Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 A handy reference December 29, 2008
I got this as a freebie along with its companion "Oxford Dictionary of Earth Sciences" and I use both now and again. I'm not sure that it is possible to produce a single volume dictionary to a subject as diverse as "biology" (which includes zoology, marine biology, botany, molecular biology etc) that will satisfy all of the people all of the time. However this is a good starting point and worth investing in.
 I wish I hadn't bought this May 20, 2008
Like other reviewers I find this dictionary constantly frustrating. It is not comprehensive, and more often than not it doesn't have the term I am looking for, meaning I have to resort to the internet or textbooks. For example, it has the definition for 'jaw' but lacks 'qualia' and 'geosmins'. Not recommended for anyone above A level.
a little too basic for a Biology BSc. January 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have found this Biology dictionary to be lacking many important terms in the second year of my degree, and I have generally been disappointed with it. I believe it is fine for A-levels, and acceptable in a first year biology degree; but this needs companion texts for later degree years as modules advance.
 Maintain that resting potential, now! December 1, 2006
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
The question was: what (or whatever) maintains the resting membrane potential nowadays! I always thought that it was the sodium pump (or Na K ATPase etc.). Recently, I heard: No, it is not the sodium pump that maintains the resting potential. So I checked both the Oxford and the Penguin Dictionaries of Biology. Oxford says that the resting potential is maintained by the sodium pump; however, the Penguin says it is the leaky potassium channels, and sodium pump plays a slight role. Well, it is one of those academic debates, it would seem--which really mean nothing--because nothing is at stake! The debate is from confusing maintenance, recovery, and repair--perhaps. Is it the resting potential (a thing being maintained) or is it the repolarization after a depolarization (a thing in recovery) that we are talking about? Is maintenance still maintenance if you spend energy in extruding the smaller atoms out--well: a running car can be maintained only by spending money? Perhaps, after all, it is only the usual confusion of the frogs in a well: they can only see the stars in their own horizons. The whole biological process has several components, and to know which is the one--well, just take one out and see if the process holds and functions. Which brick is the most important in a wall? Clearly, the truth is never simple, and possibly there is no such thing as the truth. Things evolve using all of the components--and are what they are. So, I guess it is always the context and it is always relative: point of view etc. There is no simple correct answer because the question is incorrectly formulated--without the necessary context. What is more important in the running of a car: the engine or the gas? So get both the Oxford and Penguin--they complement, and both are useful when viewed and understood in the right context: neither can replace the textbook; and no textbook replaces all the source materials--but you need to start somewhere. For a rich fantasy life read Ayul Zamir's Intern Beth. Now, whatever maintains that resting membrane potential!
What not to buy December 13, 2005
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
if your looking for a dictionary for a degree course this would not be it. many biological terms and definitions are not listed. your better off buying either the henderson biological dictionary or the penguin one, as these have far more terms and are listed in a more clear and consise manner.
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