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Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher (Paperback)

~ (Author) "We are told that the trouble with Modern Man is that he has been trying to detach himself from nature..." (more)
Key Phrases: Old English, Woods Hole
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (February 23, 1978)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140047433
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140047431
  • Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,138 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #4 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Basic Sciences > Cell Biology
    #5 in  Books > Science > Essays & Commentary
    #5 in  Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > Cell Biology

More About the Author

Lewis Thomas
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
We are told that the trouble with Modern Man is that he has been trying to detach himself from nature. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old English, Woods Hole
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Customer Reviews

47 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (47 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not what many expect, but outstanding., May 12, 2000
A group of students and I just finished reading THE LIVES OF A CELL as part of a readings in biology seminar this spring. Once you read the first 3-4 chapters it becomes obvious that there is not a central theme (or is there) for the book.

Contents of this book are a compilation of reflective articles originally published in a medical journal. Chapter topics range all over the place, but they present many topics drawn from biological thought prominent through the mid-1970s -- everything from molecular biology to Gaia to sociobiology.

There is a wealth of material here appropriate for discussion among undergraduate students, professionals, and perhaps even science-directed high school students. Each of the 29 chapters are about 3-5 pages long, can be easily digested, and beg to be reflected upon and discussed.

As for the writing, other Amazon reviewers have referred to the writing in this book as being poetic. While I didn't see so much of that, I was struck by Thomas' ability to turn a phrase, make a point, and discuss complex biological ideas in a manner that is easily understood. The writing in the book is a definite plus.

There are also times in the book where I can imagine Thomas grinning as he wrote, or, perhaps giving the occasional wink! He must have had a wonderful sense of humor.

OK, back to the theme...if there is one...it seems to me that one common theme of several of the chapters has to do with communication -- oral, chemical, behavioral, and genetic. Other possible themes include the fact that humans are "not all that." That we are part of the global system, not running it. Another possibility includes the idea that everything can be an analogy of the way that a cell works -- organelles, membranes, cellular processes, products, and so forth.

This is excellent reading for anyone interested in ideas about life and living. Well written, occasionally humorous, and intruiging.

5 stars!

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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME! A DEFINITE FOR ALL STUDENTS!, August 4, 2000
What can one say if you believe to have found the 'John Steinbeck' of science! I totally enjoyed his descriptive readings and perspectives of our magnificient world! Lewis Thomas has done an excellent job interpreting his thoughts on life through the language of science. He blends the two so delicately and precisely, that one starts to forget where the line between real life and scientific theory is drawn. Lewis Thomas found joy in science and it is illustrated in his essays. He manages to show the reader a peek at how a scientist like himself looks at the world.

I have chosen this book as one for all of my ninth grade Honors Biology students to read and report about. The book definitely makes the reader 'think'...you will not be able to just read one page after the other..one will need to keep a dictionary close by. Thomas uses quite alot of scientific terminology. It is definitely not for the lazy reader. It is for those individuals who read to learn more and enjoy the challenge of new vocabulary to broaden their own horizons in science or language itself. I enjoy giving my students a challenge and that is exactly what this book offers to the young mind.

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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Biology On A Cellular Level: Impressive, February 3, 2004
By Jon Linden (Warren, N.J. United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Lewis Thomas' book is a beautifully written collection of essays. He writes much in the style of the 13th century author Frederick Montaigne, whom he later writes an essay about in another book. The essays, combine to bring a truly penultimate view of biological life. His observations, more than conclusions, bring one very close to a belief that in some way, all life is connected.

In a particularly interesting essay on "organelles" Thomas points out that mitochondria, the engines of the cell in every animal, do not exchange DNA like every other part of the body in sexual procreation, but in fact, are passed directly from the ovum to the zygote in the cytoplasm, and never change or recombine their DNA.

This apparently being a protective mechanism developed over 100's of thousands of years because the preservation of the exact mitochondrial DNA sequence is so important, that it could not be left to chance, as are most every other characteristic of the animal.

Throughout the book, Thomas reveals truly extraordinary facts about biology and microbiology that tend to leave the reader in actual awe. For an incredibly interesting and fast education about cellular biology this National Book Award Winning collection is truly a fascinating read.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Give this book to your favorite creationist. The eloquent writing explores the connection between the spiritual and the scientific in a powerful way.
Published 7 months ago by B. C. Hines

5.0 out of 5 stars We all started as a cell...
This is another book which at some point will enter our cultural canon, much like Orwell's essays or Gary Zukav's _The Dancing Wu-Li Masters_. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Carlos

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
This is a fantastic book. It requires at least a rough understanding of basic biology and an interest in cellular/microbiology. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Brett Daniels

5.0 out of 5 stars Forever Young
Lewis Thomas is that odd trifecta: a learned scientist; a speculative philosopher; and a master of prose both gracious and graceful. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Bruce Deitrick Price

5.0 out of 5 stars Whimsical and entertaining
Lewis Thomas' essays offer the creative and whimsical perspectives of a scientist. I doubt the non-biologist would appreciate these 'notes of a biology watcher' much, but as a... Read more
Published on August 11, 2007 by Daniel Rhoads

4.0 out of 5 stars The John D. Connection
Chapter 9 of "The Lonely Silver Rain" by John D. MacDonald, Fawcett 1985, opens with McGee "...reading Lewis Thomas and for the first time he depressed me, even when he said that... Read more
Published on April 24, 2007 by David F. Mcginnis

5.0 out of 5 stars Awe Inspiring
In recommending this book to an acquaintance, I remembered how much I loved it. I read it a long time ago, perhaps 20 years ago, and still feel that it was one of the best reads... Read more
Published on March 9, 2007 by L. Lehmann

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
This is truly an amazing work. Thomas's writing is beautiful and the stories fantastic with just enough humor. I have learned so much and enjoyed it all at the same time. Read more
Published on January 8, 2007 by Jeanette Kopilak

4.0 out of 5 stars Science for interested non-scientists
I selected this book from the Modern Library list of Top 100 Non-Fiction books with the trepidation of a non technical person with only moderate interest in science. Mr. Read more
Published on November 13, 2006 by The Ginger Man

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book!
I loved "Lives of a Cell". It's not your ordinary biology textbook; the author's love for the world around him comes out in every page. Read more
Published on August 5, 2006 by Daniel Foucachon

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