- Hardcover: 276 pages
- Publisher: Yale University Press (1 Feb 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0300058810
- ISBN-13: 978-0300058819
- Product Dimensions: 24 x 15.6 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,029,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
A collection of essays on various aspects of biochemistry from a Nobel prize-winning scientist, that explains the chemical basis for many biological phenomena.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderful tour of a discipline that has been dismissed as far less sexy (less "ultimate") than cosmology or nanotechnology: the realm of biochemistry. Bloch sets out to change the impression of chemistry as a dull discipline - with great success.
The story of biochemistry, as he tells it, is full of riddles and surprises. It began in 1897, when Eduard Buchner ground up yeast cell with sand, plugged them into a bottle, and woke up to find the cork had popped out during the night. Seemingly so banal, this discovery overturned the "vitalist" notion of the processes of life, that they could operate solely in intact, living cells. It proved, instead, that cell physiology could be studied as purely chemical reactions. The next 50 years, which Bloch describes as the Golden Age of biochem, witnessed the discovery of enzymes and other molecules behine innumerable chemical processes. And the methods that scientists used were similar to those of Buchner: grind up cells to free their chemical constituents, and then attempt to predict their behavior under a variety of conditions.
Among the many notable repercussions of these experiments was the development of the science of nutrition - by isolating, purifying, and uncovering the molecular structure of amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins. Once identified, researchers could experiment to find what combination led to better health.
But Bloch doesn't stop with these, and many similar, observations. In a series of delightful extrapolations, he explains why domestic cats need to hunt (they can't synthesize the amino acid taurine, so must find it in the meat of animals who can); how dark latin venetians used soap to bleach their hair blond (a hydrogen peroxide reaction that sunlight enabled); or the reasons that Amerindians ground corn meal on limestone (they needed a certain chemical added to corn to avoid developing bari bari).
Bloch also offers glimpses into the unknown, areas that are not yet explained but hold promising applications. The list is so long that the book must be read: they include the potential uses of thalidomide, insect secretions that might protect us, and the like. It is truly dazzling. What you get is a personal portrait of a vital field that the author, a Harvard Nobel Laureate, helped to create. The writing is also clear and vivid, never dry.
Warmly recommended.
The story of biochemistry, as he tells it, is full of riddles and surprises. It began in 1897, when Eduard Buchner ground up yeast cell with sand, plugged them into a bottle, and woke up to find the cork had popped out during the night. Seemingly so banal, this discovery overturned the "vitalist" notion of the processes of life, that they could operate solely in intact, living cells. It proved, instead, that cell physiology could be studied as purely chemical reactions. The next 50 years, which Bloch describes as the Golden Age of biochem, witnessed the discovery of enzymes and other molecules behine innumerable chemical processes. And the methods that scientists used were similar to those of Buchner: grind up cells to free their chemical constituents, and then attempt to predict their behavior under a variety of conditions.
Among the many notable repercussions of these experiments was the development of the science of nutrition - by isolating, purifying, and uncovering the molecular structure of amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins. Once identified, researchers could experiment to find what combination led to better health.
But Bloch doesn't stop with these, and many similar, observations. In a series of delightful extrapolations, he explains why domestic cats need to hunt (they can't synthesize the amino acid taurine, so must find it in the meat of animals who can); how dark latin venetians used soap to bleach their hair blond (a hydrogen peroxide reaction that sunlight enabled); or the reasons that Amerindians ground corn meal on limestone (they needed a certain chemical added to corn to avoid developing bari bari).
Bloch also offers glimpses into the unknown, areas that are not yet explained but hold promising applications. The list is so long that the book must be read: they include the potential uses of thalidomide, insect secretions that might protect us, and the like. It is truly dazzling. What you get is a personal portrait of a vital field that the author, a Harvard Nobel Laureate, helped to create. The writing is also clear and vivid, never dry.
Warmly recommended.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
I wish there were more books like this!
