The Touchstone of Life
Molecular Information, Cell Communication, and the Foundations of Life
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- $32.99
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- $32.99
Publisher Description
No one can escape a sense of wonder when looking at an organism from within. From the humblest amoeba to man, from the smallest cell organelle to the amazing human brain, life presents us with example after example of highly ordered cellular matter, precisely organized and shaped to perform coordinated functions. But where does this order spring from? How does a living organism manage to do what nonliving things cannot do--bring forth and maintain all that order against the unrelenting, disordering pressures of the universe?
In The Touchstone of Life, world-renowned biophysicist Werner Loewenstein seeks answers to these ancient riddles by applying information theory to recent discoveries in molecular biology. Taking us into a fascinating microscopic world, he lays bare an all-pervading communication network inside and between our cells--a web of extraordinary beauty, where molecular information flows in gracefully interlaced circles. Loewenstein then takes us on an exhilarating journey along that web and we meet its leading actors, the macromolecules, and see how they extract order out of the erratic quantum world; and through the powerful lens of information theory, we are let in on their trick, the most dazzling of magician's acts, whereby they steal form out of formlessness.
The Touchstone of Life flashes with fresh insights into the mystery of life. Boldly straddling the line between biology and physics, the book offers a breathtaking view of that hidden world where molecular information turns the wheels of life. Loewenstein makes these complex scientific subjects lucid and fascinating, as he sheds light on the most fundamental aspects of our existence.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Biophysicist Loewenstein argues forcefully that information works in tandem with energy to provide structure to the physical world. He adopts the information science definition of information: a measure of order that "quantifies the instructions that are needed to produce a certain organization." Starting back at the Big Bang, Loewenstein discusses the origin of information and explains how it "pulls a molecular organization out of the erratic quantum world and engenders the primal organizations of matter in the universe." The bulk of his book then focuses on the role information transfer has played in the evolution of life over the past four million years. By merging principles of biology and physics, Loewenstein explains the workings of cell biology and biochemistry. Information exchange is shown to be responsible for processes as diverse as cellular reproduction, hormonal action, forms of cancerous growth and--or so the author claims--human consciousness. Though Loewenstein states he has written a book for the scientist and nonspecialist alike, he doesn't ever quite settle in to a single audience. Some sections--his explanation of DNA structure, for example--are far more simplistic than nearly any reader will require, while many of the rest are so technical that most nonscientists will find them very difficult indeed. 33 halftones, 53 linecuts.
