Cellbiologi

Essential Cell Biology features lively, clear writing paired with exceptional illustrations and Dynamic Figures in the Norton Illumine Ebook, making it the ideal textbook for a first course in cell biology. The Sixth Edition incorporates new research throughout, highlighting emerging research areas like COVID-19. Check Your Understanding questions with rich answer-specific feedback throughout each chapter in the Illumine Ebook allow students to assess their reading comprehension, while Smartwork problems provide the opportunity for concept application and practice.

Essential Cell Biology features lively, clear writing paired with exceptional illustrations and Dynamic Figures in the Norton Illumine Ebook, making it the ideal textbook for a first course in cell biology. The Sixth Edition incorporates new research throughout, highlighting emerging research areas like COVID-19. Check Your Understanding questions with rich answer-specific feedback throughout each chapter in the Illumine Ebook allow students to assess their reading comprehension, while Smartwork problems provide the opportunity for concept application and practice.

Imagine that we had some way to look directly at the molecules in a living organism. An x-ray microscope would do the trick, or since we’re dreaming, perhaps an Asimov-style nanosubmarine (unfortunately, neither is currently feasible). Think of the wonders we could witness firsthand: antibodies atta- ing a virus, electrical signals racing down nerve fibers, proteins building new strands of DNA. Many of the questions puzzling the current cadre of sci- tists would be answered at a glance. But the nanoscale world of molecules is separated from our everyday world of experience by a daunting million-fold difference in size, so the world of molecules is completely invisible. I created the illustrations in this book to help bridge this gulf and allow us to see the molecular structure of cells, if not directly, then in an artistic rendition. I have included two types of illustrations with this goal in mind: watercolor paintings which magnify a small portion of a living cell by one million times, showing the arrangement of molecules inside, and comput- generated pictures, which show the atomic details of individual molecules. In this second edition of The Machinery of Life, these illustrations are presented in full color, and they incorporate many of the exciting scientific advances of the 15 years since the first edition.

Nowadays, genetics focuses on DNA. Just like the first edition, the theme of this new edition, Introduction to Genetics: A Molecular Approach, is therefore the progression from molecules (DNA and genes) to processes (gene expression and DNA replication) to systems (cells, organisms and populations). This progression reflects both the basic logic of life and the way in which modern biological research is structured. The molecular approach is particularly suitable for students for whom genetics is part of a broader program in biology, biochemistry, the biomedical sciences or biotechnology. This book presents the basic facts and concepts with enough depth of knowledge to stimulate students to move on to more advanced aspects of the subject.This second edition has been thoroughly updated to cover new discoveries and developments in genetics from the last ten years. There are new chapters that introduce important techniques such as DNA sequencing and gene editing, and the applications of genetics in our modern world are covered in chapters describing topics as diverse as gene therapy and the use of ancient DNA to study prehistoric ecosystems.Key Features:This book provides a molecular approach to the study of genetics.It is a highly accessible and well-structured book with chapters organized into four parts to aid navigation.It presents high-quality illustrations to elucidate the various concepts and mechanisms.Each chapter ends with a Key Concepts section, which serves to summarize the most essential points.Self-study questions enable the reader to assess their comprehension of chapter content, and discussion topics facilitate a deeper understanding of the material by encouraging conversation and critical evaluation.Key terms are emboldened throughout the text and are listed at the end of each chapter, and definitions can be found in the Glossary.For instructors who adopt the book, an affiliated question bank is free to download.

In the 19th century, biologists established that all living organisms—from animals and plants to algae and fungi—are composed of cells. Around the same time, Charles Darwin introduced his theory of evolution, proposing that all life on Earth shares a common origin. Today, the scientific community has defined that origin as LUCA: the last universal common ancestor.This is the story of how LUCA—the ancestral cell—emerged billions of years ago and gave rise to the vast diversity of life-forms we see today. Blending art with science, biologist Christian Sardet explores the tiny structures and life-giving functions of DNA, RNA, and proteins; examines the mysteries of reproduction, aging, and death; and offers a novel answer to the immortal question, “What is life?”Life is a social network of cells.

