Our Molecular Nature: The Body's Motors, Machines and Messages

Our Molecular Nature is a richly illustrated guide to the extraordinary diversity of molecules that are responsible for life. David Goodsell—scientist, artist and author of the highly-praised book, The Machinery of Life—has synthesized a vast amount of data in a readable and stimulating manner. He examines topics ranging from the molecules that give cells their shape to the molecules responsible for the immune system, digestion and thought.
Focusing on the extraordinary progress made recently in understanding life at the level of molecules, Goodsell guides us through such discoveries as why cyanide poisons us so quickly, what the single enzyme is that makes some of us lactose intolerant, and how cholesterol can be a double-edged sword: essential in our membranes but harmful in our blood. This is a remarkable journey through a world both familiar and mysterious—our own bodies.

David Goodsell is in the Department of Molecular Biology at the Research Institute of Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, where his research integrates computer graphics and computational chemistry with the results of X-ray crystallography.