Each quarter, we highlight a new collection of book reviews exploring a wide variety of topics and perspectives. Whether informative, thought-provoking, or simply enjoyable, these selections reflect the broad interests of our community and may inspire your next great read.
Mathematics for Biosciences: From Theory to Worked Examples and Applications
Elspeth F. Garman & Nicola Laurieri | World Scientific Publishing Europe, Ltd., 2025.
I always feel a bit of trepidation when asked to review a book written by someone I know. I have had some real clunkers come across my desk. The fact that I am writing this review should tell you: Mathematics for Biosciences is a good book. Being an American, some of the British colloquialisms required some thinking on my part. For example, I learned to “solve for y” rather than “make y the subject of the equation”.
The book is divided into nine chapters covering basic tools, basic algebra, graphs, basic functions, differentiation, exponential and log functions, trigonometric functions and complex numbers, integration and differential equations. Each chapter has a brief introduction, a clear explanation of the topic, numerous real-world examples from biology, biochemistry, chemistry and medicine. Finally, exercises reinforce the subject matter. At the end of each chapter, there is an answer key. Each chapter is well written and sufficiently detailed for an advanced high school or college student to grasp. DiffEQs were my bane as a second-year student, and the authors did a great job of simplifying a complex subject into a single, accessible chapter. The book effectively integrates the basic concepts of mathematics and the sciences, a feature often overlooked in general math tests.
There is one deficiency, especially given the nature of bioscience: a chapter on statistics. I hope the second edition will address this area. Despite this, Mathematics for Biosciences is an accessible, well-structured resource that I would confidently recommend to students and instructors alike.
Review by Joseph D. Ferrara, Ph.D.
