Essentials of The Living World

About the Author

George Johnson

Dr. George B. Johnson is a researcher, educator, and author. Born in 1942 in Virginia, he went to college in New Hampshire (Dartmouth), attended graduate school in California (Stanford), and is Professor Emeritus of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, where he has taught freshman biology and genetics to undergraduates for over 35 years. Also Professor of Genetics at Washington University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Johnson is a student of population genetics and evolution, authoring more than 50 scientific journal publications. His laboratory work is renowned for pioneering the study of previously undisclosed genetic variability. His field research has centered on alpine butterflies and flowers, much of it carried out in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming. Other ecosystems he has explored in recent years include Brazilian and Costa Rican rain forests, the Florida Everglades, the seacoast of Maine, coral reefs off Belize, the ice fields and mountains of Patagonia, and, delightfully, vineyards in Tuscany.

A prolific writer and educator, Dr. Johnson is the author of seven nationally recognized college texts for McGraw-Hill, including the hugely successful majors texts Biology (with botanist Peter Raven) and three nonmajors’ texts: Understanding Biology, Essentials of The Living World, and  The Living World. He has also authored two widely used high school biology textbooks, Holt Biology and Biology: Visualizing Life. In the 30 years he has been authoring biology texts, over 3 million students have been taught from textbooks Dr. Johnson has written

Joel Bergh

Dr. Joel Bergh is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology at Texas StateUniversity in San Marcos, Texas. Dr. Bergh earned his BS in Biology from the Universityof Houston-Clear Lake. In 2003, he earned a PhD from the University of Delaware.His dissertation was focused on the role of vitamin D3 on bone formation rates. Beforecoming to Texas State University, he taught at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas.Dr. Bergh’s teaching focuses on majors and nonmajors introductory biology, genetics,and cancer biology. When not in the classroom, he works on innovative new ways tomake connections between the events students have gone through in their lives andadvances in the scientific community. Dr. Bergh lives in Austin, Texas with his wifeErrin and their two children.