Life Itself: Exploring the Realm of the Living Cell

Cells today are the most intimately studied life forms in all of science, for both practical and philosophical reasons. For one, all disease--from cancer and the common cold, to arthritis and AIDS--stems from cells gone awry. And cell research not only promises a cure for a wide variety of disease--it also holds the key to the mystery of life itself.
Here, veteran science writer Boyce Rensberger takes readers to the frontlines of cell research with some of the brightest investigators in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. Virtually all the hottest topics in biomedical research are covered. The book addresses questions such as: How do cells and their minute components move? How do the body's cells heal wounds? What is cancer? Why do cells die? And what is the nature of life?
The solutions to the most pressing challenges facing scientists today will be found in the innermost workings of the cell. In Life Itself, Boyce Rensberger paints a fascinating portrait of modern research in this vital area, an account which will enthrall anyone interested in state-of-the-art science or the incredible workings of the human body.

Boyce Rensberger has been a science writer and science editor for more than 30 years, including long stints at the New York Times and the Washington Post. He now directs the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.