(Part 2) Best products from r/biology

So I'm really interested in buying a microscope as a hobby item. I've always been fascinated by biology and when I was little I had a cheap slide to focus 40x microscope that was given away to younger cousins. I've been on the verge of purchasing a new microscope for a year and a half. I'm looking at three different price brackets:

$80 (The scope this article links to.)

Cordless LED biological compound microscope offers five magnification settings: 40X-100X-250X-400X-1000X
Widefield glass optics and optical glass lens condenser provide high resolution sharp clear images
45 degree inclined 360 degree rotatable monocular head with locked-in eyepiece
Cordless LED illumination with three AA batteries and wall-power adpter/recharger included
Sturdy solid metal framework with dual side focus



$130 Here

45-degree Inclined 360-degree Rotatable Monocular Head with Four Magnification Settings 40X-100X-400X-1000X
Precise Optical Glass Lenses; All-Metal Framework and Mechanical Parts
Separate Coarse and Fine Focus and Abbe Condenser with Disc Diaphragm
Built-in Tungsten Light with GS and CE Approval
5-Year Warranty Including Parts and Labor against Manuafcturing Defects



$195 Here and here. 8 settings up to 2000x

1st link:

High quality professional optical glass elements; 45degrees;inclined 360degrees;swiveling binocular head
8 levels of magnification: 40x-80x-100x-200x-400x-800x-1000x-2000x
4 achromatic objectives DIN 4x, 10x, 40x(S), 100x(S,Oil); 2 pairs of eyepieces: WF10X and WF20X
Sliding interpupillary distance adjustment; Ocular diopter adjustable on both eyetubes; Stage upward moving lock protects objectives and slides
Variable intensity illumination; Coaxial coarse and fine focus adjustment; Focusing knobs on both sides; Stain-resistant double layer mechanical stage; NA1.25 Abbe Condenser with iris diaphragm and filters; Rack and pinion adjustment condenser

2nd link:

Binocular Sliding Head with Adjustable Ocular Diopter on Both Eyetubes
Eight Magnification Settings 40X, 80X, 100X, 200X, 400X, 800X,1000X & 2000X
Graduated X-Y Mechancal Stage and Tension Adjustable Separate Coarse & Fine Focus
Precise Ground Glass Lenses and Sturdy Metal Framework
5-Year Warranty against Manuafcturing Defects


Here's what I'd use it for:

Looking at pond scum, amoebas, blood, sperm, insect parts, pollen, etc.

The $80 scope shown is an awesome value. Is it silly to consider paying $115 more for 1000x more magnification?

Is 2000x magnification complete overkill for these applications?

How can expect the 2000x magnification to compare to the 1000x? Is oil immersion required for 2000x?

Between the two $195 scopes, which one is best? I'd really appreciate some advice on this one.

How important is the apparent lack of a fine control knob on the $80 scope?

Would it be worth it to get the $130 scope when all it adds is a fine control knob, or would it be better just to choose between the $80 and $195 scopes?

You can always check out textbooks, my vertebrate zoology textbook was fun

Veterinary textbooks are a good way to learn about anatomy

If you haven't already done so Darwin's Origin is a must read. While not directly zoology, its helpful in understanding the theory of evolution, a cornerstone of biology and a HUGE component of zoology (90% of my zoology class was evolution based). The prose can be dense so I'd recommend an annotated version (my old professor wrote a good one https://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Origin-Facsimile-First-Species/dp/0674032810)

As a heads up, zoology is an incredibly vast field, that's like saying I'm a doctor, what kind of doctor? GP? Cardiologist? ENT? You know what field you want which is great! But you may want to look into what you want to do from the field.

Best of luck!

Take lots of classes and keep learning. When I was in high school, things like ecology and wildlife biology were appealing to me because I understood what plants, animals, and ecosystems were, but I had no idea what a ribosome or a micro-RNA really were. I found that the more I learned about molecular and cell biology, the more fascinated I became by these tiny little machines that power every living thing. I started taking neuroscience classes because brains are cool; I ended up getting a PhD in neuroscience with a very cellular/molecular focus to my research (my whole dissertation was on one gene/protein that can cause a rare human genetic disorder).

