In Search of the Physical Basis of Life

In Search of the Physical Basis of Life PDF Author: Gilbert Ling
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461326672
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 800

Book Description
It is highly probable that the ability to distinguish between living and nonliving objects was already well developed in early prehuman animals. Cognizance of the difference between these two classes of objects, long a part of human knowledge, led naturally to the division of science into two categories: physics and chemistry on the one hand and biology on the other. So deep was this belief in the separateness of physics and biology that, as late as the early nineteenth century, many biologists still believed in vitalism, according to which living phenomena fall outside the confines of the laws of physics. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that Carl Ludwig, Hermann von Helmholz, Emil DuBois-Reymond, and Ernst von Briicke inaugurated a physicochem ical approach to physiology in which it was recognized clearly that one set of laws must govern the properties and behavior of all matter, living and nonliving . . The task of a biologist is like trying to solve a gigantic multidimensional crossword fill in the right physical concepts at the right places. The biologist depends on puzzle: to the maturation of the science of physics much as the crossword solver depends on a large and correct vocabulary. The solver of crossword puzzles needs not just a good vocabulary but a special vocabulary. Words like inee and oke are vitally useful to him but are not part of the vocabulary of an English professor.

The Molecules of Life

The Molecules of Life PDF Author: Kuriyan, John
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0815341881
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 15

Book Description
This textbook provides an integrated physical and biochemical foundation for undergraduate students majoring in biology or health sciences. It is particularly suitable for students planning to enter the pharmaceutical industry. This new generation of molecular biologists and biochemists will harness the tools and insights of physics and chemistry to exploit the emergence of genomics and systems-level information in biology, and will shape the future of medicine.

The Physical Basis of Chemistry

The Physical Basis of Chemistry PDF Author: Warren S. Warren
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 1483293688
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 183

Book Description
If the descriptive text youre using for teaching general chemistry seems to lack sufficient mathematics and physics to make the results of its presentation of classical mechanics, molecular structure, and statisticsunderstandable, youre not alone. Written to provide supplemental and mathematically challenging topics for the advanced lower-division undergraduate chemistry course, or the non-major, junior-level physical chemistry course, The Physical Basis of Chemistry will offer your students an opportunity to explore quantum mechanics, the Boltzmann distribution, and spectroscopy in a refreshingly compelling way.Posed and answered are questions concerning everyday phenomena: How can two discharging shotguns and two stereo speakers be used to contrast particles and waves? Why does a collision between one atom of gas and the wall of its container transfer momentum but not much energy? How does a microwave oven work? Why does carbon dioxide production heat the earth? Why are leaves green, water blue, and how do the eyes detect the difference? Unlike other texts on this subject, however, The Physical Basis of Chemistry deals directly with the substance of these questions, avoiding the use of predigested material more appropriate for memorization exercises than for actual concrete learning. The only prerequisite is first-semester calculus, or familiarity withderivatives of one variable.Provides a concise, logical introduction to physical chemistryFeatures carefully worked-out sample problems at the end of each chapterIncludes more detailed and clearly explained coverage of quantum mechanics and statistics than found in other textsAvailable in an affordable paperback editionDesigned specifically as a supplementary text for advanced/honors chemistry coursesUses SI units throughout

Physical Biology of the Cell

Physical Biology of the Cell PDF Author: Rob Phillips
Publisher: Garland Science
ISBN: 1134111584
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1089

Book Description
Physical Biology of the Cell is a textbook for a first course in physical biology or biophysics for undergraduate or graduate students. It maps the huge and complex landscape of cell and molecular biology from the distinct perspective of physical biology. As a key organizing principle, the proximity of topics is based on the physical concepts that

Rhetoric and Incommensurability

Rhetoric and Incommensurability PDF Author: Randy Allen Harris
Publisher: Parlor Press LLC
ISBN: 1932559515
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 598

Book Description
Rhetoric and Incommensurability examines the complex relationships among rhetoric, philosophy, and science as they converge on the question of incommensurability, the notion jointly (though not collaboratively) introduced to science studies in 1962 by Thomas Kuhn and Paul Feyerabend. The incommensurability thesis represents the most profound problem facing argumentation and dialogue—in science, surely, but in any symbolic encounter, any attempt to cooperate, find common ground, get along, make better knowledge, and build better societies. This volume brings rhetoric, the chief discipline that studies argumentation and dialogue, to bear on that problem, finding it much more tractable than have most philosophical accounts.

The Search for Life's Origins

The Search for Life's Origins PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309042461
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 161

Book Description
The field of planetary biology and chemical evolution draws together experts in astronomy, paleobiology, biochemistry, and space science who work together to understand the evolution of living systems. This field has made exciting discoveries that shed light on how organic compounds came together to form self-replicating molecules-the origin of life. This volume updates that progress and offers recommendations on research programs-including an ambitious effort centered on Mars-to advance the field over the next 10 to 15 years. The book presents a wide range of data and research results on these and other issues: The biogenic elements and their interaction in the interstellar clouds and in solar nebulae. Early planetary environments and the conditions that lead to the origin of life. The evolution of cellular and multicellular life. The search for life outside the solar system. This volume will become required reading for anyone involved in the search for life's beginnings-including exobiologists, geoscientists, planetary scientists, and U.S. space and science policymakers.
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