Written with the non-scientist in mind, this book employs the molecule and its interactions to explain the characteristics of living organisms in terms of the underlying chemistry of life. Following introductory chapters on the fundamentals of life, attention then turns to small molecules such as hormones and neurotransmitters and subsequently to macromolecules including proteins and nucleic acids. The interactions between small and macromolecules remains a central point throughout the book. These include enzymatic catalysis, hormone action, neurotransmission, regulation of metabolism, biosynthesis of macromolecules, the mechanism of action of drugs, taste, olfaction, learning and memory, and chemical communication. A second central point of emphasis is the sensitive relationship between chemical structure and biological activity. Examples abound and include why subtle changes in fatty acid architecture have positive or negative outcomes for human health in omega-three fatty acids and trans fats and how modest changes in the chemical decoration of the steroid skeleton provide the difference between male and female sex hormones. Beyond these examples taken from the chemistry of small molecules, the book includes a thoughtful consideration of genomics, including the relationship between genome structure and species. The theme of human health appears throughout the book. Cardiovascular medicine, cancer, metabolic diseases, and diseases of the nervous system receive significant attention including consideration of how a variety of drugs work in combating these issues. In sum, the goal of this book is to inform the non-scientist community in a way that will lead to increased understanding of the relationship between chemistry and life.

Chemistry underlies life. This book establishes the relationship between the focal point of chemistry - the molecule - and the key characteristics of living organisms. The key is the interactions between small molecules and macromolecules leading to metabolic control, memory and learning, the senses, and drug action.

First published in 1966, THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE has held its own as a clear and authoritative introduction to the world of biochemistry. This fourth edition has been fully updated and revised to include the latest developments in DNA and protein synthesis, cell regulation, and their social and medical implications.

This assembly of lectures should appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of science and the nature of living things. Seven of the eight lectures are by eminent biochemists and describe the development of their own subject 'from the inside; the eighth is a more general one.

Drawing on Lavoisier's daily laboratory records, unpublished notes, and successive drafts of articles, Holmes explores the interaction between this creative scientist's theories and practice, the experimental problems he encountered and his response to them, the apparently intuitive understanding that guided his choice of experiments, and the gradual refinement of his hypotheses. This thorough and comprehensive exposition of Lavoisier's scientific style forms the basis for general reflections on the nature of creative scientific imagination that will interest historians of science and biology, philosophers of science, cognitive psychologists, and all who are intrigued by the drama of pioneering scientific discovery.

Laoism is the first ever book on the complete teachings of Lao Zi, an ancient Chinese philosopher-sage. It is also the first English depiction to distinguish Lao Zi's teachings from Taoism, a native religion of China. Endless revelations and commentaries on his text of Tao Te Ching (text) have been, and continuously exist in Chinese and many other languages, but not yet a complete work between the text and its poetic summary: the Lao Zi's self-invented fourteen-character couplet. The couplet, as old as the text, has been circulating secretively only in a few monasteries. This makes the writers throughout the history not being able to get a full picture on his work and the public inaccessible. The completion of such a project must be a combination of the spiritual inclination into the text and the heart-sealed connection with Lao Zi's spirit. The time has come.

A startling correlation between ancient knowledge and ultra-modern science is explored in DNA and the I Ching.