Biology

Biology is the science that studies living organisms.

The point about explanation in biology that I should particularly like to stress is this: to understand organisms one must explain their organization. It is elementary that one must know what is organized and how it is organized, but that does not explain the fact or the nature of the organization itself. Such explanation requires knowledge of how an organism came to be organized and what function the organization serves. Ultimate explanation in biology is therefore evolutionary.
-- George Gaylord Simpson, This View of Life

• The Blind Watchmaker, Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design by Richard Dawkins. A popular and easily read account of the theory of evolution. (By the way, "theory" does not mean "speculative, unproven ideas." A theory is a broad, unifying view of a field provided by means of principles.) (more:
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• This View of Life by G. G. Simpson. A connected series of essays on wider issues, especially philosophical issues, arising from evolutionary biology, including a defense of teleology in biology, written by the great evolutionary biologist who discovered the evolutionary history of the horse. (out-of-print, see sources.)

Advanced and Supplementary

• Darwin's Ghost, The Origin of Species Updated by Steve Jones. Using the original chapter headings and organization of Darwin's work, the author, a respected geneticist, marshalls modern scientific knowledge to recapitulate the theory of evolution. The pathbreaking achievement of Darwin is made clear by the fact that the structure and logic of the theory as formulated today is essentially the same as in Darwin's work of a century and a half ago.
• River Out of Eden, A Darwinian View of Life by Richard Dawkins.
• Adaptation and Natural Selection by G. C. Williams. A fairly advanced explanation and defense of natural selection, rebutting concepts of "group" or species selection.
• Human Body by Steve Parker. Extensive, vivid and detailed pictures of the major internal element of the human body.
• The Triumph of Evolution, and the Failure of Creationism by Niles Eldredge. A summary of the scientific evidence for evolutionary biology and a point-by-point dismissal of the claims of "creationism."
• The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts by Harry Binswanger. A philosophic treatise demonstrating that the root of ideas such as "goal" and "purpose" lies in biology, the study of life.
• On Growth and Form by D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson. An extensive examination of the forms of organisms from the point of view of the mechanisms by which the forms are produced.
• The Evolution of Culture in Animals by John T. Bonner. Evolutionary theory applied to animal's group behavior.

Links

• Biology and Evolutionary Theory – Excellent explanatory articles on a host of important evolutionary topics, including an "introduction to evolutionary biology".
• Dennis Kunkel Microscopy – An excellent site filled with fascinating electron microscopy photographs and short explanations.
• Evolution and Population Genetics – Extensive references to on-line resources related to evolution and population genetics, including history, religious opposition and politics.
• Evolution and the Fossil Record – An online booklet from the American Geological Institute about paleontology and evolution.
• Franklin Institute Online – A general science site: the online "exhibitions" of the Franklin Institute.
• Genes and Disease – A very interesting and clear site about diseases whose genetic basis has been revealed by sequencing the human genome
• Hall of Human Ancestors – The Smithsonian's Human Origins Program: Hall of Human Ancestors
• Junk Science – A general science site: much-needed articles debunking contemporary psuedo-science.
• Mendel Museum of Genetics – Museum dedicated to Gregor Mendel and the history and science of genetics.
• MIT Biology Hypertextbook – The MIT Molecular Biology "Hypertextbook"
• On-Line Biology Book – an on-line introductory biology book with well organized information, a clear table of contents, helpful illustrations, and a glossary
• The Tree of Life Web Project – On more than 2000 World Wide Web pages, the Tree of Life provides information about the diversity of organisms on Earth, their history, and characteristics.
• Timeline of Evolutionary Thought – A "timeline of evolutionary thought," with clickable names that lead to detailed information about the scientist's biography and work.