's Biology. This text was hard sometimes to read but definitely worth the effort.

An entertaining romp through the science of life on this earth.......2005-08-22

It is 2005 and the Kansas Department of Higher Education is once again debating the teaching of evolution in the public schools. Boycotted by most, if not all, proponents of natural selection, the main thrust of the legislative testimony was in favor of a concept called "intelligent design." Once again, as in the famous Scopes "monkey trial" of 1921, the writings of Charles Darwin, particularly on his "The Origin of Species" are inspiring a political firestorm. (Nearly forgotten is the work of Alfred Russell Wallace, from whom Darwin lifted most, if not all, of his world-wrenching work).

Intelligent design may be a hot item in Topeka, but it won't get you far on the SAT II. The Hatches approach the whole study of evolution and natural selection with an intelligent, clear focus. To quote their work: "It seems weird to think that all life on earth evolved from the same basic, simple cells so long ago. Darwin made an amazing claim when he said that all life on earth is fundamentally related, so scientists have needed some strong evidence to be convinced." From there they go into a step-by-step explanation of evolutionary thought, including an easy-to-understand comparison of Lamarck's theory of acquired characteristics, and the contrasting Darwin-Wallace work on natural selection.

The treatment of evolution is typical of the clear and journalistic style of the Hatches' approach to scientific thought. The book in question is a review text called "SAT II Biology for Dummies". In contrast to the catchy title, the book is really designed for the intelligent high school student who is undertaking a systematic preparation for the Biology examination of the Scholastic Achievement Test (SATII)

The reason for this volume is the emergence of a new test program, which actually is two tests based on high school biology. The two tests, named E and M, have different emphases The E test includes evolution and ecology, dealing with the environment in which organisms live and function. The M test is concerned with cells, genetics, and heredity. There is also a key biological core common to both tests. That information is helpful whichever version of the test the student picks.

Part I of the book deals with test-taking strategies, how to avoid wild guesses, and how to get yourself in a good positive psyche for facing this ordeal. Part II deals with the fundamentals of biology, starting, as nature does, with the individual cell. The book then proceeds to biochemistry and molecular biology. How organisms eat and breathe is covered in the chapter entitled "Getting Energized: Respiration and Photosynthesis." From there we move to DNA and proteins, and finally the continuation of the organism through sexual and asexual reproduction.
Part III, the most complex section, deals with the above-mentioned concepts of evolution, the classification of plants and animals (taxonomy--supposedly Adam's first job was to name the animals) . The cycle of life and interaction with the environment are described in the chapter on Ecology.

Part IV is all about organism biology, the structures of plants and animals (botany and zoology). Chapter 14 deals with the complex systems that make up the physiology of animal bodies, including our own, and the final chapter is whimsically named, "Dating and Behaving: Animal Behavior and Reproduction."

WHEW! Between two covers the Hatches have managed to cover the explosive, expanding world of biology and do it in an interesting, informative, and entertaining manner. Their pedagogical method is the same as in their other SAT II books: they present the information, explain how it works, and then show possible questions immediately after explaining the material. In that way, students learn the test design as they learn the substantive material.

Oh, yes...the last section of the book is practice tests, enough to satisfy curiosity and build confidence at the same time. It also gives instructions for reproducing test-taking conditions when performing these practice books.

Scott and Lisa Hatch are experienced teachers (he in law, she in English) who have for over 20 years, through the Center for Legal Studies in Golden, Colorado, excelled in preparing students for standardized tests, including bar examinations, graduate and professional school admissions, and, of course SAT. They bring this experience to the SAT II volumes they have authored (including biology) with the humor that comes with interaction with students of the MTV and post-MTV generations. Studying biology, after all, is the study of life, and life is nothing if not humorous. You will find that this book takes what could be an odious chore and makes it an entertaining romp through the science of life on this earth.

Evolution For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))

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Evolution For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))
Greg Krukonis
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Today, most colleges and universities offer evolutionary study as part of their biology curriculums. Evolution For Dummies will track a class in which evolution is taught and give an objective scientific view of the subject. This balanced guide explores the history and future of evolution, explaining the concepts and science behind it, offering case studies that support it, and comparing evolution with rival theories of creation, such as intelligent design. It also will identify the signs of evolution in the world around us and explain how this theory affects our everyday lives and the future to come.

Greg Krukonis, PhD (Portland, OR) received his doctorate from the University of Arizona Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He is a former assistant adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark College, where he taught evolution.

AP Biology For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))

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AP Biology For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))
Michelle Rose Gilman , Brian Peterson , and Peter Mikulecky
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

AP Biology For Dummies assists high school students studying for the AP Biology exam by outlining the critical topics and themes of the course. The book includes a detailed overview of the test, a review of test topics, strategies and solid test-taking advice, sample practice questions throughout the book, and two full-length practice tests with detailed answer explanations.

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Biologie Fur Dummies
Donna Rae Siegfried
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3527703861

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Sat II Biology for Dummies
Scott Hatch
Manufacturer: HUNGRY MINDS IDG
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SI45P0

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Biology for Dummies
donna rae siegfried
Manufacturer: wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0470056630

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Biology for Dummies

Manufacturer: HUNGRY MINDS (TWLD)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQ5WS8

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Cdr Dummy Case: Acacia GCSE Biology
None
Manufacturer: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0751393983

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