Thanks to the popular media, and to books by Dawkins, Fortey, Gould, Margulis and other writers, people are informed about many aspects of biology. Everyone seems to know a little about evolution, for example, and about DNA and the possibilities (good and bad) afforded by research in molecular genetics. Most people know some of the arguments for and against the likelihood of life on other planets. And so on. We are glad that these pieces of information have become so widely available. However, we do not assume any particular knowledge (other than the most basic) in this book. Our aim is to...

Our previous book, About Life, concerned modern biology. We used our present-day understanding of cells to define the living state, providing a basis for exploring several general-interest topics: the origin of life, extraterrestrial life, intelligence, and the possibility that humans are unique. The ideas we proposed in About Life were intended as starting-points for debate we did not claim them as truth but the information on which they were based is currently accepted as scientific fact . What does that mean? What is scientific fact and why is it accepted? What is science and is biology...

This edited volume deals with the state of water in the vicinity of biological interfaces, both intracellular and extracellular. This issue is of critical importance, for the cell is extremely crowded with interfaces, and as a result practically all cell water is interfacial. The character, or state, of this water may therefore be central to cell function. What is meant by the state of water? Few would question that water coming out of a household tap is a liquid, but water in an ice cube is something altogether different: it is a solid that floats on tap water (also known as bulk water). It...

Our previous book, About Life, concerned modern biology. We used our present-day understanding of cells to define the living state, providing a basis for exploring several general-interest topics: the origin of life, extraterrestrial life, intelligence, and the possibility that humans are unique. The ideas we proposed in About Life were intended as starting-points for debate we did not claim them as truth but the information on which they were based is currently accepted as scientific fact . What does that mean? What is scientific fact and why is it accepted? What is science and is biology...

Thanks to the popular media, and to books by Dawkins, Fortey, Gould, Margulis and other writers, people are informed about many aspects of biology. Everyone seems to know a little about evolution, for example, and about DNA and the possibilities (good and bad) afforded by research in molecular genetics. Most people know some of the arguments for and against the likelihood of life on other planets. And so on. We are glad that these pieces of information have become so widely available. However, we do not assume any particular knowledge (other than the most basic) in this book. Our aim is to...

This edited volume deals with the state of water in the vicinity of biological interfaces, both intracellular and extracellular. This issue is of critical importance, for the cell is extremely crowded with interfaces, and as a result practically all cell water is interfacial. The character, or state, of this water may therefore be central to cell function. What is meant by the state of water? Few would question that water coming out of a household tap is a liquid, but water in an ice cube is something altogether different: it is a solid that floats on tap water (also known as bulk water). It...