Of molecules and men (Record no. 143)
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000 -LEADER | |
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fixed length control field | 02720nam a2200169Ia 4500 |
003 - CONTROL NUMBER IDENTIFIER | |
control field | OSt |
005 - DATE AND TIME OF LATEST TRANSACTION | |
control field | 20230901165503.0 |
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 |
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 |
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Biology | ICTS | Rack No 14 | 01/09/2013 | QH331 | 00143 | Book |