11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but limited, October 25, 2002
This review is from: The Stuff of Life: Profiles of the Molecules That Make Us Tick (Hardcover)
The idea here is a short, easy-to-read book that helps the general reader understand the molecular basis of life. The usual approach to this is a text by an expert in the field with close editing by someone whose level of knowledge is closer to that of the general public.
This is what was attempted here, but I don't feel it was entirely successful. As I noted in a review of a similar book (Ball, Philip. Stories of the Invisible: a Guided Tour of Molecules, 2001), there is unfortunately a kind of veil-like quality thrown between the molecular world and our perception of that world by the very fact of its invisibility that it not easy to overcome. It is not a question of readability so much as a question of how to present these very complex structures and ideas in a way that the reader can absorb in some concrete fashion.
This problem is common to all scientific books, but in biochemistry it is particularly difficult because (1) biochemistry is so complex, and (2) it is only touched on superficially in our schools, and (3) its knowledge base is expanding so rapidly. Professor Widmaier, who wrote the popular Why Geese Don't Get Obese (and We Do), gives it a good shot here with editorial help from John Parsley at Times Books, but I think they ran into the bugaboo of all science writing: How much to explain? How fundamental to get?
Let me try to illustrate what I mean using an example from page 81. Widmaier writes, "...[I]f muscles are not used for long periods, as in long space missions, they tend to atrophy." Is this enough said? My feeling is the text could be improved by adding that even though the astronauts exercise often and vigorously and work long days, the reason the muscles tend to atrophy is that there is not the constant pull of gravity on them that forces them to work to support the weight of the body.
Or, for a slightly different example: On page 91 Widmaier mentions "a hormone called [a] melanocyte-stimulating hormone" which he says is "responsible for seasonal changes in coat color in some mammals, but whose physiological role in humans is still debated." He leaves it at that, but I think he ought to have briefly given the sides of the debate. That would help us get a better feel for the hormone and it would be something vivid that we might easily remember.
I also think that the choice to go with largely schematic drawings of the molecules added little to the text. Better would have been drawings showing processes, such as molecules leaving and entering cell membranes, or illustrating how the various hormonal cycles work.
Still there is a lot to learn here. For example, on page 44 Widmaier explains that fiber "tends to inhibit the reabsorption of bile from the intestine" which forces the liver to "extract more cholesterol from the blood to regenerate the bile being lost in the feces." He concludes, "That's one reason why it's believed a fiber-rich diet has the effect of lowering blood cholesterol levels in a harmless, natural way." This is in addition to fiber helping with "regularity." And on page 116 I learned that the reason very dim stars (which might very well be red) appear white is that "their low-level light is only detectable by the color-blind rhodopsin molecules" in the rods of our eyes.
A much more ambitious book on this subject, and one that strongly challenges the reader, is Franklin Harold's The Way of the Cell: Molecules, Organisms and the Order of Life (2001), which I highly recommend.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent intro to microbiology for non-scientist, September 29, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: The Stuff of Life: Profiles of the Molecules That Make Us Tick (Hardcover)
I couldn't resist, I've read the whole book sitting on the floor of the bookstore that was selling it. I've bought it anyway, because it's worth every penny! It's a very concise reference, where a lot of complicated biochemical processes are explained with breathtaking simplicity. The most up-to-date issue for non professionals I've ever seen in a bookstore. Two thumbs up to the author! I gave it five stars, but it rather deserves "five plus." Highly recommended for everyone interested in Biology.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Putting DNA and the proteins they make understandable, September 15, 2002
This review is from: The Stuff of Life: Profiles of the Molecules That Make Us Tick (Hardcover)
As a non-scientist, I like reading about the discoveries of the Genone and wonder how this new map will impact my life. For the most part, Eric Windmaire writes in a very understandable way that helped me put it together a little more. He explains how the DNA strands un-wrap to allow different proteins to then interact in a multitude of ways. He goes over the most common proteins and how they help regulate salt and water balance (for readers taking ACE inhibitors), the regulation of energy to the cells (which would help diabetic readers better understand why insulin is so important), brain chemistry regulations (for readers who are dealing with depression or other meds), oxygen regulation, muscle movement and nueorologic symptoms.
He covers a lot of stuff in a fairly readable manner. As a visual reader, I thought that the book would have been even better if they had more illustrations of some of the dynamic processes. Most illustrations were chemical in nature, but the explanation of muscle contraction was one I am having a hard time visualizing and needed an illustration.
His editors should have recommended better illustrations and more of them. As somebody who also doesn't have a chemistry background, his explanations of the chemistry were very helpfull. Sometimes, though, I didn't understand his "obvious" comments -- they went over my head.
If you want to understand hyper-tension, diabetes, cardiac disease, hormonal influence, mental medications, thyroid influences, and many genetically problems -- read this book.
But come on, Eric, you're a great word-smith, give us some eye candy. Protein understanding is our future, with Genone as the first map. Work with us non-scientist.
I also recommend Genone by Matt Ridley.
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