The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology WatcherElegant, suggestive, and clarifying, Lewis Thomas's profoundly humane vision explores the world around us and examines the complex interdependence of all things. Extending beyond the usual limitations of biological science and into a vast and wondrous world of hidden relationships, this provocative book explores in personal, poetic essays to topics such as computers, germs, language, music, death, insects, and medicine. Lewis Thomas writes, "Once you have become permanently startled, as I am, by the realization that we are a social species, you tend to keep an eye out for the pieces of evidence that this is, by and large, good for us." |
Contents
The Lives of a Cell | 3 |
Thoughts for a Countdown | 6 |
On Societies as Organisms | 11 |
Copyright | |
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animals antigens ants army ants bacteria became become bees begin behavior billion biologic birds bits Blepharisma bombykol cells centrioles century chemical chloroplasts cilia communication complex compulsively computers creatures dead death disease doctor earth endotoxin energy eukaryotes evolution fact function Ganesha genes genetic genomes hemocytes Holism human imagine Indo-European insects kind language learned leech live look luck mass meaning mechanisms medicine membranes mind mitochondria molecules morphogenesis move myxotricha nations nature nests never numbers odor Old English olfactory organelles organism ourselves oxygen Penguin Books perhaps pheromones photosynthesis plant plastic precisely problem programmed prokaryotic receptor release replicating rest Sanskrit seems sense signals simply single smell social solitary somehow sort sound species spirochetes structures surface symbiosis symbiotic termites things thought tion tissues tive today's touch turn whales whole word write to Penguin