Biology: The Science of Life

By: Stephen Nowicki, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Stephen Nowicki

Length: 36 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the greatest scientific feats of our era is the astonishing progress made in understanding biology-the intricate machinery of life-a progress to which the period we are living in right now has contributed the most.

As you read these words, researchers are delving ever deeper into the workings of living systems, turning their discoveries into new medical treatments, improved methods of growing food, and innovative products that are already changing the world.

The 72 lectures in this comprehensive exploration of living systems at all levels-from biological molecules to global ecosystems-will give you all the information you need to grasp this fascinating field and its impact on both our own lives and our understanding of the life that surrounds us.

Professor Nowicki presents his subject in a conceptual format, emphasizing the importance of broad principles. Though facts and details are offered in abundance, it is always in the context of developing a context listeners can readily absorb.

Your newfound mastery of the fundamentals of biology will serve you in many ways-whether you want to read the headlines with greater insight, update a subject you studied long ago, view the natural world with new appreciation, become a better-informed voter and consumer, or gain the intellectual stimulation of understanding the basic principles that unite all living things.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2004 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2004 The Great Courses

Great and far-ranging overview of biology

Would you listen to Biology: The Science of Life again? Why?

I really enjoyed this audiobook - it was well organized and highly informative. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a sound basis of the concepts and issues of biology.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The only thing I found a little disappointing is the level of polish of the book. The narrator made several minor mistakes, which he immediately corrected, but these should have been removed during editing. In fact, there doesn't appear to have been ANY editing for this audiobook - it is more like a recorded series of university lectures than an audio book. I understand that is how it was recorded, but for the audio book version the least the editor could have done is some cleaning up ...

Any additional comments?

Great book, and congrats to Prof Nowicki for presenting the information in such an interesting way.

Great story, Glitchy narrator

Enjoyed the book BUT... it seemed like every third or fourth word the reader was stumbling over the words, making a mistake and going back to fix it. Overall, it made what could have been a great listen torture! At times I would have to stop listening because of ear/brain fatigue because of his stumbling over words. Only because of the content was it worth finishing the book. If the content hadn't been as good as it was, I'd have quit LONG BEFORE THE END. So, if you can tolerate the speaker, it's a worthwhile listen.

❤️

I love this course. It’s made my drives so entertaining. Both the information included and the presentation are beautiful!

So much information!

The narrator seemed genuinely passionate about the material covered. Thus making it easier for the listener to get interested in the topics as well. Not all matters were completely detailed. However considering the enormous amount covered in these lectures in the given amount of time it is understandable that some aspects could not be explored in depth. Still I learned so many new concepts and attributes in biology. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and am glad I own it. I'm sure it will be listened to several more times and each time I'll glean more out of the material. I would recommend this lecture series to anyone interested in life and learning.

Excellent audio course!

I have viewed some of the video version of this same course and I was surprised by how little is lost in this audio-only course. This is partly due to the underwhelming graphics added to the video course but also due to Professor Nowicki's excellent descriptions and engaging teaching. There is a PDF course guide included but it is often easier to google the various graphics you may want to view during the course. The course is somewhat outdated and could use an update on DNA, Crisper/Cas9, Bioinformatics, and the Homosapien gene flow during the Paleolithic that explains the Denisovan and Neanderthal DNA found in modern humans. As it stands it is still an excellent primer for anyone interested in Biology.

Excellent depth and breadth on the subject matter

While the lecturer clearly knew the material, he either needed to slow down on his delivery, or prepare more for the lectures. I found his frequent stumbling annoying.

Vast college level biology course

As a biology major 30 years ago I thought it might be interesting to listen to this course. It has great detail and is all encompassing. I don’t think many non-biologists would appreciate it. The lecture is excellent and his voice is good.

Read, enjoy, share and buy this book. Worth it

Excellent in every way.
Great material.
Awesome delivery.
A must for everyone between 15-115 years old.
Buy it, re-read it more than once.

Outstanding

If my college Biology course covered this same content, I might have even considered a career in molecular Biology! While there are some lectures that didn't interest me, about 75 percent of them were fascinating. Prof. Nowicki does a masterful job of providing motivation for each lecture, then guiding the listener on a logical path to the goal. Considering the cost of tuition at Duke, getting these 72 half-hour lectures for a single credit is a steal. It takes focus to keep up at times, and it might take a couple of listens to sink in. However, there are several great stories and anecdotes that are easy to take and you'll the newly learned facts to your friends.

A great introduction to biology

This lecture series is a comprehensive and detailed introduction to the science of biology, well structured and easy to follow if you pay attention. Sometimes the many difficult words may require a rewind, but the explanations are good and logically strung together, and the lecturer gives many concrete examples from the findings of real researchers.
The lecturer is enthusiastic and pleasant to listen to, although he rather often trips over words and makes small mistakes.