Thinking About Science: Max Delbruck and the Origins of Molecular Biology - Hardcover

Fischer, Ernst Peter; Lipson, Carol

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039302508X ISBN 13: 9780393025088

Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc, 1988

Synopsis

The life of the man who studied astronomy, theoretical physics, contributed to genetics, molecular biology, sensory behavior, and evolution and shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Hearing a lecture by physicist Niels Bohr in 1932 changed Delbruck's life, turning him from the study of X-rays to biology. Fascinated by the interaction of matter and living systems, he abandoned physics and went on to help create the fledgling science of molecular biology in the 1930s and '40s, winning a Nobel Prize in 1969. In this workmanlike, affectionate biography, the feisty, demanding Caltech professor at times seems a jouster chasing after windmills, ever seeking an elusive unity behind living systems. Yet, as we follow Delbruck (1906-1981) in his exploration of how light can reactivate seemingly dead viruses, or as he unravels the mechanisms of bacterial variation, one gains immense respect for this polymath who set one branch of virology after another on the right track. Fischer, who studied with Delbruck, and science writer Lipson make his investigations accessible to the lay reader. Illustrated.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

YA-- A clear, thoughtful biography of the Nobel Prize Winner and pioneer in the field of molecular biology. Based on interviews and conversations with Delbruck as well as letters and recollections from his colleagues, the authors have provided an insightful portrait of the scientist. This book is an exposition of how Delbruck, inspired by the question "What is life?," decided to attempt to explain biological phenomena by means of molecular models and pictures from physics. Thinking About Science details his thoughts and his research. Biology, physics, and chemistry students as well as their teachers will enjoy this presentation of Max Delbruck as scholar, family man, teacher, guide, and innovator.
- Gwen Salama, Hastings High School, Alief I.S.D., Houston
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 039302508X
• ISBN 13: 9780393025088
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 334