| Introduction: What is the nature of science? | | |
| 1 Debunking the theory of spontaneous generation (Chapter 1) | | |
| 2 Two models for enzyme actions (Chapter 5) | | |
| 3 Discovering the nature of digestion (Chapter 7) | | |
| 4 Solving the mystery of blood circulation (Chapter 9) | | |
| 5 Transport of water in plants—a physical or biological process? (Chapter 11) | | |
| 6 Discovering the role of chromosomes in heredity (Chapter 12) | | |
| 7 The study of neurones and their connections (Chapter 17) | | |
| 8 Historical experiments on photosynthesis (Chapter 21) | | |
| 9 Investigating glycolysis (Chapter 22) | | |
| 10 The discovery of viruses (Chapters 23 and 38) | | |
| 11 The development of vaccines (Chapter 25) | | |
| 12 The discovery of phagocytes (Chapter 25) | | |
| 13 The development of the knowledge of heredity (Chapter 26) | | |
| 14 Cracking the genetic code (Chapter 27) | | |
| 15 One gene, one protein (Chapter 27) | | |
| 16 The origins of eukaryotic cells (endosymbiotic theory) (Chapter 29) | | |
| 17 The development of the theory of evolution (Chapter 31) | | |
| 18 The making of a gene editing tool: the CRISPR/Cas9 system (Chapter 28) | | |
| 19 The fight against a novel coronavirus outbreak (Chapter 25) | | |