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Presents more than three hundred articles on genetics, ecology, physiology, animal behavior, population growth, and bioethics.

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Library Journal Review

This survey is the third published in a set of six planned for the Magill's Survey of Science series. (Previous titles are the Space Exploration Series , Salem Pr., 1989, and Earth Science Series , LJ 9/15/90.) By presenting an overview or digest of the life sciences, these six volumes aim to provide ``insight into scientific topics'' that are not usually accessible to the general reader. There are 370 signed articles by 188 academic contributors. Each article summarizes recent developments, provides a glossary of principal terms, describes methods of study, includes an essay that places the topic within the context of scientific knowledge, and contains cross references to related subjects. Entries are arranged alphabetically; major areas of coverage include animal and plant anatomy and physiology, cell biology, ecology, evolution, genetics, and the origin of life. Subjects can be accessed via a 42-page general index in Volume 6 and a seven-page ``category list'' in every volume, which classifies the articles under 28 broad subject areas. Some index entries need more specificity. ``Nucleotides,'' for example, refers to 20 different page references. The survey would be most useful at the undergraduate level; while some articles require more than an introductory science background, much is understandable to the layperson. While the lack of illustrations is a weak point, this reference's major strength lies in its currency, clarity of entries, and excellent annotated bibliographies with citations as recent as 1990. It combines elements of a comprehensive title like the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology ( LJ 8/87, 6th ed.) and a one-volume encyclopedia such as the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Life Sciences ( LJ 12/85) and will complement both these works. Highly recommended for larger public libraries and academic collections.-- Sandra Math, St. John's Univ. Lib., Staten Island, N.Y. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

These six volumes on the life sciences join Magill surveys of space exploration (CH, Sep'89) and earth sciences (CH, Oct'90). The life science volumes include 370 articles on topics from "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome" to "X Inactivation and the Lyon Hypothesis." In between there is balanced coverage of plants, animals (although coverage of organisms is only of the largest groups, e.g., algae, mammals), biochemistry/physiology, and whole organism biology/ecology. Apart from the AIDS article, there is little coverage in clinical medicine; the focus reflects the content of the typical undergraduate biology program. The authors are academic scientists many of whom are faculty at liberal arts colleges. Articles are concisely written and edited to a high degree of uniformity. Each begins with definitions of key terms used in the article. A discussion of the subject is then followed by "Methods of Study," a section that describes research methods used to study the subject, and "Context" which relates the topic to other aspects of the life sciences. Then comes an annotated bibliography of secondary sources such as standard texts and articles from science serials such as Scientific American, Science, and various annual reviews. Articles conclude with a cross-references section. A glossary in the final volume contains all the terms defined at the beginning of individual articles, followed by a detailed index. The index covers all terms in the glossary (giving the location in individual articles also), names of prominent scientists, basic concepts within articles, and article titles. The index is exceptionally well done. The absence of illustrations is disappointing in an otherwise valuable reference source for undergraduate biology majors and students taking beginning biology courses. Highly recommended for all academic, school, and public libraries. -T. G. Kirk, Berea College