Get some experience working in a lab. Until you've spent time in that environment it's hard to know whether you'll like it. And as others have mentioned, population biology and evolutionary genetics can combine some aspects of field work and molecular lab work, so those might be areas to investigate.

Want some books? Try The Beak of the Finch and Time, Love, Memory. The first is focused on experimental validation of evolutionary theory (involving lots of field work), the second is about the history of behavioral genetics in fruit flies. Both were assigned or suggested reading in my college biology classes.

Good luck, and stay curious!

[Physics PhD, theoretical soft condensed matter physics/active matter]
In short, I think interdisciplinary research is always a good thing. Both sides benefit from different ways of thinking and different methodology, which leads to an even greater understanding.

Long version:
Biology (unlike physics or mathematics) contains an “-ology” suffix, which means it is the study of something, specifically life. Whereas physics is more of way understanding and distilling nature through universal principles, and mathematics is a tool or a language to develop those principles and more. Physics/mathematics and biology meet most commonly when biologists borrow physics/math tools to understand new biology. For example, the use of optical tweezers (part of this year’s physics Nobel prize) to accurately control proteins in the subcellular environment in vivo is a vital tool in understanding vesicle transport (if I’m not mistaken). Or in general, the use of more mathematics to make biology more quantitative may help make biology experiments more reproducible.

A second way biology and physics meet is when physicist use biology as a system to understand new physics of things out of equilibrium (or active), complex/adaptive networks, or living. For example, William Bialek and Jeremy England develop general theories for living systems. Mathematics is used as a language to think about these theories. One of my favorite analogies is, “if mathematics is the language of nature, physics is the poetry”.

As for mathematics and biology without physics, ecology is a field that has been a fruitful endeavor for both math and biology.

Lastly, I’d like to add that biology is not being replaced by physics/math. The goals of the fields are inherently different. But where there’s some overlap in these goals, teams collaborate and even more can be achieved/understood than separately. This is beautiful science.

P.S. Two great textbooks where biology, math and physics (and some chemistry) meet are “Biophysics” and “Physical Biology of the Cell”.

I'll stick to recommending science communication books (those that don't require a deep background on biological concepts):

• On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection - Charles Darwin, bonus points if you can get a 1st edition reprint (before his colleagues made him change a lot of important things); it is a must-read but it might need quite some time to truly understand it, it is a heavy read.
  
  
• A lot of people recommend the Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins but that one is one of his most controversial books and if you decide to read it, you should take everything with a pinch of salt; for Dawkins I prefer to recommend the Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution and the Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design. Just beware of Dawkins, he's a little dogmatic in his approach.
  
  
• The Dialectical Biologist - Richard Levins & Richard Lewontin.
  
  
• The Structure of Scientific Revolutions - Thomas Kuhn, this one will change forever your conception of science as a whole.
  
  
• The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature - Matt Ridley.
  
  
• Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, and the Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History - Stephen J. Gould.
  
  
• The Ghosts of Evolution: Non-sensical Fruit, Missing Partners, and Other Ecological Anachronisms - Connie Barlow.
  
  
• Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? - Frans de Waal, this one is about animal cognition but has an incredible underline of all the deficiencies and prejudges on science.
  
  
• Microbe Hunters - Paul de Kruif.
  
  
• Symbiotic Planet: A New Look at Evolution, and What is Life? - Lynn Margulis.
  
  
• The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark - Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan.
  
  
• A Short Story of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson.
  
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  For books that everyone studying biology ends up reading, my candidate would be Lehninger's Principles of Biochemistry, by Nelson & Cox but that's a textbook.

Why Evolution is True -Great intro to evolution

The Blind Watchmaker- Dawkins' best introduction to evolution book. If it intrigues you have a look at his other works.

Definitely watch this. One of the best and most simple lecture series on Evolution. By none other than Dawkins himself. Very basic in presentation and entertaining series:
Growing up in the Universe

Why dont you take a university class on Evolution? Or just take a bio 101 class which is going to teach evolution briefly in 1-2 lectures.

