Griffiths (botany, University of British Columbia, Canada) has streamlined this eighth edition of a text for undergraduates from 26 chapters to 21. Chapter-opening questions and overview sections are also new. The molecular core of the book (eight chapters) has been extensively reworked to bring modern genetic thinking to the forefront. There is a new chapter on the latest experimental techniques, and a rewritten genomics chapter. Enhanced coverage of model organisms includes a brief guide to model organisms at the back of the book, and an index to model organisms.