Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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Evaluating Renal Function in Humans
Louise Robson · University of Sheffield · 2026
This is an intermediate level book aimed at undergraduate and graduate students following human biology programmes who have a basic understanding of renal physiology. It covers the clearance technique, and how it can be used to evaluate renal function in humans. It goes through the different calculations, before giving you an opportunity to have a go at some calculations using real data. It finishes by evaluating the values from a clearance experiment, where the effect of the drug ACTZ was investigated.
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Plant Molecular Genetics and Bioengineering
Walter Suza; Faizo Kasule; Philip Becraft; Thomas Lübberstedt · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2026
This edited book presents an overview of the fundamental principles and applied methodologies used in the genetic improvement of crop plants. It covers the structure and function of genes controlling traits of agronomic importance, the regulation of gene expression and genetic pathways, and the role of mutations as a primary source of genetic variation underlying trait improvement. Additional topics include an introduction to molecular markers, recombinant DNA technology, plant transformation, and gene editing technologies. Learning activities are included to facilitate self-study.
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Physical Chemistry
Yingbin Ge · Central Washington University · 2026
This Physical Chemistry textbook by Yingbin Ge is an open-access resource meticulously crafted for undergraduate students in chemistry, biochemistry, and related STEM fields. The text strikes a precise balance between conceptual clarity and mathematical rigor, ensuring students build a deep understanding of thermodynamics, kinetics, quantum chemistry, and statistical mechanics. What sets this text apart is its student-centered pedagogy. Rather than focusing on formalism alone, Ge guides learners through step-by-step derivations that prioritize physical meaning. By explicitly addressing common misconceptions and integrating worked examples, the book transforms complex theory into manageable insights. Its modular structure offers instructors the flexibility to adapt the material to various course sequences, while the accompanying suite of lecture and tutorial videos makes it a comprehensive, accessible solution for the modern classroom.
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General Biology Laboratory Booklet
Martilias Farrell · The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT) · 2025
This laboratory manual provides a diverse collection of experiments designed to immerse students in techniques mirroring those used in professional biomedical research. Students will explore fundamental enzyme kinetics, investigating how varying amylase concentrations and the introduction of chemical modifiers influence starch digestion rates. These labs emphasize quantitative analysis through colorimetric assays and densitometry using ImageJ software. The booklet also features studies with planaria, where students will assess how common substances affect locomotor activity and screen compounds for their impact on the remarkable regenerative abilities of these organisms, including generating concentration-effect curves. Additional activities guide students in using microscopy to observe microscopic life. Throughout these hands-on investigations, students will develop and refine crucial laboratory skills such as preparing serial dilutions, mastering precise pipetting techniques, and maintaining detailed, reproducible laboratory notebooks, thereby building a robust foundation in experimental design, data analysis, and the scientific method.
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Developmental Biology Laboratory: Experiments in Classical and Experimental Embryology
Judith Cebra-Thomas; Matthew Smith · The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT) · 2025
This work is designed primarily for use as a laboratory manual in college-level Embryology and Developmental Biology courses and as a companion to developmental biology textbooks. It explores several model animal systems and a variety of the scientific approaches that have been used to study them. It includes both classical embryological observations and manipulations, and more modern techniques, including organ culture and the disruption of developmental processes through pharmacology. The experiments described in the lab manual are designed for 2- to 3-hour laboratory periods. The introductory protocols in each chapter can be adapted to Introductory Biology or Cell Biology courses, while the later protocols are more suited to an advanced course in Developmental Biology. The manual also includes extensive illustrations, preparation guides and appendices to aid the instructor in setting up each lab.
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Mycology Laboratory Manual
Laura Ramos-Sepulveda · The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT) · 2025
Mycology Laboratory Manual (2025) by Laura Ramos-Sepulveda is an eTextbook designed for undergraduate students to introduce them to mycology. The laboratory manual provides students with foundational knowledge in mycology and hands-on experience with key concepts such as fungal hyphal and yeast growth, asexual and sexual reproduction, fungal identification using morphological and molecular tools, appreciation of mushrooms as food, and molecular transformation of fungi. The final chapter focuses on plant pathology, where students are required to apply scientific thinking to design experiments, troubleshoot, and integrate the skills they developed in the previous chapters.
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Environmental Geology
Steve Earle · Thompson Rivers University · 2021
Environmental Geology is a comprehensive, up-to-date textbook for college-level courses on the environmental aspects of Earth Science. It covers Earth systems, climate change, glaciation, natural hazards like earthquakes and floods, and essential resources such as water, energy, and metals. Richly illustrated with embedded exercises—some interactive—it engages students as they explore key geological processes and their environmental impacts.