I just stumbled upon this course. Which is a evolution course at Yale Open Courses that you might want to check out:
http://oyc.yale.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology/principles-of-evolution-ecology-and-behavior/

Hi all. I appreciate this post. Whether you found the info useful or not, you have to say, it is an interesting read.

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To all of you saying that fasting makes you too hungry, you have to remember the human body is incredibly adaptive. I know someone that fasts briefly, on occasion. He explained to me that after a couple fasts, your body is used to it and stops sending hunger signals. He developed a special method to using fasting appropriately, and as one of several tools to lose a lot of weight.

Since it worked really well for him, he wrote a book about it and just recently uploaded it to Amazon. The title is Diet 666. https://www.amazon.com/DIET-666-Walter-Labetti-ebook/dp/B07N8K35PJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548997491&sr=8-1&keywords=diet+666

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I hope it helps somebody :)

We have a new student in our group who is in a new program that is half business/half biology. Although he comes from a biology undergraduate background, this is first real legit lab experience outside of the handholding that is typical in undergraduate coursework.

One of my very good friends gave me a cute little book a few months ago and I have it displayed on my bench (the content is far too basic and superficial for me, but it's kinda cute to show off). The new student asked to borrow it and a few days later he told me it was incredibly helpful in helping him understand all the transformations, PCR (primer design), and plasmid/expression constructs which are routine in our lab.

This is the book in question: http://www.amazon.com/Manga-Guide-Molecular-Biology/dp/1593272022

You should certainly start at Foundations of Ecology to figure out what direction you want to go. From there, just start reading journal articles in the area, starting with the earliest. This probably means digging around in the compressed stacks of your university's library, but as a PhD, you should be doing this anyway. For non-article based literature, yeah Silent Spring and A Sand County Almanac are good. I have heard A Primer of Ecology is good but I have not read it. If you are interested in plants, I would look up David Tilman and read any of his books.

If you plan on eventually going to higher level biology I would get the Barrons AP Biology book. It's not a real textbook and does involve some extra research on the side but is definitely a great book. It was really useful for me this past year in AP Biology. Also, it's only $13 so it's a great supplement to a bigger textbook if you're looking for something else.

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https://www.amazon.com/Barrons-Biology-Deborah-Goldberg-M-S/dp/1438008686/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1CCP7W2JJSRN2&keywords=ap+biology+barrons+2019&qid=1558288236&s=gateway&sprefix=AP+Biology+Barrons%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-3

For books, I really appreciate:

1. Voyage of the Beagle, Darwin. http://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Beagle-Charles-Researches-Classics/dp/014043268X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374455951&sr=1-1&keywords=beagel%2C+darwin
   
   
2. Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Tatianas-Sex-Advice-Creation/dp/0805063323 A great and informative read for bedtime or bathroom
   
   
3. Big questions in Ecology and Evolution http://www.amazon.com/Questions-Ecology-Evolution-Oxford-Biology/dp/0199548617/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374456046&sr=1-1&keywords=Big+questions+in+ecology+and+evolution
   
   
4. Experimental design and data analysis for biologists http://www.amazon.com/Experimental-Design-Data-Analysis-Biologists/dp/0521009766/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374456103&sr=1-1&keywords=experimental+design+and+data+analysis+for+biologists
   OR a similar Biostatistics book. Note the above book is on one of the author's course webpages for free.
   

Babbletees has some great science and nature tees for $15 + shipping (use coupon code PW30 at checkout to get 30% off).


And if she's into beautiful images of all kinds of organisms, the "Kunstformen der Natur" (Art Forms of Nature) would be a nice book. Plus, it was made around the beginning of the 20th century by Ernst Haeckel ("an eminent German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor and artist" according to Wikipedia)

The language of life: How cells communicate in Health and disease is a great book about how cells make decisions and how they communicate and operate.

While it's primarily focused on the immune system (but it touches on a lot of biology) , I've found How the Immune System Works to be hands down the most readable biology book I've ever read. It's a bit focused on small elements but it contains some nice broader concepts.

