Methods in Molecular Biology are a book series published by Humana Press that covers molecular biology research methods and protocols. The book series was introduced by series editor John Walker in 1983 and provides step-by-step instructions for carrying out experiments in a research lab. As of January 2020, more than 2000 volumes had been published in the series. The protocols are also available online in Springer Link, and were previously in Springer Protocols. Molecular biology is used to examine when and why certain genes are switched “on” or “off”. An understanding of each of the factors has granted scientists a deeper understanding of how living things work, and used this knowledge to develop treatments for when living things don't work so well. Molecular biology. Molecular biology is the study of life at the level of atoms and molecules. Suppose, for example, that one wishes to understand as much as possible about an earthworm.