人脑是我们已知世界中最为复杂的一个物体。尽管我们对于脑的认识还远远不够，但是研究组成神经系统的神经元和胶质细胞产生感觉、行为和高级精神活动的方式已经成为科学研究中成果最丰硕的领域。脑的构成是一系列发育阶段的整合体，由最初少量胚胎细胞成为神经前体细胞开始，到接近行为出现为止，这就是本书所涵盖的内容。本书内容广泛，以一些著名的实验和观察为例，全面介绍了神经系统发育的基本原理。书中内容是按照个体发生的顺序排列的，从神经原基的诱导发生，一直到行为的产生。作为大学教材，本书涵盖了所有主要的内容，包括神经系统的生长模式、神经元决定、轴突导向及对象、神经元凋亡、突触形成及可塑性等内容。第二版新增的内容介绍了该领域的最新进展，比如模式生物的研究、分子及遗传技术的应用，以及新的成像技术的引入等等。本书的目的就是为高年级学生和有一些生物学背景的研究者提供一个关于神经发育过程的纲要，这与广泛的文献综述在目的上是完全不同的。本书插图丰富，文字简洁，非常适合第一次接触该领域的学生参考。本书还配有光盘，内容为全书精美彩图。

Molecular Biology of the Cell is the classic in-depth text reference in cell biology. By extracting the fundamental concepts from this enormous and ever-growing field, the authors tell the story of cell biology, and create a coherent framework through which non-expert readers may approach the subject. Written in clear and concise language, and beautifully illustrated, the book is enjoyable to read, and it provides a clear sense of the excitement of modern biology. Molecular Biology of the Cell sets forth the current understanding of cell biology (completely updated as of Autumn 2001), and it explores the intriguing implications and possibilities of the great deal that remains unknown.
The hallmark features of previous editions continue in the Fourth Edition. The book is designed with a clean and open, single-column layout. The art program maintains a completely consistent format and style, and includes over 1,600 photographs, electron micrographs, and original drawings by the authors. Clear and concise concept headings introduce each section. Every chapter contains extensive references. Most important, every chapter has been subjected to a rigorous, collaborative revision process where, in addition to incorporating comments from expert reviewers, each co-author reads and reviews the other authors' prose. The result is a truly integrated work with a single authorial voice.</P>

An advanced undergraduate textbook focusing on the molecules and mechanisms which underlie the developmental process. In recent years, the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying cellular behaviour have begun to be elucidated. Taking advantage of this new knowledge, Martinez Arias and Stewart here present developmental biology from a new standpoint: one in which the molecules and the genes that encode them, rather than the organisms, take centre stage. This is a compelling modern way of looking at developmental biology. Starting with the genetic programs that underlie development and working up allows a better understanding of the logic of development. TEACHING AIDS Online Resource Centre: www.oup.com/uk/best.textbooks/biochemistry/martinez/ Includes sample chapter, and all illustrations available free to download

The synchronized flashing of fireflies at night. The spiraling patterns of an aggregating slime mold. The anastomosing network of army-ant trails. The coordinated movements of a school of fish. Researchers are finding in such patterns - phenomena that have fascinated naturalists for centuries - a fertile new approach to understanding biological systems: the study of self-organization. This book, a primer on self-organization in biological systems for students and other enthusiasts, introduces readers to the basic concepts and tools for studying self-organization and then examines numerous examples of self-organization in the natural world. Self-organization refers to diverse pattern formation processes in the physical and biological world, from sand grains assembling into rippled dunes to cells combining to create highly structured tissues to individual insects working to create sophisticated societies. What these diverse systems hold in common is the proximate means by which they acquire order and structure. In self-organizing systems, pattern at the global level emerges solely from interactions among lower-level components. Remarkably, even very complex structures result from the iteration of surprisingly simple behaviors performed by individuals relying on only local information. This striking conclusion suggests important lines of inquiry: to what degree is environmental rather than individual complexity responsible for group complexity? To what extent have widely differing organisms adopted similar, convergent strategies of pattern formation? How, specifically, has natural selection determined the rules governing interactions within biological systems? Broad in scope, thorough yet accessible, this book is a self-contained introduction to self-organization and complexity in biology - a field of study at the forefront of life sciences research.