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Proteins are the essence of living things. They drive our metabolism,
give us immunity to disease, permit us to breathe, to move and see, and when they
go wrong they can kill us. Among the most exciting consequences of the great revolution
in science brought about by molecular biology is the understanding that has emerged
of how these mighty molecular robots do their work, and of how to manipulate them
for medical and industrial advantage. In Nature's
Robots, Charles Tanford and Jacqueline Reynolds trace the history of this
enthralling subject from its groping beginnings in the nineteenth century, when
proteins were first recognised as biological entities, to the pinnacle of richly
detailed knowledge that it has attained today. The narrative illuminates the triumphs
and failures along the road; the insights of the visionary pioneers, and their
clashes with an often unreceptive and hostile establishment -- the chemists, for
instance, affronted by the very idea of giant molecules; and, later, the epic
achievements of the crystallographers -- the men and women who pursued a seemingly
utopian vision of determining the structures, down to the positions of all the
hundreds of thousands of atoms of protein molecules, and prevailed. We are shown
how proteins work, how they seem to defy entropy by folding into unique, tightly
organized structures, how particular proteins make muscles contract, allow us
to see in colour, pump salts through membranes, form the antibodies of the immune
system. We are introduced to the 'molecular diseases' caused by mutant proteins,
and to how the study of proteins has led to a deeper insight into evolution. And
finally, exploiting the tools of modern molecular genetics, we see how proteins
can be made to serve new purposes -- the 'designer proteins' of the future.
Tanford and Reynolds, who themselves made major contributions
to the golden age of protein science, have written a remarkably vivid account
of this history. Written in direct and accessible prose, Nature's Robots
will appeal to general readers with a taste for popular science and history of
science, in addition to professional scientists and historians of science.
Charles Tanford and Jacqueline Reynolds are both distinguished
scientists who have made major contributions to the study of proteins, cell membranes
and other biological systems. Both are Emeritus Professors of Duke University
and former Guggenheim Fellows. Tanford is a member of the National Academy of
Sciences of the United States. They have authored many scientific papers and technical
books, which include Tanford's classic text, The Physical Chemistry of Macromolecules,
and, for the general reader, Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves. Tanford and
Reynolds are joint authors of The Scientific Traveller: a guide to the people,
places, and institutions of Europe and A Travel Guide to Scientific Sites
in the British Isles: a guide to the people, places, and landmarks of science.
They live in Easingwold, North Yorkshire. |
