So Simple a Beginning (eBook)

How Four Physical Principles Shape Our Living World

Raghuveer Parthasarathy (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2022
336 Seiten
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-23161-7 (ISBN)

Infos

A biophysicist reveals the hidden unity behind nature's breathtaking complexityThe form and function of a sprinting cheetah are quite unlike those of a rooted tree. A human being is very different from a bacterium or a zebra. The living world is a realm of dazzling variety, yet a shared set of physical principles shapes the forms and behaviors of every creature in it. So Simple a Beginning shows how the emerging new science of biophysics is transforming our understanding of life on Earth and enabling potentially lifesaving but controversial technologies such as gene editing, artificial organ growth, and ecosystem engineering.Raghuveer Parthasarathy explains how four basic principlesself-assembly, regulatory circuits, predictable randomness, and scalingshape the machinery of life on scales ranging from microscopic molecules to gigantic elephants. He describes how biophysics is helping to unlock the secrets of a host of natural phenomena, such as how your limbs know to form at the proper places, and why humans need lungs but ants do not. Parthasarathy explores how the cutting-edge biotechnologies of tomorrow could enable us to alter living things in ways both subtle and profound.Featuring dozens of original watercolors and drawings by the author, this sweeping tour of biophysics offers astonishing new perspectives on how the wonders of life can arise from so simple a beginning.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 8.2.2022
• Zusatzinfo: 119 color illus. 1 table.
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Evolution
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Genetik / Molekularbiologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Ökologie / Naturschutz
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Angewandte Physik
• Schlagworte: abiogenesis • Accuracy and precision • Acquiescence • Adhesion • Adhesive • Alfred Russel Wallace • Allometry • Amino acid • anatomy • Approximation • Aquatic locomotion • Area of a circle • awareness • Bacteria • Behavior • biochemistry • Biology • Biophysics • body size • Branching (polymer chemistry) • brca1 • Broad Institute • Bursting • Calculation • Carl Linnaeus • Cartilage • Cas1 • Cas9 • Cellular component • Certainty • Charles Darwin • Chemical Bond • chemical reaction • Coincident • Combustion • Commercialization • Computation • Concept • Consciousness • Convenience • CRISPR • curve fitting • Cystic fibrosis • dengue fever • density • Disease • ecosystem • Elaboration • electric charge • Embryo • Emergence • Emerging Technologies • Eradication of infectious diseases • Evolution • expected value • Explanation • Fair coin • Fertilizer • Fine Structure • Food • foraging • For All Practical Purposes • Funding • Gasoline • Gene • genetic code • Genetics • Gordon Moore • Hand-Over • Hans Clevers • Herbert Boyer • Heritability • Human hair color • implementation • Informed Consent • Ingenuity • Institution • Intel • interaction • Interstitial fluid • Joseph Plateau • laughter • Limb bud • Linearity • Lipid • Little finger • Magnetic field • Malaria • Metabolism • Microorganism • Mixed nuts • Mixture • Moisture • Molecule • Multitude • Mutual exclusivity • Nanopore • nitrogen • Nucleic acid sequence • Nucleotide • of education • On the Origin of Species • organism • Osteichthyes • Parameter • Perfect mirror • phenomenon • Photoreceptor cell • Physical change • Physical law • physicist • Plant • Polymer • Precedent • Predictability • Prediction • predictive power • Prenatal Development • Principle • Probability • Protein • randomness • raw material • Receptor (biochemistry) • Regulation of gene expression • reproducibility • result • retina • Sanitation • Science • scientific enterprise • Self-Assembly • Self-Organization • Self-similarity • semiconductor • sense of agency • Sensor • Smallpox • Smooth muscle tissue • Soap bubble • Soap film • Solid surface • Somite • Sparse matrix • Speciation • square root • Statistic • steel frame • Stiffness • Subatomic particle • Supply Network • Surface Area • surface tension • Swim bladder • Technology • Temperature • theory • thermodynamics • Thought • Time to completion • towel • Trait Theory • Uncertainty • Understanding • Universe • vertebra • well-being • Writing
• ISBN-10: 0-691-23161-3 / 0691231613
• ISBN-13: 978-0-691-23161-7 / 9780691231617