Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology, by Jim Al-Khalili, Johnjoe McFadden
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Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology, by Jim Al-Khalili, Johnjoe McFadden
Best Ebook PDF Online Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology, by Jim Al-Khalili, Johnjoe McFadden
Life is the most extraordinary phenomenon in the known universe; but how does it work? Even in this age of cloning and synthetic biology, the remarkable truth remains: nobody has ever made anything living entirely out of dead material. Life remains the only way to make life. Are we missing a vital ingredient in its creation?
Like Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, which provided a new perspective on how evolution works, Life on the Edge alters our understanding of life's dynamics. Bringing together firsthand experience of science at the cutting edge with unparalleled gifts of exposition and explanation, Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe Macfadden reveal the hitherto missing ingredient to be quantum mechanics and the strange phenomena that lie at the heart of this most mysterious of sciences.
Drawing on recent groundbreaking experiments around the world, they show how photosynthesis relies on subatomic particles existing in many places at once while inside enzymes, those workhorses of life that make every molecule within our cells, particles vanish from one point in space and instantly materialize in another.
Each chapter in Life on the Edge opens with an engaging example that illustrates one of life's puzzles - How do migrating birds know where to go? How do we really smell the scent of a rose? How do our genes manage to copy themselves with such precision? - and then reveals how quantum mechanics delivers its answer.
Guiding the reader through the maze of rapidly unfolding discovery, Al-Khalili and McFadden communicate vividly the excitement of this explosive new field of quantum biology, with its potentially revolutionary applications, and offer insights into the biggest puzzle of all: what is life? As they brilliantly demonstrate here, life lives on the quantum edge.
Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology, by Jim Al-Khalili, Johnjoe McFadden- Amazon Sales Rank: #103690 in Audible
- Published on: 2015-10-15
- Released on: 2015-10-15
- Format: Unabridged
- Original language: English
- Running time: 759 minutes
Where to Download Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology, by Jim Al-Khalili, Johnjoe McFadden
Most helpful customer reviews
58 of 59 people found the following review helpful. Cutting-edge topic entertainingly explored with widely sourced top-notch research for support By Mark Mueller Quantum physics is certainly weird, but it isn't controversial any more. Quantum effects make technologies such as MRI possible. The authors do a good job of explaining the various physical quantum effects. The description of the famous two slit experiment is very clear in this book. Even though you find the results bizarre, you do understand what the results were and what they say about the quantum world.Quantum effects in biology do not seem bizarre. There is no additional weirdness, just quantum weirdness applied to minute biological processes. The authors focus on where and how quantum effects come into play, for example, in bird navigation or photosynthesis. The authors deal with the questions of why you need quantum physics rather than classical physics to explain specific results. They explain how a particular quantum effect achieves (or could achieve) a desired end. They explore how a tiny or animal cell can maintain quantum coherence (i.e. preservation of a quantum state necessary for quantum effects) long enough to allow the process to complete when physics labs cannot maintain quantum coherence for nearly as long despite massive equipment. Finally they explain how minute events can have a profound influence on living beings which are vastly bigger despite a general expectation in the scientific community that something tinier than a hair on a dog's tail could not possibly wag the dog.Aside from being easy and enjoyable to read, the book references published experiments and theoretical papers used in building up the narrative, including some papers which were published only months before the book was published. You get a feeling of observing the state of quantum biology just a few months ago. The authors also do a good job of showing what's speculative and what has been supported by research conducted in labs around the world. You end up feeling there is ample reason to believe that quantum physics plays an important role in biological processes.
49 of 53 people found the following review helpful. A fascinating new field of research narrated with passion and wit. By Peter O. Gandolfi First of all let me assure everyone that "Life on the Edge" is an easy to read science book even for people, like myself, who are not experts in quantum mechanics and biology. What attracted me to this book was the quite-intriguing title and the fact that I have been familiar to how Jim Al-Khalili was always able to explain complicated stuff in an easy to understand way. So I gave it a try and, as soon as I started reading it, I have been captivated by its narrative. It was like reading a thriller. The authors, Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe McFadden, have succeeded in giving an illuminating account on a new field of research which may one day give a decisive contribution in understanding life and its secrets. Many thanks to both authors. You have been able to reconcile me with the weirdness of quantum mechanics, while illustrating with vividness and clarity some of the exciting and wonderful tricks being used by nature.
48 of 52 people found the following review helpful. "This isn't just speculative, it's wacky". By John Galt The authors thought otherwise when physics colleagues tried to warn Jim Al-Khalili off this line of research. The headline for this review was taken from the December 2014 issue of Discover Magazine (pages 44-49) that explored the idea of these two physicists that quantum theory might possibly explain some of our bodies most fundamental processes.From the article again: "Usually the single atom sits closer to a molecule on one side of the DNA ladder than the other. Al-Kahlili and McFadden dug out a long forgotten proposal made back in 1963 that suggested that DNA mutates when this hydrogen atom tunnels quantum-mechanically to the "wrong" half if its rung. The pair built on this by arguing that, thanks to the property of superposition, before it is observed, the atom will simultaneously exist in both a mutated and non-mutated state - that is, it would sit on both sides of the rung at that same time".Science often advances because a scientist (in this case two them) sees something new and doggedly follows wherever it takes them. In this case they took an old idea from 1963 that at that time presumably hit a dead end. You rarely will read about total failures which must happen far more often, but we have short lifespans and spending 15 or 20 years of our most productive years pursuing a dream or line of inquiry is what makes for such a human interest story.I suggest reading the Discover article because if you grasp the significance of this research you will most definitely want to read this book. The theory may better explain photosynthesis, some cancers, Parkinson's disease, and improve solar energy cells and so forth. Just those three areas would touch plant biologists and agriculture, medical researchers and electrical engineers. Quite possibly something for everybody.The book is as much about these two gentlemen and their research as it is about how new scientific theories come about. For that latter reason it is crucial that no one ever believes that "the science is settled". Science is hardly ever settled as new research and theories replace old ones. This is what science is all about. It isn't about consensus or opinion. It is about hard work and discovery that produces new ideas, new theories and new lines of exploration thus changing how we live.I just finished "Evolutionary Catastrophes: The Science of Mass Extinction by Vincent Courtillot written in 1999.. He and other scientists propose the dinosaurs disappeared not because of an asteroid striking the earth but because of volcanism in India that laid down the Deccan Traps. He also indicated that other mass extinctions are more closely aligned chronologically to volcanism than to random objects from outer space striking Earth.http://www.amazon.com/Evolutionary-Catastrophes-Science-Mass-Extinction-ebook/dp/B00134V5SS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416580704&sr=8-1&keywords=evolutionary+catastrophesThe point: Be wary when people tell you the science is settled.
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