Customer Reviews

Topobiology: An Introduction To Molecular Embryology

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Edelman's Topobiology provides an excellent introduction to the field of molecular embryology. In the book you will be introduced to CAMs (cell adhesion molecules), SAMs (substrate adhesion molecules), and CJMs (cell junction molecules) that are produced and used by the body to keep itself organized and literally stuck together as it develops and grows. The processes of development and growth are extremely complex, and involve interactions among many different entities in the body.

As the header suggests, this book is not an easy read; it presents abstract concepts, and the author uses extremely complex sentence constructions to tell his story. This is not a book for the faint of heart, it is written with the professional biologist in mind.

If you have the strength and the courage, I suggest that you give this book a try.

Analytic and innovative, yet fairly easy to read, book on the place-dependent interactions of cell surfaces with other cell surfaces that regulate the processes of embryological development in metazoans (ie, animals).

Edelman's Topobiology provides an excellent introduction to the field of molecular embryology. In the book you will be introduced to CAMs (cell adhesion molecules), SAMs (substrate adhesion molecules), and CJMs (cell junction molecules) that are produced and used by the body to keep itself organized and literally stuck together as it develops and grows. The processes of development and growth are extremely complex, and involve interactions among many different entities in the body. As the header suggests, this book is not an easy read; it presents abstract concepts, and the author uses extremely complex sentence constructions to tell his story. This is not a book for the faint of heart, it is written with the professional biologist in mind.

If you have the strength and the courage, I suggest that you give this book a try

P.S. I am the "reader" from Manchester College in the previous review -- I didn't get my name on that one though.

As a scientist more often than not I find it faster, when stepping into a new topic of interest, to first read one or two broader books on it, to get the rough map of the territory, before diving into more tightly focused research papers.

Developmental Biology is a field I was only exposed to while an undergraduate but now find myself re-approaching with renewed interest as my research in synaptic competition take me into parallel paths.
After about two generations of DNA and genes being the center of our attention, focus has now shifted to Epigenetics, the way the products of gene expression interact with one another and can eventually loop-back to regulate the functioning of the genes. And nowhere are epigenetic phenomena more prominent than during development.

One thing to always remember about Developmental Biology: a cell's location and neighbors will determine its fate.
And with that in mind, Edelman tries to complete Schrodinger's answer to the age old question: What is Life?

This book is not for casual reading and although short (only 211 pages) it is packed with information. Not to be dishearten though, it comes with references, Glossary and Index to make it a great foundation-laying tool.

This is an excellent book written by one of the giants of modern science. The only reason I withheld the fifth star is because this is almost a twenty years old book - and in science that is too long to still be considered current.

RECOMMENDED.