Denis Noble, CBE, FRS, is Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology at the University of Oxford. He was Chairman of the IUPS (International Union of Physiological Sciences) World Congress in 1993, and Secretary-General of IUPS from 1993-2001. His previous publications include the seminal set of essays The Logic of Life (Boyd and Noble, OUP 1993), and he played a major role in launching the Physiome Project, one of the international components of the systems biology approach. Science magazine included him amongst its review authors for its issue devoted to the subject in 2002.

Review from previous edition A beautifully written book... After the great successes of molecular biology, the time has come to re-assemble the organism. Denis Noble tells us why this needs to be done. He also tells us how we should go about it. Strongly recommended.

• 1. The CD of Life: the genome ; 2. The organ of 30,000 pipes ; 3. The Score: is it written down? ; 4. The Conductor: downward causation ; 5. The Rhythm Section: the heartbeat and other rhythms ; 6. The Orchestra: the organs and systems of the body ; 7. Modes and Keys: cellular harmony ; 8. The Composer: evolution ; 9. The Opera Theatre: the brain ; 10. Curtain Call: The artist disappears

Denis Noble, CBE, FRS, is Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology at the University of Oxford. He was Chairman of the IUPS (International Union of Physiological Sciences) World Congress in 1993, and Secretary-General of IUPS from 1993-2001. His previous publications include the seminal set of essays The Logic of Life (Boyd and Noble, OUP 1993), and he played a major role in launching the Physiome Project, one of the international components of the systems biology approach. Science magazine included him amongst its review authors for its issue devoted to the subject in 2002.

Review from previous edition A beautifully written book... After the great successes of molecular biology, the time has come to re-assemble the organism. Denis Noble tells us why this needs to be done. He also tells us how we should go about it. Strongly recommended.

• 1. The CD of Life: the genome ; 2. The organ of 30,000 pipes ; 3. The Score: is it written down? ; 4. The Conductor: downward causation ; 5. The Rhythm Section: the heartbeat and other rhythms ; 6. The Orchestra: the organs and systems of the body ; 7. Modes and Keys: cellular harmony ; 8. The Composer: evolution ; 9. The Opera Theatre: the brain ; 10. Curtain Call: The artist disappears

Denis Noble, CBE, FRS, is Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology at the University of Oxford. He was Chairman of the IUPS (International Union of Physiological Sciences) World Congress in 1993, and Secretary-General of IUPS from 1993-2001. His previous publications include the seminal set of essays The Logic of Life (Boyd and Noble, OUP 1993), and he played a major role in launching the Physiome Project, one of the international components of the systems biology approach. Science magazine included him amongst its review authors for its issue devoted to the subject in 2002.

Review from previous edition A beautifully written book... After the great successes of molecular biology, the time has come to re-assemble the organism. Denis Noble tells us why this needs to be done. He also tells us how we should go about it. Strongly recommended.

• 1. The CD of Life: the genome ; 2. The organ of 30,000 pipes ; 3. The Score: is it written down? ; 4. The Conductor: downward causation ; 5. The Rhythm Section: the heartbeat and other rhythms ; 6. The Orchestra: the organs and systems of the body ; 7. Modes and Keys: cellular harmony ; 8. The Composer: evolution ; 9. The Opera Theatre: the brain ; 10. Curtain Call: The artist disappears