I like to emphasize the beauty of biology, and Haeckel's Art forms in Nature is a classic:
http://www.amazon.ca/Art-Forms-Nature-Prints-Haeckel/dp/3791319906

The documentary Proteus is also about his work:
http://www.amazon.ca/Proteus-Import-Marian-Seldes/dp/B001B2U1B4/ref=pd_sim_b_10?ie=UTF8&refRID=12FATB7M405CZ21JK1PY


In my opinion, the current science writers aren't quite as good as those from the 60s and 70s (ie: Gould, Loren Eiseley, Rachel Carson, etc.). My favorite book from this era is The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas. You can read a sample here to see if you agree with me:

http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/cell.pdf

I personally find Brock Biology of Microorganisms to be quite useful. It not only functions as a microbiology text book, but has a very in depth section to the identification of microorganisms.

http://www.amazon.com/Brock-Biology-Microorganisms-Michael-Madigan/dp/0130819220

I'm sure a free pdf copy of it exists somewhere.

Hello there!

You can pick up an older copy of the Raven/Johnson Biology book used from Amazon pretty cheaply: http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Peter-Raven/dp/0077350022/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404482342&sr=8-2&keywords=raven+johnson+biology

Same goes for the Campbell/Reece: http://www.amazon.com/Biology-8th-Edition-Neil-Campbell/dp/0805368442/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404482401&sr=8-2&keywords=campbell+reece+biology

Hope this helps!

Read this back in undergrad, kinda technical but a pretty good read: https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Life-Genes-Drive-Development/dp/0979845602

I had a hard time finding a decent full microscope (for that price range), but there are plenty of USB cameras that replace the eyepiece of your existing microscopes.

I have one of these in my lab and they work great for capture, recording, and showing on the screen in the front of class.

https://www.amazon.com/AmScope-Microscope-Digital-Compatible-Windows/dp/B00AMOEFPA/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=digital+camera+microscope&qid=1574530323&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzOTAzTzVVQkw1VDNPJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTA3Mzc0M1U4Szc5RVcwS0lVTCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDYyNTU4M0ZUWUlGNDVNV1hBWSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

*Edited: forgot a word.

What is EC?

It's not very clear what the problem is. Step 1 in designing a solution is to be clear what the problem is being solved.

The idea of using the color of a pH indicator as the signal is cute. No need for pH, just measure the color, and add acid/base as neded to correct it. But then your solution would be colored, and maybe you don't want that.

pH controllers are well-known devices. Here is one at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-716690-pH-Controller/dp/B00I47XIX2

Why is something like this not adequate?

Forget janeway for casual interest. You want “how the immune system works” https://www.amazon.com/How-Immune-System-Works-Desktop/dp/0470657294

"Time, Love, Memory" by Jonathan Weiner

If you prefer something in print, I highly recommend Campbell's Biology. You can get a used copy for less than $10.

It's readable, engaging, and accurate. It was my AP Bio textbook in high school, and then I bought myself a copy after graduating from college with a biology degree.

If you are determined to read it, I suggest reading the original and not any of the "abridged" editions. Also, the first edition should be your go-to, as latter editions have a lot of rebuttals to various criticism of the work.

Having read it myself, I can recommend that you read this annotated version "The Annotated Origin: A Facsimile of the First Edition of On the Origin of Species" (https://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Origin-Facsimile-First-Species/dp/0674032810)

Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif. Gives a nice background to a lot of the concepts that are still explored today.

I liked Brock Biology of Microorganisms a lot.

Biological Statistics

Helps for understanding stats in relation to predation, competition, etc.

So how does that particular model compare to, say this or this? I'm mostly curious from a hobbyist prospective.

I'm tempted to buy one of these just for fun. I have no specific uses in mind just a curiosity for the things around me. Is there anything terrible about the $79 one that pops up any major red flags?

The main thing I'd probably use it for is to look at stuff from my aquarium.

this one looks like what I used in my bio classes at school which is kinda making me want it.

Check this book out: The manga guide to molecular biology

[absolutely ol’Ernie](Art Forms in Nature: The Prints of Ernst Haeckel https://www.amazon.com/dp/3791319906/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yU9EAb53E1BGB)

I would recommend (in this order):

At the waters edge or anything by Carl Zimmer

Shadows of our forgotten ancestors by Carl Sagan

The blind watchmaker or anything by Richard Dawkins

Spillover or anything by David Quammen