Incorporating the most important advances in the rapidly-evolving field of cancer biology, this book remains the defining course text on its subject. Students, instructors, researchers, and clinicians the world over admire its authoritative content, clear explanations, extensive full-color art program, and pedagogical features that promote a deep conceptual understanding of the science through the lens of fascinating tales of scientific discovery.

For more than four decades, Molecular Biology of the Cell has distilled the vast amount of scientific knowledge to illuminate basic principles, enduring concepts, and cutting-edge research. The Seventh Edition has been extensively revised and updated with the latest research, and has been thoroughly vetted by experts and instructors. The classic companion text, The Problems Book, has been reimagined as the Digital Problems Book in Smartwork, an interactive digital assessment course with a wide selection of questions and automatic-grading functionality. The digital format with embedded animations and dynamic question types makes the Digital Problems Book in Smartwork easier to assign than ever before—for both in-person and online classes.

'One of my favourite science writers' Bill Gates'Hugely important' Jim Al-Khalili'A profound meditation on metabolism, the Krebs cycle & the origin of life' Anil SethFor decades, biology has been dominated by information - the power of genes. Yet there is no difference in information content between a living cell and one that died a moment ago. A better question goes back to the formative years of biology: what processes animate cells and set them apart from lifeless matter?In Transformer, Nick Lane turns the standard view upside down, capturing an extraordinary scientific renaissance that is hiding in plain sight. At its core is an amazing cycle of reactions that uses energy to transform inorganic molecules into the building blocks of life - and the reverse. To understand this cycle is to fathom the deep coherence of the living world. It connects the origin of life with the devastation of cancer, the first photosynthetic bacteria with our own mitochondria, sulphurous sludges with the emergence of consciousness, and the trivial differences between ourselves with the large-scale history of our planet.

The topic of stem cells has a high profile in the media. We've made important advances in our scientific understanding, but despite this the clinical applications of stem cells are still in their infancy and most real stem cell therapy carried out today is some form of bone marrow transplantation. At the same time, a scandalous spread of unproven stem cell treatments by private clinics represents a serious problem, with treatments being offered which are backed by limited scientific rationale, and which are at best ineffective, and at worse harmful. This Very Short Introduction introduces stem cells, exploring what they are, and what scientists do with them. Introducing the different types of stem cells, Jonathan Slack explains how they can be used to treat diseases such as retinal degeneration, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, and spinal trauma. He also discusses the important technique of bone marrow transplantation and some other types of current stem cell therapy, used for the treatment of blindness and of severe burns. Slack warns against fake stem cell treatments and discusses how to distinguish real from fake treatments. He also describes the latest scientific progress in the field, and looks forward to what we can expect to happen in the next few yearsVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

