Because molecular and cellular biology is such an exciting and rapidly moving area of science, teaching it at the undergraduate level is a rewarding, yet challenging, task. Designed for use on introductory cell biology courses, this third edition presents current comprehensive science in a readable and cohesive text that students can master in the course of a semester. This edition retains the organization, themes and special features of earlier editions, but it has been updated to reflect scientific advances since publication of the second edition in 2000, including progress made in genome sequencing regulation of programmed cell death and potential medical applications of embryonic cells.