The Cell 細胞

Thecellisthebasicbuildingblockoflife.Inits3.5billionyearsontheplanet,ithasproventobeapowerhouse,spreadinglifefirstthroughouttheseas,thenacrossland,developingtherichandcomplexdiversityoflifethatpopulatestheplanettoday.WithTheCell:AVisualTouroftheBuildingBlockofLife,JackChallonertreatsreaderstoavisuallystunningtouroftheseremarkablemolecularmachines.Mostofthelivingthingswe’refamiliarwith—theplantsinourgardens,theanimalsweeat—arecomposedofbillionsortrillionsofcells.Mostmulticellularorganismsconsistofmanydifferenttypesofcells,eachhighlyspecializedtoplayaparticularrole—frombuildingbonesorproducingthepigmentinflowerpetalstofightingdiseaseorsensingenvironmentalcues.Butthegreatmajorityoflivingthingsonourplanetexistassinglecell.Thesecellularsingletonsareeverybitassuccessfulanddiverseasmulticellularorganisms,andourveryexistencereliesonthem.Thebookisanauthoritativeyetaccessibleaccountofwhatgoesoninsideeverylivingcell—frombuildingproteinsandproducingenergytomakingidenticalcopiesofthemselves—andtheimportanceofthesechemicalreactionsbothonthefamiliareverydayscaleandontheglobalscale.Alongtheway,Challonershedslightonmanyofthemostintriguingquestionsguidingcurrentscientificresearch:Whatspecialpropertiesmakestemcellssopromisinginthetreatmentofinjuryanddisease?Howandwhendidsingle-celledorganismsfirstcometogethertoformmulticellularones?Andhowmightscientistssoonbepreparedtobuildonthebasicprinciplesofcellbiologytobuildsimilarlivingcellsfromscratch.