How did human beings acquire imaginations that can conjure up untrue possibilities? How did the Universe become self-aware? In The Runes of Evolution, Simon Conway Morris revitalizes the study of evolution from the perspective of convergence, providing us with compelling new evidence to support the mounting scientific view that the history of life is far more predictable than once thought.  A leading evolutionary biologist at the University of Cambridge, Conway Morris came into international prominence for his work on the Cambrian explosion (especially fossils of the Burgess Shale) and evolutionary convergence, which is the process whereby organisms not closely related (not monophyletic), independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches.  In The Runes of Evolution, he illustrates how the ubiquity of convergence hints at an underlying framework whereby many outcomes, not least brains and intelligence, are virtually guaranteed on any Earth-like planet. Conway Morris also emphasizes how much of the complexity of advanced biological systems is inherent in microbial forms.  By casting a wider net, The Runes of Evolution explores many neglected evolutionary questions. Some are remarkably general. Why, for example, are convergences such as parasitism, carnivory, and nitrogen fixation in plants concentrated in particular taxonomic hot spots? Why do certain groups have a particular propensity to evolve toward particular states?  Some questions lead to unexpected evolutionary insights: If bees sleep (as they do), do they dream? Why is that insect copulating with an orchid? Why have sponges evolved a system of fiber optics? What do mantis shrimps and submarines have in common? If dinosaurs had not gone extinct what would have happened next? Will a saber-toothed cat ever re-evolve?  Cona Morris observes: “Even amongst the mammals, let alone the entire tree of life, humans represent one minute twig of a vast (and largely fossilized) arborescence. Every living species is a linear descendant of an immense string of now-vanished ancestors, but evolution itself is the very reverse of linear. Rather it is endlessly exploratory, probing the vast spaces of biological hyperspace. Indeed this book is a celebration of how our world is (and was) populated by a riot of forms, a coruscating tapestry of life.”  The Runes of Evolution is the most definitive synthesis of evolutionary convergence to be published to date.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER'Groundbreaking' Daily Mail'A must-read for anyone committed to long-term wellness' Dr Terry Wahls'Josh Axe and Will Cole offer practical, science-based strategies to help the body do what it’s designed to do – heal.' Dr Mark HymanDo you ever feel like you're aging faster than you should be?Are you eating healthily, exercising, taking supplements – and still feeling off?Functional medicine experts and bestselling authors Dr Josh Axe and Dr Will Cole reveal how cellular degeneration is the true driver of aging and chronic illness.Symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, gut issues, and hormonal imbalance are early warning signs that your cells aren’t functioning as they should. This book offers a personal approach to your health, showing you how to:tell if one of your organs is aging faster than the rest – and what to do about itignite your mitochondria to boost energy, improve hormone balance, build resilience and train your cells to repair and regenerate for years to comeidentify which naturally occurring peptides act as cellular messengers to accelerate tissue repair, promote weight loss, support muscle growth and improve sleep and cardiovascular functionset strategies for fasting and plan mealtimes based on your body’s needsDrawing on decades of clinical experience, the authors show how supporting your body at the cellular level can boost your energy, mental clarity, and immune system.With practical protocols, personalized assessments, and powerful stories from patients and practitioners alike, Heal Your Cells offers a radical shift in how we understand health—and a step-by-step guide to rebuilding it at its root.INCLUDES A QUIZ TO ESTABLISH YOUR ORGANS' AGES AND HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR RESULTS.

In the tradition of as Erwin Schrödinger’s What Is Life? and Richard Dawkins’s The Selfish Gene, a distinguished cell biologist explains how living cells perform computationsHow does a single-cell creature, such as an amoeba, lead such a sophisticated life? How does it hunt living prey, respond to lights, sounds, and smells, and display complex sequences of movements without the benefit of a nervous system? This book offers a startling and original answer.In clear, jargon-free language, Dennis Bray taps the findings of the new discipline of systems biology to show that the internal chemistry of living cells is a form of computation. Cells are built out of molecular circuits that perform logical operations, as electronic devices do, but with unique properties. Bray argues that the computational juice of cells provides the basis of all the distinctive properties of living systems: it allows organisms to embody in their internal structure an image of the world, and this accounts for their adaptability, responsiveness, and intelligence.In Wetware, Bray offers imaginative, wide-ranging and perceptive critiques of robotics and complexity theory, as well as many entertaining and telling anecdotes. For the general reader, the practicing scientist, and all others with an interest in the nature of life, the book is an exciting portal to some of biology’s latest discoveries and ideas.

