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Molecular biology is one of the most important disciplines in the life sciences last six decades. In the year 1953, a revolution led by molecular biology has taken place and has resulted in extensive implications in many fields of the biological sciences. A major impetus behind this revolution is the development of powerful molecular biology techniques that have led to innumerable exciting breakthroughs in understanding biological ac­tivities and mechanisms. Currently, molecular biology techniques are being widely used in all disciplines in the life sciences. Essential Experiments for Molecular Biology: A Student s Guide, is designed to expose undergraduates to a set of standard, basic molecular biology research techniques, including DNA extraction, electrophoresis, enzyme digestion, PCR, DNA recombination, RNA manipulation, and molecular hybridization. Al­though each can stand alone as an independent experiment, most of the experiments are interrelated because the main body of this coursework is derived from an actual research project. This type of course design allows students to obtain a systemic concept of conducting biological research so that they can thereafter easily adapt what they learn to real research projects. After finishing this course, students of vari­ous majors will understand the fundamental principles of molecular biology tech­niques and be able to use these methods or combine them with other skills to design an integrated molecular biological experiment. This book is suitable for use in a one- semester course for undergraduates (experiments 9-12 are optional) and as a refer­ence book for postgraduates and researchers.