Summary

Thanks to new technology, scientists are able to observe organic molecules as they work together in the cell and in “molecular machines,” as well as how they build tissues, organs, and whole organisms. Understanding how these levels of structure work together not only answers fundamental questions about life, but it also gives hope for finding a cure for some of the major diseases that plague our species. Finding cures to genetic diseases requires a deep understanding of the mechanics of single molecules.

The Molecules of Life explains how the chemistry and physics of organic molecules drive processes within cells and permit the construction of amazingly complex plants and animals. Describing some of the basic concepts needed to understand the field and discussing the methods used to explore the structures and behavior of DNA, RNA, and proteins, this book is devoted to stories about how these molecules carry out the business of life. The Molecules of Life shows how and why scientists study biological molecules, including how they are built, how they interact with each other, and what roles they play in the lives of cells and organisms.

Chapters include:

• The Physics and Chemistry of Life: Basic Principles and Methods
• How the Cell Stores and Uses Information
• Communication Between and Inside Cells
• Traffic and Cell Architecture
• Molecules of Immunity, Health, and Disease.

Specifications

Full-color photographs and line illustrations. Index. Glossary. Chronology. Sidebars. Further resources. Web sources. Tables and charts.

About the Author(s)

Russ Hodge is a writer and science education expert at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin, Germany, one of the world’s leading biology institutes, where he writes books about science for the public and develops new teaching materials for high school students. He has written hundreds of articles for the press, including published interviews with world-renowned scientists such as Nobel Prize winners James Watson, Max Perutz, Roald Hoffmann, and Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, as well as Stephen Jay Gould, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Stephen Rose, Philip Campbell, and Harold Varmus.