Customer Reviews

Bionanotechnology: Lessons from Nature

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A fantastic overview of a sweeping topic. Designed for a reader who is basically familiar with the concepts of molecular biology, but needs to know more about the entire range of well-characterized molecular systems. A specialist will find the information to be highly condensed, but will appreciate the coverage of topics outside their specialty.

The book avoids irrelevant technical details (but only the irrelevant ones) in favor of clear, well-distilled summaries of what is known. The emphasis is on the interactions of molecules with each other, and the relationships (functional and evolutionary) between broad classes of molecules. The writing is exquisitely clear and avoids the "scientific" voice that is all too common in textbooks and papers.

The illustrations are reminiscent of those of Branden and Tooze in their impact and clarity (though not in their actual execution). Simplified to the point where most of them contain only 2 or 3 colors, they are a fine example of Tufte's ethic of visual communication.

The book is not, however, a collection of journal articles. You won't find mathematical details (rate constants, binding energies) or equations. The scope is too broad. The idea is to acquaint the reader with many systems so they can figure out which one (that they hadn't heard of before) might be applicable, and then go and seek details elsewhere.

[p.s. Robertorob's review (which was highly negative) said "all this info would be covered in a good textbook on cell biology". This is untrue. Only about 1/3 to 1/2 would be, and the treatment would have been much less informative if what one wanted was an overview.]

A fellow chemical engineer recommended this book to me and, I must say, the engineering parallels from the macro to nano scale really drove me through it. This is book is focused towards application as opposed to pure science and therefore may seem mundane (perhaps even elementary) to those with a speciality in biology.

I have taken but one biochemistry college course and my graduate research is pharmaceutics. This book concisely covered several promising frontiers for biological nanomachines in the pharmaceutical arena.

If you are a biologist, I do not recommend it. If you are an engineer, this is a must read.

A revolution in science and technology is coming and is already here--the bionanotechnology revolution: understanding nature's subcellular machines and using them for our purposes.

David Goodsell's book, though now three years old, is the best primer I've found to the wonderful world of subcellular machinery. He explains, without embroiling the reader in jargon, just how these molecular machines can do their myriads of functions and how the can be--and are--harnessed.

I am currently using this masterpiece as a textbook for a college-level, freshman seminar class, which includes science and non-science majors. The following reviews (above) are from my students. Some students have found the book less helpful than other students, which doesn't dampen my appreciation for what Goodsell has done: he has brought the living world of the nano-small into view for the average, college-educated reader. This is truly a tour de force in science popularization.

In response to the preceding reviews (below), I would say that, though I've taken many molecular biology classes as an undergraduate and graduate student and did my Ph.D. in the biology and biophysics of influenza, I was not bored by this book. Also, I do think that this book is better than an undergraduate cell-bio textbook at explaining the world of molecular machines to the college educated lay-person. Finally, I would agree that this book is overpriced and look forward to when Wiley releases it as a paperback.

This book gave an intriguing instight into the developing field of nanotechnology. Its in-depth explanations of the field and its many aspects was informative and helpful in looking at the field. It allowed for forward thinking toward future possibilities in science.

The author's premise is that the cell is a nano-machine, and by examining and understanding the cell, we can learn lessons for bionanotechnology. He then proceeds to provide a lovely undergraduate text, replete with wonderful illustrations, about cell biology. So if that's what's you're looking for, go ahead and buy it, but if you want to learn about bionanobiology, you should look elsewhere. Maybe the title was merely trying to capitalize on the nano-trend and current high interest.

Almost all of the content of this book is explained in much greater detail in any good text on cell biology. Readers who are familiar with that content and expecting something new about "bionanotechnology" will be disappointed. Readers who are not familiar with that content will be mystified by the poor summary. The acclaimed artwork is not very helpful at all. This book is way too expensive for what the reader gets in return.