9 Jan 2000
Format:Paperback
A real treat & unfortunately rare. I wish there were more books that focused on biochemistry (& chemistry) in such a manner. I very much hope that this author produces more of this delightful style of scientific writing... inquiring minds really do want to know. I thank the author for writing this book--I enjoyed it immensely, & very much appreciate it having been written.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
the world, as a conglomeration of chemical substances
4 Dec 2004
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderful tour of a discipline that has been dismissed as far less sexy (less "ultimate") than cosmology or nanotechnology: the realm of biochemistry. Bloch sets out to change the impression of chemistry as a dull discipline - with great success.
The story of biochemistry, as he tells it, is full of riddles and surprises. It began in 1897, when Eduard Buchner ground up yeast cell with sand, plugged them into a bottle, and woke up to find the cork had popped out during the night. Seemingly so banal, this discovery overturned the "vitalist" notion of the processes of life, that they could operate solely in intact, living cells. It proved, instead, that cell physiology could be studied as purely chemical reactions. The next 50 years, which Bloch describes as the Golden Age of biochem, witnessed the discovery of enzymes and other molecules behine innumerable chemical processes. And the methods that scientists used were similar to those of Buchner: grind up cells to free their chemical constituents, and then attempt to predict their behavior under a variety of conditions.
Among the many notable repercussions of these experiments was the development of the science of nutrition - by isolating, purifying, and uncovering the molecular structure of amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins. Once identified, researchers could experiment to find what combination led to better health.
But Bloch doesn't stop with these, and many similar, observations. In a series of delightful extrapolations, he explains why domestic cats need to hunt (they can't synthesize the amino acid taurine, so must find it in the meat of animals who can); how dark latin venetians used soap to bleach their hair blond (a hydrogen peroxide reaction that sunlight enabled); or the reasons that Amerindians ground corn meal on limestone (they needed a certain chemical added to corn to avoid developing bari bari).
Bloch also offers glimpses into the unknown, areas that are not yet explained but hold promising applications. The list is so long that the book must be read: they include the potential uses of thalidomide, insect secretions that might protect us, and the like. It is truly dazzling. What you get is a personal portrait of a vital field that the author, a Harvard Nobel Laureate, helped to create. The writing is also clear and vivid, never dry.
Warmly recommended.
The story of biochemistry, as he tells it, is full of riddles and surprises. It began in 1897, when Eduard Buchner ground up yeast cell with sand, plugged them into a bottle, and woke up to find the cork had popped out during the night. Seemingly so banal, this discovery overturned the "vitalist" notion of the processes of life, that they could operate solely in intact, living cells. It proved, instead, that cell physiology could be studied as purely chemical reactions. The next 50 years, which Bloch describes as the Golden Age of biochem, witnessed the discovery of enzymes and other molecules behine innumerable chemical processes. And the methods that scientists used were similar to those of Buchner: grind up cells to free their chemical constituents, and then attempt to predict their behavior under a variety of conditions.
Among the many notable repercussions of these experiments was the development of the science of nutrition - by isolating, purifying, and uncovering the molecular structure of amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins. Once identified, researchers could experiment to find what combination led to better health.
But Bloch doesn't stop with these, and many similar, observations. In a series of delightful extrapolations, he explains why domestic cats need to hunt (they can't synthesize the amino acid taurine, so must find it in the meat of animals who can); how dark latin venetians used soap to bleach their hair blond (a hydrogen peroxide reaction that sunlight enabled); or the reasons that Amerindians ground corn meal on limestone (they needed a certain chemical added to corn to avoid developing bari bari).
Bloch also offers glimpses into the unknown, areas that are not yet explained but hold promising applications. The list is so long that the book must be read: they include the potential uses of thalidomide, insect secretions that might protect us, and the like. It is truly dazzling. What you get is a personal portrait of a vital field that the author, a Harvard Nobel Laureate, helped to create. The writing is also clear and vivid, never dry.
Warmly recommended.
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