Description
Book SynopsisOffering an inside look into the world around us, microbiologist Franklin M. Harold makes life intelligible for readers interested in biology. The book traces living things and how they operate, focusing on questions about the interaction between physics, chemistry, and biology.
Trade ReviewThe great success of this book is that it brings together evolution and cell biology into a popular science format. It strongly contributes to biology education and communication, especially in the context of its approach to explaining the evolution of complexity * Franklin M. Harold, Quarterly Review of Biology *
Readers finish the book in awe at the still-unanswered questions that continue to confound understanding of the earliest steps toward cellular life and the greater complexity of multicellular organisms. * S. K. Sommers Smith, CHOICE *
Franklin M. Harold is a master at finding the humane boundaries of human knowledge. On Life is a finely cut gem for those who are curious about life's biggest questions. His prose is at once clear and poetic, folksy and inspiring. This is the zenith of a lifetime's quest to seek meaning in science. * Nick Lane, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry, University College London and author of The Vital Question: Why Is Life the Way it Is? *
Writing about 'life' can be tricky, but it is a topic I look forward to diving into when it's written by someone like Franklin M. Harold. He has such a long a record of scientific thought and experimentation, and he is able to cover both hard evidence as well as philosophical implications in an accessible way. On Life is an admirable contribution to the field worth reading * Ben McFarland, Professor of Biochemistry, Seattle Pacific University and author of A World from Dust *
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Part I: The Nature of Living Things Chapter 1: Strange Objects Chapter 2: Living Cells, Lifeless Molecules Chapter 3: Life Makes Itself Chapter 4: Putting the Cell in Order Part II: The Web That Weaves Itself Chapter 5: The Darwinian Outlook Chapter 6: Evolution of the Cell Chapter 7: The Perennial Riddle of Life's Origin Part III: The Gyre of Complexity Chapter 8: The Expansion of Life Chapter 9: The Tangled Bank Chapter 10: From Egg to Organism Chapter 11: The Outer Banks of Order Epilogue: Comprehensive, but Complex and Perplexing Glossary Notes References Index
