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craigwiley89's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
It’s rare for a book so informative to be so beautiful; it’s rare for a book so beautiful to be so informative. A tour of the world between the scales of chemical change and recognizable life; it’s rich and makes things about living organisms click every step of the way.
getlostmatilda's review
5.0
5 stars - beautiful
I picked up this book a little while ago because I came across some of the beautiful illustrations David produced online. These illustrations are dotted throughout the book and break up the different themes and concepts nicely, providing an in-depth look at what makes up our cells and life.
This is a great introductory book for people both with or without a scientific background, and delves into molecular and cellular biology, microbiology, immunology and other physical sciences. It is very readable and doesn't expect any prior knowledge. As someone who has a background in science, it feels a bit like revision reading this book. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend this to others. This would also make a great present for high-school/first-year university students interested in science.
I picked up this book a little while ago because I came across some of the beautiful illustrations David produced online. These illustrations are dotted throughout the book and break up the different themes and concepts nicely, providing an in-depth look at what makes up our cells and life.
This is a great introductory book for people both with or without a scientific background, and delves into molecular and cellular biology, microbiology, immunology and other physical sciences. It is very readable and doesn't expect any prior knowledge. As someone who has a background in science, it feels a bit like revision reading this book. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend this to others. This would also make a great present for high-school/first-year university students interested in science.
reinhardt's review
5.0
Fascinating, informative, and beautiful.
I learned more about cell mechanism in these 160 pages than in years of reading. Clear illustrations that are tightly linked to the text show in a visual way how the processes in cells work. It is filled with huge words - I mean huge - which usually means I’m getting completely lost in the vocabulary. Not here. The close link to the illustration and the very clear writing make learning almost automatic. Visualizing the processes is a game changer.
If you have any interest in cell mechanisms, how cells make proteins, build structures, reproduce and die, how DNA works at the molecular level, how vitamins, poisons and pain relievers work at the molecular scale, this is the book
I learned more about cell mechanism in these 160 pages than in years of reading. Clear illustrations that are tightly linked to the text show in a visual way how the processes in cells work. It is filled with huge words - I mean huge - which usually means I’m getting completely lost in the vocabulary. Not here. The close link to the illustration and the very clear writing make learning almost automatic. Visualizing the processes is a game changer.
If you have any interest in cell mechanisms, how cells make proteins, build structures, reproduce and die, how DNA works at the molecular level, how vitamins, poisons and pain relievers work at the molecular scale, this is the book
rlse's review
4.0
So beautiful! I was surprised that the text was written for a general audience, but this makes for a great introduction to the molecular world. Close perusal of the figure captions introduced me to a group of proteins I knew nothing about! I’m thrilled to have something else new for my cell bio class. The illustrations are amazing; I bought this book after buying three full-sized posters for my office.
bastibe's review
4.0
A colorful and somewhat approachable book about the molecular machines inside our cells. This book bridged a gap I didn't know existed, between high school chemistry and physics on one side, and biology on the other.
While fascinating and mostly lucid, sometimes the soup of molecule names became a bit much. And I would have been very interesting in learning more about *how* these fancy molecules interact with one another. But it seems to be implied that these mechanisms are terribly complicated, and probably would have expanded the scope of this book too much.
Overall, a fascinating overview of a topic I knew nothing about. I feel I learned a lot and gained quite a bit of intuition about the cellular automata. Well worth a read!
While fascinating and mostly lucid, sometimes the soup of molecule names became a bit much. And I would have been very interesting in learning more about *how* these fancy molecules interact with one another. But it seems to be implied that these mechanisms are terribly complicated, and probably would have expanded the scope of this book too much.
Overall, a fascinating overview of a topic I knew nothing about. I feel I learned a lot and gained quite a bit of intuition about the cellular automata. Well worth a read!
gardenofmountains's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful illustrations with complementary writing.
Simple and easy to understand the basic wiring of life.
I would be very proud to have achieved work on a similar level, as a scientific illustrator and researcher.
Simple and easy to understand the basic wiring of life.
I would be very proud to have achieved work on a similar level, as a scientific illustrator and researcher.
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