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring From the simplest bacteria to humans, all living things are composed of cells of one type or another, all of which have fundamentally the same chemistry. This chemistry must provide mechanisms that allow cells to interact with the external world, a means to power the cell, machinery to carry out varied processes within the cell, a structure within which everything runs, and also governance through a web of interlocking chemical reactions. Biochemistry is the study of those reactions, the molecules that are created, manipulated, and destroyed as a result of them, and the massive macromolecules (such as DNA, cytoskeletons, proteins and carbohydrates) that form the chemical machinery and structures on which these biochemical reactions take place. It didn't take long for an understanding of the chemistry of life to turn into a desire to manipulate it. Drugs and therapies all aim to modify biochemical processes for good or ill: Penicillin, derived from mould, stops bacteria making their cell walls. Aspirin, with its origins in willow bark, inhibits enzymes involved in inflammatory responses. A few nanograms of botulinum toxin (botox), can kill by preventing the release of neurotransmitters from the ends of nerves and so leads to paralysis and death, or give a wrinkle free forehead (if administered in very tiny quantities).This Very Short Introduction discusses the key concepts of biochemistry, as well as the historical figures in the field and the molecules they studied, before considering the current science and innovations in the field, and the interaction between biochemistry, biotechnology, and synthetic biology. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER'Groundbreaking' Daily Mail'A must-read for anyone committed to long-term wellness' Dr Terry Wahls'Josh Axe and Will Cole offer practical, science-based strategies to help the body do what it’s designed to do – heal.' Dr Mark HymanDo you ever feel like you're aging faster than you should be?Are you eating healthily, exercising, taking supplements – and still feeling off?Functional medicine experts and bestselling authors Dr Josh Axe and Dr Will Cole reveal how cellular degeneration is the true driver of aging and chronic illness.Symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, gut issues, and hormonal imbalance are early warning signs that your cells aren’t functioning as they should. This book offers a personal approach to your health, showing you how to:tell if one of your organs is aging faster than the rest – and what to do about itignite your mitochondria to boost energy, improve hormone balance, build resilience and train your cells to repair and regenerate for years to comeidentify which naturally occurring peptides act as cellular messengers to accelerate tissue repair, promote weight loss, support muscle growth and improve sleep and cardiovascular functionset strategies for fasting and plan mealtimes based on your body’s needsDrawing on decades of clinical experience, the authors show how supporting your body at the cellular level can boost your energy, mental clarity, and immune system.With practical protocols, personalized assessments, and powerful stories from patients and practitioners alike, Heal Your Cells offers a radical shift in how we understand health—and a step-by-step guide to rebuilding it at its root.INCLUDES A QUIZ TO ESTABLISH YOUR ORGANS' AGES AND HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR RESULTS.

Winner of the 2023 PROSE Award for Excellence in Biological and Life Sciences and the 2023 Chautauqua Prize! Named a New York Times Notable Book and a Best Book of the Year by The Economist, Oprah Daily, BookPage, Book Riot, the New York Public Library, and more! In The Song of the Cell, the extraordinary author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Emperor of All Maladies and the #1 New York Times bestseller The Gene “blends cutting-edge research, impeccable scholarship, intrepid reporting, and gorgeous prose into an encyclopedic study that reads like a literary page-turner” (Oprah Daily).Mukherjee begins this magnificent story in the late 1600s, when a distinguished English polymath, Robert Hooke, and an eccentric Dutch cloth-merchant, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek looked down their handmade microscopes. What they saw introduced a radical concept that swept through biology and medicine, touching virtually every aspect of the two sciences, and altering both forever. It was the fact that complex living organisms are assemblages of tiny, self-contained, self-regulating units. Our organs, our physiology, our selves—hearts, blood, brains—are built from these compartments. Hooke christened them “cells.” The discovery of cells—and the reframing of the human body as a cellular ecosystem—announced the birth of a new kind of medicine based on the therapeutic manipulations of cells. A hip fracture, a cardiac arrest, Alzheimer’s dementia, AIDS, pneumonia, lung cancer, kidney failure, arthritis, COVID pneumonia—all could be reconceived as the results of cells, or systems of cells, functioning abnormally. And all could be perceived as loci of cellular therapies. Filled with writing so vivid, lucid, and suspenseful that complex science becomes thrilling, The Song of the Cell tells the story of how scientists discovered cells, began to understand them, and are now using that knowledge to create new humans. Told in six parts, and laced with Mukherjee’s own experience as a researcher, a doctor, and a prolific reader, The Song of the Cell is both panoramic and intimate—a masterpiece on what it means to be human. “In an account both lyrical and capacious, Mukherjee takes us through an evolution of human understanding: from the seventeenth-century discovery that humans are made up of cells to our cutting-edge technologies for manipulating and deploying cells for therapeutic purposes” (The New Yorker).

