This is a modern biology text in a cartoon format from bestselling author Larry Gonick and Dave Wessner, professor of biology at Davidson College.
Beginning with an account of life’s essential organic chemistry, cell structure, and energy, it goes on to describe how life extracts useful energy from food (cellular respiration and fermentation), how plants and other producers make that food from air, water, and sunlight (photosynthesis), and how DNA stores information to create genetics, gene regulation, and reproduction.
The narrative then goes macro to show how interactions between these mechanisms and their environment lead to an immense variety of multicellular organisms with complex organ systems.
Finally, the text explores the systems of species, ecosystems, energy flows and chemical cycles—and what happens when biological systems are disrupted.
“An enjoyable, immersive experience. . Deliver[s] the goods. . Hard to resist.” — Comics Grinder
“If only school science books were like The Cartoon Guide to Biology, at least a little, maybe science and students would come together and engage more often.” — ComicBookBin
“An invaluable resource.” — Brooklyn Digest
“A hilarious and informative cartoon guide to all things biology. . An excellent resource.” — Midwest Book Review
“A hilarious romp through chemistry and biology. . The quirky cartoons and anthropomorphism not only produce a laugh but do make these complex concepts a little easier to grasp. . A fun way to learn the science of life.” — New York Journal of Books
Photo by Patricia Koren
Larry Gonick has been creating comics that explain history, science, math, and other big subjects for more than forty years. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. He has been a calculus instructor at Harvard (where he earned his BA and MA in mathematics), a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, and a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth College.
