The Machinery of Life - Softcover

David S. Goodsell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0387982736 ISBN 13: 9780387982731

Publisher: Springer, 1997

Synopsis

All living cells are made up of an extraordinary collection of tiny molecular machines, which orchestrate the millions of tasks needed for life. Cells build these machines for a variety of purposes: to digest food, to propel them to fertile feeding grounds or away from predators, to store the genetic blueprint, and to fight disease-causing invaders. The Machinery of Life is a journey into the sub-microscopic world of molecular machines. The reader is first introduced to the types of molecules built by cells: proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and polysaccharides. In a series of distinctive illustrations, the reader is then guided through the interior world of cells, exploring the ways in which molecules work in concert to perform the processes of living. Finally, the book shows how vitamins, viruses, poisons, and drugs each have their effects on the molecules in our bodies. The author and illustrator, David Goodsell, has prepared a fascinating introduction to biochemistry for the nonspecialist. This book combines a clear text with an abundance of drawings and computer graphics that present the world of cells and their components in a new and unique way.

About this title

Review:

The cell is the basic unit of life, but most of us have at best a fuzzy, low-power idea of how cells are put together and what they look like. "The microscopic world of molecules is separated from our everyday world by an insurmountable, million-fold difference in size," says David Goodsell. "I created the illustrations in this book to help bridge this gulf and allow us to look at the molecular structure of cells, if not directly, then in an artistic rendition." Goodsell has succeeded remarkably. His pictures, mostly line drawings, show the structures of crucial biochemicals and the boggling intricacy of their arrangement in living cells. "A few minutes' study may be needed to overcome the feeling of claustrophobia," said Nature, "but will reward the reader with a lasting impression of the density and complexity of this soup of life." --Mary Ellen Curtin

About the Author:

David Goodsell is in the Department of Molecular Biology at the Research Institute of Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, where his research integrates computer graphics and computational chemistry with the results of X-ray crystallography.

About this edition

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0387982736
• ISBN 13: 9780387982731
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160