Mitochondria are tiny structures located inside our cells that carry out the essential task of producing energy for the cell. They are found in all complex living things, and in that sense, they are fundamental for driving complex life on the planet. But there is much more to them than that. Mitochondria have their own DNA, with their own small collection of genes, separate from those in the cell nucleus. It is thought that they were once bacteria living independent lives. Their enslavement within the larger cell was a turning point in the evolution of life, enabling the development of complex organisms and, closely related, the origin of two sexes. Unlike the DNA in the nucleus, mitochondrial DNA is passed down exclusively (or almost exclusively) via the female line. That's why it has been used by some researchers to trace human ancestry daughter-to-mother, to 'Mitochondrial Eve'. Mitochondria give us important information about our evolutionary history. And that's not all. Mitochondrial genes mutate much faster than those in the nucleus because of the free radicals produced in their energy-generating role. This high mutation rate lies behind our ageing and certain congenital diseases. The latest research suggests that mitochondria play a key role in degenerative diseases such as cancer, through their involvement in precipitating cell suicide. Mitochondria, then, are pivotal in power, sex, and suicide. In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Nick Lane brings together the latest research findings in this exciting field to show how our growing understanding of mitochondria is shedding light on how complex life evolved, why sex arose (why don't we just bud?), and why we age and die. This understanding is of fundamental importance, both in understanding how we and all other complex life came to be, but also in order to be able to control our own illnesses, and delay our degeneration and death. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think.

''One of my favourite science writers'' Bill Gates''Hugely important'' Jim Al-Khalili''A profound meditation on metabolism, the Krebs cycle & the origin of life'' Anil SethFor decades, biology has been dominated by information - the power of genes. Yet there is no difference in information content between a living cell and one that died a moment ago. A better question goes back to the formative years of biology: what processes animate cells and set them apart from lifeless matter?In Transformer, Nick Lane turns the standard view upside down, capturing an extraordinary scientific renaissance that is hiding in plain sight. At its core is an amazing cycle of reactions that uses energy to transform inorganic molecules into the building blocks of life - and the reverse. To understand this cycle is to fathom the deep coherence of the living world. It connects the origin of life with the devastation of cancer, the first photosynthetic bacteria with our own mitochondria, sulphurous sludges with the emergence of consciousness, and the trivial differences between ourselves with the large-scale history of our planet.

A profound, human history of biology’s most vital idea.From the bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies comes a sweeping exploration of the cell – the building block of all living things. In The Song of the Cell, Siddhartha Mukherjee traces how centuries of scientific endeavour and discovery, from early microscopes to stem-cell therapy, have transformed medicine and our understanding of what it means to be alive.Woven through this history are stories of patients, scientists, and personal insight. As Mukherjee shows, the cell’s music is the song of life itself – complex, adaptive, and full of wonder. Essential reading for fans of popular science and the history of medicine.Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2023A NEW YORK TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST, MAIL ON SUNDAY and GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR‘Will leave you in awe’ Guardian‘Profound… as big a topic as life itself’ The Times

Elegant, suggestive, and clarifying, Lewis Thomas's profoundly humane vision explores the world around us and examines the complex interdependence of all things.  Extending beyond the usual limitations of biological science and into a vast and wondrous world of hidden relationships, this provocative book explores in personal, poetic essays to topics such as computers, germs, language, music, death, insects, and medicine.  Lewis Thomas writes, "Once you have become permanently startled, as I am, by the realization that we are a social species, you tend to keep an eye out for the pieces of evidence that this is, by and large, good for us."

Human Molecular Genetics has been carefully crafted over successive editions to provide an authoritative introduction to the molecular aspects of human genetics, genomics and cell biology.Maintaining the features that have made previous editions so popular, this fifth edition has been completely updated in line with the latest developments in the field. Older technologies such as cloning and hybridization have been merged and summarized, coverage of newer DNA sequencing technologies has been expanded, and powerful new gene editing and single-cell genomics technologies have been added. The coverage of GWAS, functional genomics, stem cells, and disease modeling has been expanded. Greater focus is given to inheritance and variation in the context of populations and on the role of epigenetics in gene regulation. Key features: Fully integrated approach to the molecular aspects of human genetics, genomics, and cell biology Accessible text is supported and enhanced throughout by superb artwork illustrating the key concepts and mechanisms Summary boxes at the end of each chapter provide clear learning points Annotated further reading helps readers navigate the wealth of additional information in this complex subject and provides direction for further study Reorganized into five sections for improved access to related topics Also new to this edition – brand new chapter on evolution and anthropology from the authors of the highly acclaimed Human Evolutionary Genetics A proven and popular textbook for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, the new edition of Human Molecular Genetics remains the ‘go-to’ book for those studying human molecular genetics or genomics courses around the world.