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Exploring Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry
W. Christopher Boyd · MSL Academic Endeavors · 2025
This textbook, Exploring Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry, covers the fundamentals of inorganic and organometallic chemistry for undergraduate and graduate students. Both theories of structure and bonding and reaction chemistry are covered, with applications to the catalysis of organic reactions, biochemistry, and drug design. A modular approach allows for basic materials of each chapter to be covered in an undergraduate course, with more advanced material suitable for M.S. and Ph.D. students.
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Exploring Weather and Climate
Glen Sampson · Glen Sampson · 2025
This textbook is oriented toward a first or second year college science class, or an advanced high school course. Sixteen chapters are present which fits a 16-week college semester. These chapters may be divided into three sections: 1. Atmospheric processes including structure, composition, energy balance, pressure forces, moisture, stability, and precipitation processes in Chapters 1 through 5. 2. Weather systems including global circulation, tropical and extratropical cyclones, thunderstorms, tornadoes, atmospheric optics, and weather forecasting in Chapters 6 through 10. 3. Climate topics including classification, human influences on the atmosphere, natural climate variability, paleoclimate, climate change due to anthropogenic influences, climate projections, and a changing climate’s affect on extreme weather in Chapters 11 through 16.
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Biology Laboratory Manual: Introduction to Molecular, Cellular, and Physiological Principles
Carly Manz; Chanda Skelton · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2025
This lab manual is designed for students enrolled in the second lab course in the introductory biology sequence at Iowa State University. It is a semester-long lab course, required by most life-science-related majors at ISU, and includes activities on the scientific method, molecular and cellular biology, energetics, genetics, plant anatomy and physiology, and animal anatomy and physiology.
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Fundamentals and Principles of Chemistry
Sharon Brewer; Lindsay Blackstock; Jessica Allingham · Thompson Rivers University · 2022
The topics include stoichiometry, gas laws, thermochemistry, equilibrium, electrochemistry, redox reactions, electrochemistry, entropy and free energy.
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Chemical Bonding and Organic Chemistry
Lindsay Blackstock; Sharon Brewer; Bruno Cinel · Thompson Rivers University · 2022
This textbook develops an understanding and historical context of atomic and molecular structure. Topics include electron configurations, periodic trends, chemical bonding, Lewis structures, molecular shapes, valence bond and molecular orbital theory. The organic chemistry portion of the course focuses on the bonding and structure of organic compounds, functional groups, conformational and stereochemical features including applications to biochemistry.
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Introduction to Microbiology
Ying Liu; Student Authors · City College of San Francisco · 2025
Introduction to Microbiology is a textbook designed for non-majors and allied health microbiology courses. The book features chunked content, embedded assessments, and clearly stated learning objectives to support active and inclusive learning. It incorporates equity-focused case studies, interactive elements, and diverse global perspectives to enhance engagement and representation - reflecting our belief that students are not only learners but also co-creators of knowledge. Created by Ying Liu of City College of San Francisco (CCSF) in collaboration with undergraduate students from CCSF and the University of Dundee.
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Laboratory Manual: General Chemistry II Honors
Adedoyin Adeyiga · The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT) · 2025
General Chemistry II Honors Laboratory Manual (2025) is designed to expose students to labs with applications. Chemical instrumentation for analyses of different substances is showcased; analysis of common household and environmental samples was delved into. The belief is that honors level students should get early introduction to chemical instrumentation and their use in carrying out sample testing and analysis.
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Biotechnology Foundations
Jack O'Grady · OpenStax CNX · 2013
Given the broad definition of biotechnology applications and products, it is easy to see how there is enormous overlap within the fields of cellular biology, microbiology, chemistry, and biomedical engineering. It is the goal of this textbook to provide foundational knowledge to begin building your biotechnology toolkit and enter an exciting career of making a difference through biotechnology. This textbook first explores the fundamentals of laboratory science and biotechnology. Unit 1 begins with a dive into the foundation of biology and chemistry by asking what is life and what are the molecules of life? The end of the unit offers a primer into laboratory science; preparing solutions and operating basic lab equipment. Unit 2 brings readers through a vital tool of biomanufacturing, understanding the growth and control of microbes. Many biotechnology products are made by harnessing the work of microbes, and this unit explores this invisible and intriguing world of microorganisms. The final unit, molecular biotechnology, offers a more in-depth look at how biological molecules such as DNA and protein are manipulated into creating useful products.
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Ecology for All!
