Customer Reviews

Life at the Cell and Below-Cell Level: The Hidden History of a Fundamental Revolution in Biology

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Ling is in desparate need of someone to popularize his work. The model of cell structure and operation he has put forth is nothing less than a complete revolution in the field of physiology. Further, if it were recognized and explored it would usher in revolutions in many related fields such as biology, pharmacology, neurology and others.

Unfortunately, even when Ling tries to write to a more general audience than other cell physiologists, he comes up far short. In the introduction he suggests this book is appropriate for high school biology students. I can say that I've taken high school biology, and college biology, physiology, chemistry, neurology, anatomy, biochemisty and others. And this book is very challenging reading.

One wonders if Ling has been engrossed in his technical world so long that he doesn't realize the level of expertise needed to fully understand his thesis. Or perhaps he has simply lost the ability to convey his ideas without continuous reference to all the equations and chemistry. Of course those aspects are important for advanced researchers who might replicate his work. But embedding them in the text virtually assures that his ideas will remain obscure to those who might otherwise be persuaded to learn more about his work.

I'm spending time on these criticisms in order to prepare any potential readers. It is a difficult book to read.

That said, it is full of fascinating information if one is willing to sort through the data to find the jewels. By the end one has no doubt that Ling's work is founded upon the most rigorous science possible. Further (and most importantly), one is left with little doubt that Ling is on to something huge. The model of the human cell and how it works has been wrong for 50 years; Ling shows why, and how, and meticulously outlines a better model, one that actually fits the experimental data.

I highly recommend this book, but not to individuals interested in reading popular scientific writing. This book is for people with a pretty extensive background in basic life sciences. I hope someday Ling's work will be put into a package that is accessible to a wide audience. This isn't that book.

As a beginning note to the readers states, Life At The Cell and Below-Cell Level is a book about "the in-depth and extensive experimental confirmation of the essence of the physico-chemical theory of life." Life At The Cell and Below-Cell level is a unique, informatively guided tour through the biological and physical processes in our cells that create and perpetuate the miracle of life. It was specifically written to be accessible for everyone, from the lay reader to the college student, who really wants to know what is going on at the cellular level of life and isn't afraid to do a little hard-core learning to find out. An extensive super-glossary is included for readers who have forgotten most of their basic biology. While Life At The Cell And Below-Cell Level contains college-level science, it is self-contained and takes the time to explain and detail each new concept as the reader learns it. Black-and-white figures, diagrams, and graphs occasionally illustrate the scholarly text. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn more about the cellular building blocks that create life itself.