Principles of Neurobiology, Second Edition presents the major concepts of neuroscience with an emphasis on how we know what we know. The text is organized around a series of key experiments to illustrate how scientific progress is made and helps upper-level undergraduate and graduate students discover the relevant primary literature. Written by a single author in a clear and consistent writing style, each topic builds in complexity from electrophysiology to molecular genetics to systems level in a highly integrative approach. Students can fully engage with the content via thematically linked chapters and will be able to read the book in its entirety in a semester-long course. Principles of Neurobiology is accompanied by a rich package of online student and instructor resources including animations, figures in PowerPoint, and a Question Bank for adopting instructors.

Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan tells the thrilling story of how scientists unlocked a new window onto how life works‘Beyond superb.’ Bill Bryson‘A wonderful book.’ Ian McEwanEveryone knows about DNA, the essence of our being, the molecule where our genes reside. But DNA by itself is useless without a machine to decode the genetic information it contains. The ribosome is that machine. Venki Ramakrishnan tells the story of the race to uncover its enormously complex structure, a fundamental breakthrough that resolves an ancient mystery of life itself.

Improve your lifelong health and well-being by understanding what mitochondria really do for you, and how through small lifestyle changes, these awe-inspiring powerhouses can better your life.Have you ever wondered what makes every heartbeat, every thought, and every movement possible? Meet your mitochondria—tiny but mighty organelles that are the true engines of life. These organelles are popularly known as the “powerhouses of the cell,” but new research shows that the mitochondria do more than just convert food into energy—they’re orchestrators of critical functions that keep you healthy and alive. This groundbreaking book by a leading scientist from Stanford University School of Medicine and her husband, a bestselling author, is the first to provide a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand look at mitochondria and their vital role in human health. It is based on the premise that healthy mitochondria are the key to healthy cells and, thus, to healthy tissues, healthy organs, and a healthy body. The Life Machines provides practical and fundamental principles that you can use to unlock your body’s full potential, answering questions like:-How does exercise help mitochondria improve your muscles and your brain?-What nutrients do mitochondria thrive on, and how is your gut microbiome involved?-How can developing better sleeping habits improve your mitochondrial health?-Why relaxing and managing stress will reduce damage to your mitochondria?-How can you protect your mitochondria from toxins in the environment?-Why mitochondria are the key to healthy aging We are only as healthy as our mitochondria. Dysfunction of these organelles has been linked to diseases and conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, depression, autism spectrum disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, and infertility. Now, the remarkable progress in understanding the mitochondrial role in these ailments will shape the future of medicine. Packed with surprising facts, you’ll read about “mitochondrial Eve” who lived in Africa 200,000 years ago; tiny rotors that spin inside your body at fantastic speed; how cancer cells steal mitochondria from immune cells; how mitochondria help shape a baby’s fingers and brain; how mitochondria in your thighs are linked to your cognitive capacity, and more. Skillfully weaving cutting-edge scientific discoveries, expert testimonies, personal stories, and practical insights, The Life Machines is inspiring and hopeful, empowering you to adopt lifestyle changes that will benefit the smallest—and yet most crucial—parts of the human body.

All living things on Earth are composed of cells. A cell is the simplest unit of a self-contained living organism, and the vast majority of life on Earth consists of single-celled microbes, mostly bacteria. These consist of a simple 'prokaryotic' cell, with no nucleus. The bodies of more complex plants and animals consist of billions of 'eukaryotic' cells, of varying kinds, adapted to fill different roles - red blood cells, muscle cells, branched neurons. Each cell is an astonishingly complex chemical factory, the activities of which we have only begun to unravel in the past fifty years or so through modern techniques of microscopy, biochemistry, and molecular biology.In this Very Short Introduction, Terence Allen and Graham Cowling describe the nature of cells - their basic structure, their varying forms, their division, their differentiation from initially highly flexible stem cells, their signalling, and programmed death. Cells are the basic constituent of life, and understanding cells and how they work is central to all biology and medicine.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

