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 | 1 |
ON SOCIETIES AS ORGANISMS | 9 |
THE MUSIC OF THIS SPHERE | 18 |
AN EARNEST PROPOSAL | 24 |
VIBES | 35 |
THE LONG HABIT | 45 |
ANTAEUS IN MANHATTAN | 51 |
ORGANELLES AS ORGANISMS | 67 |
YOUR VERY GOOD HEALTH | 78 |
INFORMATION | 89 |
COMPUTERS | 110 |
ON PROBABILITY AND POSSIBILITY | 140 |
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Common terms and phrases
animals antigens ants army ants arrangement bacteria became become bees begin behavior bestiaries billion biologic birds bits blepharisma cells centrioles chemical chloroplasts cilia communication complex compulsively computers creatures dead death disease doctor earth endotoxin energy eukaryotes everything evolution fact function Ganesha genes genetic genomes hemocytes hive Holism human imagine immunologic Indo-European insects kind language learned leech live look luck meaning mechanisms medicine membrane mind mitochondria molecules morphogenesis move myxotricha nations nature nests never nology numbers odor Old English olfactory organelles organism ourselves oxygen perhaps pheromones photosynthesis plant precisely problem programmed prokaryotic receptor release replicating rest Sanskrit schizophrenia seems sense signals simply single smell social solitary somehow sort sound species spirochetes structures Superorganism surface symbiosis symbiotic termites things thought tion tissues tive today's touch turn whales whole word