A concise and engaging biology text for biology majors, Understanding Biology 4e partnered with Connect emphasizes fundamentals concepts to help students better understand biology and focus on developing scientific skills. This approach utilizes the Vision and Change guidelines of Core Concepts and Core Skills while helping students begin the process of becoming a scientist.

The Raven & Johnson's Biology author team is committed to continually improving the text, keeping the student and learning foremost. The integrated pedagogical features expand the students' learning process and enhance their learning experience. This latest edition of the text maintains the clear, accessible, and engaging writing style of past editions with the solid framework of pedagogy that highlights an emphasis on evolution and scientific inquiry that have made this a leading textbook for students majoring in biology. This emphasis on the organizing power of evolution is combined with an integration of the importance of cellular, molecular biology and genomics to offer our readers a text that is student friendly and current. Additionally, with McGraw Hill Connect, powerful digital tools augment instruction by helping students think more critically, develop quantitative and graphing skills and apply their knowledge in a laboratory setting. Connect Virtual Labs can be implemented in a hybrid or fully online setting to help students prepare for the wet lab and strengthening their lab experience.

This text on the nature of priesthood draws equally on scripture, tradition and the complexities of modern life to explore the ways that priests become "walking sacraments", acting and living out the truth they represent. Focusing on the spiritual disciplines that nurture priestly life, the wisdom of shared ministry and the value of increased lay involvement, the book presents a vision of the Christian ministry that is more concerned with serving the whole of society than in maintaining church attendence.

Committed to Excellence. This edition continues the evolution of Raven & Johnson's "Biology." The author team is committed to continually improving the text, "keeping the student and learning foremost." We have integrated new pedagogical features to guide the student through the learning process. This latest edition of the text maintains the clear, accessible, and engaging writing style of past editions with the solid framework of pedagogy that highlights an emphasis on evolution and scientific inquiry that have made this a leading textbook for students majoring in biology. This emphasis on the organizing power of evolution is combined with an integration of the importance of cellular, molecular biology and genomics to offer our readers a text that is student friendly and current.

Our author team is committed to producing the best possible text for both student and faculty. The lead author, Kenneth Mason, "University of Iowa," has taught majors biology at three different major public universities for more than fifteen years. Jonathan Losos, "Harvard University," is at the cutting edge of evolutionary biology research, and Susan Singer, "Carleton College," has been involved in science education policy issues on a national level.