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On the Origin of Form presents a new account of evolution and the origin of life based on the premise that the body form of any species is encoded not in the DNA but in the patterned structure of the primordial germ plasm—the universal predecessor of the egg. Two hundred years after Johann von Goethe’s Faustian quest for the Urform, the archetypal design underlying all living form, comes the recent discovery that organic forms are derived from a unique, self-organized, pre-embryonic structure....

This work describes essential methods for studying bacterial plasmids, with an emphasis on the most up-to-date and proven techniques. Written by acknowledged experts, the chapters have been chosen for their central importance and unique descriptions.

Leading gender and science scholar Sarah S. Richardson charts the untold history of the idea that a woman's health and behavior during pregnancy can have long-term effects on her descendants' health and welfare. The idea that a woman may leave a biological trace on her gestating offspring has long been a commonplace folk intuition and a matter of scientific intrigue, but the form of that idea has changed dramatically over time. Beginning with the advent of modern genetics at the turn of the tw...

An attempt to teach the reader to look at protein structure diagrams and extract the meaningful information that they provide. The book also contains an atlas of all of the structures contained in the Brookhaven Protein Databank. The topics covered include: ball-and-stick models, schematic representations, tertiary structure and protein-ligand interactions, and structure determinations. There is also data about the computer systems relevant to the study of protein architecture.

This monograph presents the results of long-term research on the neurochemical structure of the brain and spinal cord of Masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou, as well as cellular, molecular and physiological mechanisms of adult neurogenesis. Salmon are a phylogenetically ancient branch of ray-finned fish, the brain of which retains a large number of matrix zones with high proliferative activity involved in adult neurogenesis. The presence of large proliferative zones in the brain of juvenile salmonids...

DNA as "the molecule of life" has long been considered the only source of information on the molecular organization of cell components, and the process of self-assembly has been used to explain their structural diversity. Refuting this widely-held view, the authors of this book advance the argument that the existing molecular components of the cell have a profound influence on the assembly of new structures during morphogenesis in a more important complementary process, termed "directed assembly...

Cloning is one of the most hotly debated issues to have hit the world news in years. The first book of its kind. Flesh of My Flesh is a collection of articles by today's most-respected scientists, philosophers, bioethicists, theologians, and law professors about whether we should allow human cloning. The book includes historical pieces to provide background for the current debate. Religious, philosophical, and legal points of view are all represented. Flesh of My Flesh offers a fascinating and c...

Developmental biology attracts scientists from many different areas of biology, and the amphibian Xenopus holds a special place among the organisms studied as a model of vertebrate development. Until now, no recently published atlas existed to aid researchers and students coming to the Xenopus embryo for the first time. The present book satisfies this need. With its synthesizing approach and its generous provision of beautiful scanning, transmission, and light microscopy images, this unique volu...

Attractive pottery, robust and utilitarian, abounds in South-east Asia - both locally produced wares and items imported from China and Japan. An integral part of daily life for more than 5,000 years, the pottery has always been closely bound to the culture, religion and domestic needs of the people, and tells us a great deal about their way of life. In this introductory guide Dawn Rooney describes the origin, production, and use of the pottery, and brings the story up to date with details of the...

This large format coffee-table book describes and illustrates 420 species of flowering bulbs found at the western Cape Province in South Africa. It includes 62 full color plates reproduced from water colors, painted by Barbara Jeppe, a well-known floral artist. The descriptive text which faces each plate gives comprehensive botanical information, including Latin and common names, size and color of the inflorescence, number and arrangement of leaves, and period of flowering and distribution patte...

Stem Cells: Promises and Reality will tell you everything you have always wanted to know about stem cells, but could not understand the field from elsewhere.Stem cells are the great therapeutic promise of the century, and this evolving field of research and medicine brings with it many legal, ethical and psychological issues that must be discussed by society as a whole.Written so as to be accessible to general readers as well as specialists, this book explains what stem cells are, and the differ...

The romance and drama of the duel has made it an enduring attraction in novels, plays, and operas; but it takes on a deeper significance when considered in its social, evolutionary setting. From medieval times, the privilege of duelling was regarded as a badge of rank, an assertion of preeminence by Europe's dominant classes. This book describes the evolution of the duel from its medieval origins to the early 20th century. It also looks at the opinions about duelling in different areas and histo...