Of molecules and men (Record no. 143)

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003 - CONTROL NUMBER IDENTIFIER
control field OSt
005 - DATE AND TIME OF LATEST TRANSACTION
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008 - FIXED-LENGTH DATA ELEMENTS--GENERAL INFORMATION
fixed length control field 170804s2004 xx 000 0 und d
020 ## - INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER
International Standard Book Number 9781591021858
040 ## - CATALOGING SOURCE
Original cataloging agency ICTS-TIFR
100 ## - MAIN ENTRY--PERSONAL NAME
Personal name Crick, Francis
245 ## - TITLE STATEMENT
Title Of molecules and men
260 ## - PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC.
Name of publisher, distributor, etc. Prometheus Books,
Date of publication, distribution, etc. c2004
Place of publication, distribution, etc. New York:
490 ## - SERIES STATEMENT
Series statement Great minds series
520 ## - SUMMARY, ETC.
Summary, etc. There is probably no one who has a deeper understanding of life's biochemical basis than Sir Francis Crick. In 1962, he won the Nobel Prize in Medicine, along with J. D. Watson and M. H. F. Wilkins, for breakthrough studies on the molecular structure of DNA. Just four years later he published this collection of popular lectures in which he explained the importance of this discovery in layperson's terms and emphasized its wide-reaching implications. Though written forty years ago, this succinct, lucid explication of the scientific facts remains the perfect primer for the lay reader curious about the ongoing biological revolution and is amazingly prescient in light of recent developments. Beginning with a critique of "vitalism," the notion that an intangible life force beyond the grasp of biology distinguishes living organisms from inanimate things, Crick argues that in all likelihood the complex mechanisms of DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis fully explain the phenomenon of life. While admitting that many details are uncertain and much remains unknown about the origins of life, he nonetheless maintains that chance mutations over time, in conjunction with the law of natural selection, offer the most rational explanation of the evolution of life on earth from inorganic precursors. Although few speak of vitalism today, the controversy that Crick addresses is still with us in the form of intelligent design, which suggests that biochemistry and evolution alone do not sufficiently explain the uniqueness of life.In his second lecture Crick explores the borderline between the organic and inorganic, presenting an elegantly clear description of DNA's basic structure and function in relation to RNA and myriad enzymes.In the final lecture, "The Prospect Before Us," he anticipates events and trends that have in fact come to pass in the past four decades: the increasing use of computer technology and robotics in mind-brain research, explorations into right-side vs. left-side uses of the brain, controversies surrounding the existence of the soul, the dead end of ESP investigations, and above all the daunting challenges of explaining consciousness in completely scientific terms.Of Molecules and Men is a fascinating, still-very-relevant discussion of many crucially important issues in life science.
942 ## - ADDED ENTRY ELEMENTS (KOHA)
Source of classification or shelving scheme
Koha item type Book
Holdings
Withdrawn status Lost status Damaged status Not for loan Collection code Home library Shelving location Date acquired Full call number Accession No. Koha item type
        Biology ICTS Rack No 14 01/09/2013 QH331 00143 Book