Practical Skills in Biomolecular Science, is an indispensable book for undergraduate students in the life sciences. The book provides useful support at all stages of a degree course and underpins any practical course in biochemistry, biomedical science, genetics, immunology and microbiology. It is also a valuable resource for teachers of biology in colleges and secondary schools. Laboratory and field studies are essential components of undergraduate training in biomolecular science. Practical work must be fully understood and effectively presented, but many students under-perform because they lack basic laboratory skills. This book, now in its third edition, continues to provide students with easy-to-use guidance for laboratory and field studies, but in addition it now covers broader transferable skills. As a result the new edition provides guidance and support over the entire range of a typical undergraduate course in biochemistry and biomedical science.
List of boxes Preface Guided tour For the student Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Study and examination skills 1 The importance of transferable skills 2 Managing your time 3 Working with others 4 Taking notes from lectures and texts 5 Learning and revising 6 Curriculum options, assessments and exams 7 Preparing your curriculum vitae Information technology and library resources 8 Finding and citing published information 9 Evaluating information 10 Using online resources 11 Bioinformatics - Internet resources 12 Using spreadsheets 13 Word processors, databases and other packages Communicating information 14 Organising a poster display 15 Giving a spoken presentation 16 General aspects of scientific writing 17 Writing essays 18 Reporting practical and project work 19 Writing literature surveys and reviews Fundamental laboratory techniques 20 Your approach to practical work 21 Health and safety 22 Working with liquids 23 Basic laboratory procedures 24 Principles of solution chemistry 25 pH and buffer solutions 26 Introduction to microscopy 27 Setting up and using a light microscope The investigative approach 28 Making and recording measurements 29 SI units and their use 30 Scientific method and design of experiments 31 Project work Handling cells and tissues 32 Sterile technique and microbial culture 33 Isolating, identifying and naming microbes 34 Working with animal and plant tissues and cells 35 Culture systems and growth measurement 36 Homogenisation and fractionation of cells and tissues Analytical techniques 37 Calibration and its application to quantitative analysis 38 Immunological methods 39 Radioactive isotopes and their uses 40 Light measurement 41 Basic spectroscopy 42 Advanced spectroscopy and spectrometry 43 Centrifugation 44 Chromatography - separation methods 45 Chromatography - detection and analysis 46 Principles and practice of electrophoresis 47 Advanced electrophoretic techniques 48 Electroanalytical techniques Assaying biomolecules and studying metabolism 49 Analysis of biomolecules: fundamental principles 50 Assaying amino acids, peptides and proteins 51 Assaying lipids 52 Assaying carbohydrates 53 Assaying nucleic acids and nucleotides 54 Protein purification 55 Enzyme studies 56 Membrane transport processes 57 Photosynthesis and respiration Genetics 58 Mendelian genetics 59 Bacterial and phage genetics 60 Molecular genetics I - fundamental principles 61 Molecular genetics II - PCR and related applications 62 Molecular genetics III - genetic engineering techniques Analysis and presentation of data 63 Using graphs 64 Presenting data in tables 65 Hints for solving numerical problems 66 Descriptive statistics 67 Choosing and using statistical tests Answers to study exercises Index