Molecular and Cell Biology For Dummies

Molecular & Cell Biology For Dummies®

René Fester Kratz, PhD

Molecular & Cell Biology For Dummies

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009926359

ISBN: 978-0-470-43066-8

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

René Fester Kratz, PhD, grew up near the ocean in Rhode Island. From a young age, she wanted to be a teacher (because she loved her teachers at school) and a biologist (because her dad was one). She graduated from Warwick Veterans Memorial High School and then went on to major in biology at Boston University. As a freshman and sophomore at BU, René got excited by subjects other than biology and even considered changing her major. Then, she met and studied under Lynn Margulis, who reignited René’s love of biology and introduced her to the world of microbes. René graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from BU and then went on to get a master’s and a doctorate degree in botany from the University of Washington. At UW, René studied reproductive onset in Acetabularia acetabulum, a marine green alga that grows as single cells big enough to pick up with your fingers.

René currently teaches biology and general science classes at Everett Community College in Everett, Washington. René spends most of her time introducing students to the wonders of cells and microbes as she teaches cellular biology and microbiology. René also has a strong interest in science education and science literacy for everyone. As a member of the North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership, she helped create inquiry-based science courses for future teachers that are based on research on human learning. René loves teaching these courses because they make science accessible for all kinds of people. In the summer, René enjoys working with K–12 teachers on the improvement of science education in the public schools. René also enjoys writing about science and is the author of Microbiology The Easy Way for Barron’s Educational Press.

René loves living in the Pacific Northwest because she is near the ocean and her daffodils start blooming in February (when her family back East is still shoveling snow). She doesn’t mind the rain and thinks the San Juan Islands are one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Her husband, two sons, and two very bad dogs help her remember what is truly important and her “sisters” help keep her sane. René loves to scrapbook, quilt, stitch, and read.

Dedication

To my husband, Dan, and my sons, Hueston and Dashiel. You are the center of my world.

To my mom, Annette. It may be corny, but you are the “wind beneath my wings.”

To my dad, James. I wanted to be a biologist because of you.

To Lynn: Thank you for inspiring a lifelong love of learning and microbes.

Author’s Acknowledgments

Thanks to Matt Wagner of Fresh Books, Inc., for helping me find the opportunity to write this book. And thanks to all the great people at Wiley who made it happen: my editor, Kelly Ewing, who was always helpful and upbeat; the acquisitions editor, Stacy Kennedy, who helped get me started on the project; Alicia South, who coordinated the art; and Barry Ludvik, my technical reviewer. Thanks also to Patrick Redmond, the project coordinator, and those who worked on the art: Kitty Auble, Kathryn Born, Ana Carillo, Rhonda David-Burroughs, Brooke Graczyk, Gary Hunt, Ashley Layfield, Shelley Lea, Beth Morgan, Andew Recher, Heidi Richter, Simon Shak, Melissa K. Smith, Alicia South, Ron Terry, Janet Wahlfeldt, and Tobin Wilkerson.

On the home front, thanks to my husband, Dan, for all his love and support. To Hueston and Dashiel for once again being patient when Mommy was glued to her computer. To my sister, Alyson, and my friend, Julie, for reading chapters and sharing their nonscientist perspectives. To Staci, for helping me walk off some stress. And a big thanks always to my mother, Annette, for just being so supportive of everything I do.

Thanks to all my students at Everett Community College for your enthusiasm and hard work. You have all inspired me to keep doing what I do. Thanks also to my dean, Al Friedman, for letting me teach a reduced load for one quarter so that I’d have more time to write.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

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Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

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Project Editor: Kelly Ewing

Acquisitions Editor: Stacy Kennedy

Assistant Editor: Erin Calligan Mooney

Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen

General Reviewer: Barry Ludvik

Senior Editorial Manager: Jennifer Ehrlich

Editorial Supervisor and Reprint Editor: Carmen Krikorian

Editorial Assistant: Jennette ElNaggar

Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South

Cover Photos: © Colin Anderson/Brand X/Corbis

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond

Layout and Graphics: Samantha Allen, Reuben W. Davis, Andrea Hornberger, Melissa Jester, Christin Swinford

Special Art: Kitty Auble, Kathryn Born, Ana Carillo, Rhonda David-Burroughs, Brooke Graczyk, Gary Hunt, Ashley Layfield, Shelley Lea, Beth Morgan, Andrew Recher, Heidi Richter, Simon Shak, Melissa K. Smith, Ron Terry, Janet Wahlfeldt,...