The machinery of life

In science, true understanding comes with the ability to visualize the system. For students of cell and molecular biology, this visualization often comes in the form of diagrams simplified in the name of clarity. While useful, these diagrams misrepresent how molecules actually fit together in a living cell. In this second edition (1st ed., CH, Jun'93, 30-5569), Goodsell (The Scripps Research Institute) presents these molecules and pathways with all (or much) of their wonderful complexity. Using coordinates taken from the RCSB Protein Data Bank, Goodsell's wonderfully drawn illustrations are true to the scale and shape of the real molecules. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the concept of scale at the molecular level. This chapter is very useful for students and could have been expanded. The rest of the book is extremely creative and encompasses great detail, such as showing a section of a lipid bilayer with a single individual lipid highlighted in green, or illustrating 5,000 RNA polymerases busily making RNA. This work will be enjoyed by all who are interested in the molecular processes that allow for life, from new students to experienced scientists. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections. D. Carroll Florida Institute of Technology