Th is book is the result of a decade-long series of discussions among the three of us, in which we considered how biology students should best prepare themselves to take advantage of the growing depth of information concerning molecular mechanisms in biology. The central theme of this book is that the ways in which proteins, DNA, and RNA work together in a cell are connected intimately to the structures of these biological macromolecules. Th ese structures, in turn, depend on interactions between the atoms in these molecules, and on the interplay between energy and entropy, which results in the remarkable ability of biological systems to self-assemble and control their own replication.
Th is book is not intended to be a comprehensive reference, nor does it contain the most recent biological breakthroughs and discoveries. Our goal in this textbook is to integrate fundamental concepts in thermodynamics and kinetics with an introduction to biological mechanism at the level of molecular structure. We have done so by choosing biological examples to illustrate the basic physical and chemical principles that underlie how biological molecules function.
We have written this textbook with an undergraduate audience in mind, particularly those students who have chosen biology or the health sciences as their principal area of study. We assume that students have taken introductory courses in physics and chemistry, and have been introduced to differential calculus at a basic level.
We anticipate that the book will also be useful for graduate students in biology who have not taken courses in physical chemistry, or who seek to learn more about structural biology. We also hope that the book will be useful for scientists wishing to refresh their knowledge of the elementary principles of biological structure, thermodynamics, and kinetics.
The development of this textbook has been anchored, over the last few years, by the creation of a one-semester undergraduate course at the University of California at Berkeley, offered jointly by faculty in the departments of Chemistry and of Molecular and Cell Biology. This course has merged the first part of a traditional course in biochemistry with a new way of teaching physical chemistry to biology undergraduates.
There are two aspects of this course that are a departure from past practice. Th e first is the integration of structural biology with physical chemistry, as mentioned earlier. Th e second aspect, and perhaps the more radical one for a course aimed at biology undergraduates, is to develop the laws of thermodynamics and the concept of free energy through statistical analysis of molecular interactions and behavior rather than on the more abstract concepts underlying heat engines.
It is our experience that biology students take to the statistical treatment of energy and entropy more readily because this approach allows us to link thermodynamics and structure in an intuitively obvious way.
Our initial hesitation concerning the implementation of this approach reflected a concern that the mathematical preparation of typical biology students might leave them ill-prepared to grapple with the statistical approach to thermodynamics. But, to our satisfaction, we have found that students understand these concepts readily, as witnessed by the growing enrollment in this class each year since its inception at Berkeley.
Th e majority of these students are majors in Molecular and Cell Biology, with another large group of them majoring in Bioengineering. The organization of our textbook follows how a course could be developed over one semester. We begin by introducing the nature of biological macromolecules and the structures that they form, placing these ideas in the broad context of how evolution proceeds while obeying physical laws.
It certainly provides a fine reference book for those trying to keep up with the vast amount of new information becoming available in this important area of biological science. I strongly recommend it. This textbook fills a conspicuous void in university-level biology curricula As would be expected from the eminent crystallographer John Kuriyan, the book is eloquently written and progresses in a clear and logical fashion. The Molecules of Life is ideal for beginning undergraduate or graduate students with a background in biochemistry, physics, and differential equations who wish to begin understanding the physical basis of life For instructors and professors looking to prepare their students to ask important questions in the quantitative world that awaits the future of biomedical research, The Molecules of Life: Physical and Chemical Properties is an excellent selection.
His laboratory uses x-ray crystallography to determine the three-dimensional structures of proteins involved in signaling and replication, as well as biochemical, biophysical, and computational analyses to elucidate mechanisms. Boyana Konforti is the launch Editor of Cell Reports, an open-access journal focused on short papers in biology.
Davis studying the mechanism of DNA recombination. His research in structural biology uses magnetic resonance methods to investigate the structure of proteins and DNA toward a better understanding of how these molecules function.
Excellent book - conceptual approach By hotheadpaisan This is an excellent book. Includes quantitative problems and explanations, but the approach is highly conceptual. Writing is clear and easy to read, at least, for a science text. I dropped the class because my schedule was too full, but am keeping the book as a resource. Excellent introduction to biophysics By Sunny This book is well-written and well-organized with plenty of helpful examples, graphs and figures. It's a little equation-heavy, yet it still manages to keep the reader's focus on point.
Not all professors dislike this book! By John Elgin Reader and Gardner didn't like the book; well, to each their own. But this surely is a matter about which one could disagree: maybe the authors are right, and there is indeed no "convincing" explanation.
However, as an introduction to a statistical thermodynamics way of approaching structure, I think it is excellent. Posting Komentar. Selasa, 29 April [Q Most helpful customer reviews 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. See all 11 customer reviews
0コメント