'Timely, important and compelling' Philip Ball'A new and stunning argument' Azra RazaWhat defines who we are?Until now, the biological answer has been our genes. Leading biologist Alfonso Martinez Arias breaks with popular tradition to make a bold argument: what defines us is our cells.Drawing on groundbreaking research, he reveals that we are composed of a thrillingly complex, constantly rearranging symphony of cells that know how to count, feel, and give form to our bodies. While DNA is important, nothing in your genes explains why your heart is on the left, why you have five fingers and not ten, why genetically identical twins have different sets of fingerprints, or why it's possible for a mother to apparently share no DNA with the children she gave birth to! At the heart of it all is a powerful new conception of the essence of life. Our identities are shaped by the interconnections between cells, working cooperatively, creating something greater than its parts - the unbroken lineage that connects us to the fertilized egg from which we developed and back through the billions of years of our planet's history, to the very first cell of all life on Earth.A sweeping revision of both the present and the history of life, The Master Builder puts forward a new paradigm for understanding biology, transforming our approach to where we come from, what shapes us, and where we are going - as individuals, a species, and the community of life itself.

>>Ein auch heute noch bedeutsamer Klassiker<< Daily Express Sind wir Marionetten unserer Gene? Nach Richard Dawkins´ vor über 30 Jahren entworfener und heute noch immer provozierender These steuern und dirigieren unsere von Generation zu Generation weitergegebenen Gene uns, um sich selbst zu erhalten. Alle biologischen Organismen dienen somit vor allem dem Überleben und der Unsterblichkeit der Erbanlagen und sind letztlich nur die "Einweg-Behälter" der "egoistischen" Gene. Sind wir Menschen also unserem Gen-Schicksal hilflos ausgeliefert? Dawkins bestreitet dies und macht uns Hoffnung: Seiner Meinung nach sind wir nämlich die einzige Spezies mit der Chance, gegen ihr genetisches Schicksal anzukämpfen.

This textbook serves as a modern introduction to vascular biomechanics and provides the comprehensive overview of the entire vascular system that is needed to run successful vascular biomechanics simulations. It aims to provide the reader with a holistic analysis of the vascular system towards its biomechanical description and includes numerous fully through-calculated examples. Various topics covered include vascular system descriptions, vascular exchange, blood vessel mechanics, vessel tissue characterization, blood flow mechanics, and vascular tissue growth and remodeling. This textbook is ideally suited for students and researchers studying and working in classical and computational vascular biomechanics. The book could also be of interest to developers of vascular devices and experts working with the regulatory approval of biomedical simulations.Follows the principle of “learning by doing” and provides numerous fully through-calculated examples for active learning, immediate recall, and self-examination;Provides a holistic understanding of vascular functioning and the integration of information from different disciplines to enable students to use sophisticated numerical methods to simulate the response of the vascular system;Includes several case studies that integrate the presented material. Case studies address problems, such as the biomechanical rupture risk assessment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, Finite Element analysis of structural and blood flow problems, the computation of wall stress and wall shear stress in the aorta.

Plant Tissue Culture: Techniques and Experiments, Fourth Edition, builds on the classroom tested, audience proven manual that has guided users through successful plant culturing for almost 30 years. The book's experiments demonstrate major concepts and can be conducted with a variety of plant materials readily available throughout the year. This fully updated edition describes the principles of the newest technologies, including CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and RNAi technology with plant cell and tissue cultures and their applications. Bridging the gap between theory and practice, this book contains detailed methodology supported by comprehensive illustrations, giving users a diverse learning experience for both university students and plant scientists. Provides fundamental principles, methods and techniques in plant cell, tissue and organ culture that can be applied to all crop plants, including agronomic crops, horticulture and forestry crops for germplasm improvement Guides readers from lab setup to supplies, stock solution and media preparation, explant selection and disinfestations, and experimental observations and measurement Contains the latest advances and updates since the previous edition published in 2012