Nathan Brouwer; Hannah Connuck; Hayden Dubniczki; Natasha Gownaris · LibreTexts · 2025
Ecology For All! Is an ecology text designed in modules so that instructors can choose the pieces that make sense to assign in their context. This book has been in development for several years and is a collaborative effort of authors at Gettysburg College, Franklin & Marshall College, and University of Pittsburgh. The textbook covers a wide range of topics including Introduction to Ecology, Evolution, Adaptations to the Physical Environment, various ecological communities, Population Ecology, Behavioral Ecology, Species Interactions, Ecological Succession, Biogeochemical Cycles, Landscape Ecology, Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, and Human Impact on Global Climate among others. The authors have presented on it at the Ecological Society of America meeting and the book continues to evolve.
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Investigations in Experimental Physics
Peter Polito; James Walsh; Jeff Gagnon · Peter J. Polito, James E. Walsh, and Jeff L. Gagnon · 2025
As stated in previous editions, the purpose of the physics laboratory is not only to reinforce the physical principles studied in the classroom but also to stimulate the development of skills and techniques required to carry out well-designed experimental investigations. It is the hope of the authors that the experimental skills and techniques acquired in this laboratory will be carried over by the student to their respective areas of interest. It is, in fact, strongly suggested that the student make an effort early in their undergraduate career to become familiar with the current research problems in their area of interest. The student should always be aware of the applicability of skillsand techniques developed in this laboratory to their field of study. This manual can be used in a one semester or two semester course. At our institution, we use it in a two semester General Physics course designed primarily for health science majors (Physical Therapy, Biology, Physician Assistant, etc.). It it also used in a one semester Physics for Movement Science course designed for movement science majors (Exercise Science, Athletic Training, Physical Education, etc.). The tenth edition of the manual is a major revision of the ninth edition. Nearly all of the diagrams were updated, pictures of the lab equipment were included for every lab, and more tables were added to record data for each lab. Six new labs on Vector Addition and Subtraction with Applications, Graphical Interpretation, Motion Analysis, Applications of Rotational Equilibrium, Impulse-Momentum Vertical Jump Application, and Basic Exploration of Electric Fields Due to Point Charges were added. In addition, three older labs that we no longer have equipment to perform were removed (Hygrometry, Measurement of the Speed of Sound in Air by Kundt’s Method, and Spectrometry). Many of the other labs were also updated and supplemented by adding a simulation component using the Phet online simulations. The student is requi
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Principles of Cultivar Development
Walter Fehr; Walter Suza · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2025
Principles of Cultivar Development is intended to help you learn how to be a successful manager of a cultivar development program. In this text, you will apply the principles learned in Plant Breeding Methods to design a breeding program that makes effective use of available resources and alternative breeding strategies. By the end of this volume, readers will be able to describe the process for developing clonal, pure-line, hybrid, and synthetic cultivars. Each chapter includes additional readings and examples of how breeders have implemented the concepts in their breeding programs.
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Bacterial Genomes
Aswin Seshasayee · Open Book Publishers · 2025
Microbes form the “unseen majority” of life on Earth, with bacteria at the forefront as both the architects of life’s chemical foundations and agents of disease. But their story is far more complex. Bacteria thrive in diverse and extreme environments, driven by the dynamic evolution of their genomes. These tiny organisms wield an extraordinary ability to adapt, balancing genetic changes across generations with rapid physiological responses to environmental shifts. In Bacterial Genomes, the evolutionary and regulatory processes that shape bacterial life are brought to life. This textbook offers a conceptual exploration of how bacterial genomes are organized, how they evolve, and how their genetic information is interpreted through intricate molecular networks. Drawing on both cutting-edge research and the historical milestones that shaped microbiology, it illuminates how bacteria navigate the intersection of genetic adaptation and ecological resilience. Designed for college students, interdisciplinary researchers, and even the determined amateur, Aswin Seshasayee moves beyond technical jargon to provide a thought-provoking synthesis of bacterial evolution and adaptation. Unlike traditional genomics texts, this book blends historical insights with contemporary discoveries, offering a fresh perspective on the role of bacteria in shaping the living world.
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Biological Basis of Behavior
Caroline Cobb · Virginia Commonwealth University · 2023
An overview of the study of human behavior through a biological lens, this text focuses on the role of the central nervous system and its role in the regulation and control of human behavior. Topics include both structure and function of neurons, neurophysiology of the nervous system, basic neuroanatomy, drugs and behavior, internal regulatory processes, learning and memory, emotions, and some forms of psychopathology.