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Beyond a pedagogical tool: 30 years of Molecular Biology of the Cell

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 14, pages 120–125 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

In 1983, a bulky and profusely illustrated textbook on molecular and cell biology began to inhabit the shelves of university libraries worldwide. The effect of capturing the eyes and souls of biologists was immediate as the book provided them with a new and invigorating outlook on what cells are and what they do.

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Figure 1: The front cover of Molecular Biology of the Cell first edition (1983).
Figure 2: The authorial team and the editor of Molecular Biology of the Cell first edition (1983).
Figure 3: Examples of figures from the first edition of Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC).

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the Department of Science and Technology Studies of University College London for support. He thanks J. Cain for his guidance and stimulating comments. The author deeply thanks M. Raff, K. Roberts and J. Lewis for providing information for this article through interviews as well as printed material and pictures. The author is highly appreciative of the valuable comments and suggestions from M. Raff, K. Roberts, L. Marks and P. Serpente.

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  1. Norberto Serpente is at the Department of Science and Technology Studies, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. n.serpente@ucl.ac.uk,

    Norberto Serpente

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Serpente, N. Beyond a pedagogical tool: 30 years of Molecular Biology of the Cell. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 14, 120–125 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm3513

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