RENT TEXTBOOKS

Through his teaching, his textbook, and in his online blog, award-winning teacher Michael D. Johnson sparks the interest of today’s science-intimidated student by connecting basic biology to real-world issues relevant to students' own lives. Through a storytelling approach and extensive online support, Human Biology: Concepts and Current Issues, Seventh Edition not only demystifies how the human body works but drives students to become better consumers of health and science information. Each chapter opens with John... MOREson’s popular "Current Issue" essays, and BlogInFocus references within the chapter direct students to his frequently-updated online blog for breaking human biology-related news.  

Seventh Edition also offers stronger student self-assessment tools with new and expanded critical thinking questions throughout each chapter and in the end-of-chapter reviews.

1. Human Biology, Science, and Society

2. The Chemistry of Living Things

3. Structure and Function of Cells

4. From Cells to Organ Systems

5. The Skeletal System

6. The Muscular System

7. Blood

8. Heart and Blood Vessels

9. The Immune System and Mechanisms of Defense

10... MORE. The Respiratory System: Exchange of Gases

11. The Nervous System: Integration and Control

12. Sensory Mechanisms

13. The Endocrine System

14. The Digestive System and Nutrition

15. The Urinary System

16. Reproductive Systems

17. Cell Reproduction and Differentiation

18. Cancer: Uncontrolled Cell Division and Differentiation

19. Genetics and Inheritance

20. DNA Technology and Genetic Engineering

21. Development and Aging

22. Evolution and the Origins of Life

23. Ecosystems and Populations

24. Human Impacts, Biodiversity, and Environmental Issues

Dr. Michael D. Johnson earned his B.S. degree in Zoology from Washington State University and then moved East to earn a Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Michigan.  After completing a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School he joined the faculty of West Virginia University, where he remained for most of his career.

From 2001 to 2006 Dr. Johnson resided in the Sultanate of Oman, where he served as Founding Dean of a new medical school being built in academic partnership with West Virginia University.  Following a brief period back home at West Virginia University, in 2008 he moved to Qatar to take the position of Associate Dean for Premedical Education at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.  He returned to the United States in 2011 to concentrate on writing and on researching topics of interest in Human Biology.

Dr. Johnson received several teaching awards during his career, including the West Virginia University Foundation Outstanding Teacher award and the Distinguished Teacher Award of the School of Medicine.  He is a member of the American Physiological Society, the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society, the National Association of Biology Teachers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.