The Design of Life
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Renato Dulbecco
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Nobel laureate Renato Dulbecco presents a fascinating overview of the current state of information about life processes, ranging from the characteristics and activities of DNA to sexuality, practical aspects of genetics, communication between cells and between organisms, and the effects of drugs on the brain. He concludes with a provocative discussion of biology and human affairs in which he poses questions about brain programming and its relationship to accountability, freedom of choice, and the future.
"An impressive overview of contemporary molecular biology. . . . Dulbecco leads us through virtually all of the exciting currents of recent research, from the origin of life to the biological significance of sexuality, from the most elementary evolutionary concepts to the design of the brain."—Joshua Lederberg, American Society for Microbiology News
"Should be of interest to general readers who want to understand the developments that have taken place in biology during the past 30 years as well as to specialists in the field who want to learn more about Dulbecco's perspective."—American Scientist
"People [will] enjoy reading and learning about the thread of life in the cell, the mating habits of the bowerbird in New Guinea [and] of the grunion in California, the problem of AIDS, and so on. Read it, enjoy it and learn from it."—David Hall, New Scientist
"An excellent resource book for students who have difficulty in understanding the terminology of modern molecular biology; also recommended as a resource to any biologist who has struggled to try to make the discipline comprehensible to the nonscientist."—Choice
"Dulbecco's genius shines through. The book demonstrates his immense knowledge, historical perspective, and his uncanny capacity to organize and synthesize massive avalanches of facts from psychological, ethical, and other areas of human knowledge."—Robert McAllister, M.D., Children's Hospital, Los Angeles
"The Design of Life offers fascinating insights into some of the key issues in biology today, written by one of its most distinguished scientists."—Dr. Jonas Salk, The Salk Institute
"A clear, detailed, yet nontechnical exposition of biology at the molecular level. Highly recommended for most libraries."—Library Journal
"Although Dulbecco's discussion of molecular biology is easy to read, it will challenge the thoughtful and intelligent reader. The style is rather like that of an article in Scientific American. An excellent resource book for students who have difficulty in understanding the terminology of modern molecular biology; also recommended as a resource to any biologist who has struggled to try to make the discipline comprehensible to the nonscientist. This book belongs on the shelves of all college and university libraries as well as on the scientist's shelf."—Choice
"Should be of interest to general readers who want to understand the developments that have taken place in biology during the past 30 years as well as to specialists in the field who want to learn more about Dulbecco's perspective."—American Scientist
"Excellent science for the lay reader."—SciTech Book News
"The day-to-day journalistic treatments of the 'new biology' deal with ethical, philosophical, and economic aspects of the subject. Thus, even in these areas, books tend to review what is widely known to the public. The advantage of a work like Dulbecco's is that this material is brought together in a coherent way by someone with a deep feeling for separating the important from the superficial. One can thus review the biological science of the recent past and have a sense of its enormous effect on our lives."—Harold J. Morowitz, New England Journal of Medicine
"I highly recommend this well-written and clearly illustrated book to general readers and professional biologists alike."—Izak J. Paul, Science Books & Films
"I believe that . . . people would enjoy reading and learning about the thread of life in the cell, the mating habits of the bowerbird in New Guinea, of the grunion in California, the problem of AIDS, and so on. Read it, enjoy it and learn from it."—David Hall, New Scientist
"This book demonstrates not only the immense knowledge of the author, but also his didactic genius and his capacity for arranging and synthesizing facts from physiological, psychological, and even ethical research, I have never read a better introduction into the fundamental aspects of life science."—H. F. Linskens, Theoretical and Applied Genetics
"Dulbecco's book should be read by every young person entering a graduate program in some aspect of biological science. For the established specialist, it will provide a broadening review and a sense of perspective. It is equally intelligible to the educated layman, who will be comfortable with its informal prose and clarity of exposition."—Stewart Wolf, The Pharos
"The inquisitiveness and clarity of thinking of Dulbecco, a Nobel laureate, shine through as he describes the knowledge of the essence of life rapidly accumulated over the past 30 years in order to assess how such life might be altered by today's technological capabilities. . . . The book displays the tremendous scientific advances that have been made, points up the extreme diversity and yet underlying common denominators within the plant and animal kingdoms, and raises questions about the wisdom of the brain pitted against nature. Lay persons and scientists alike should read this book for the philosophical and scientific insights provided by Dulbecco."—Ann Roman, American Scientist
ISBN: 9780300044775
Publication Date: September 10, 1990
Publication Date: September 10, 1990
462 pages, 7 x 10
