The Machinery of Life

For my 18th birthday, I asked my relatives for some books that I have not gotten to yet in my read list. One particularly stood out.. titled The Machinery of Life from David S. Goodsell. I remember noting this title after watching a live stream from one of my most respected YouTubers, @TheThoughtEmporium.

The live was about starting out in genetic engineering. How difficult it is, how expensive can it get, all the caveats that come along the way, etc. I do not know why I watched that live. Maybe just because the title seemed cool and interesting. But after finishing the live stream and noting a couple of interesting resources Justin offered (books, websites, …), I closed my text editor and never looked at that notes file again. Re-seeing this title in my notes file right before my birthday made me want to explore it. And so this is what I got.

I must say that I have been really enjoying this book, even though I have not devoted many hours of my life to biology - and my main focus is still in computer science. I particularly like the illustrations, most of which were (apparently) either hand drawn with watercolors (see the thumbnail) or rendered by a computer.

As this is my first book that delves deep into biology, reading it is a real perspective shifter an a half! I never considered the level of complexity one has to fight when dealing with biology at such a minuscule level.

Here is my favorite quote, taken directly from the book:

..................................Cells in our retina are filled with
arrays of opsin proteins for sensing light, light that is focused by layers of
eye lens cells packed full of clear crystalling proteins. Cells in our skin
spin enormously long strands of keratin proteins into hairs, and other cells
sense their slightest movement. These and other sensory data are transmitted
and processed by nerve cells that carry electrical currents propagated by
proteins and insulated by con- centric layers of lipid. Fine control of
movement is accomplished by an enormous skeleton of mineralized bone cells,
moved by muscle cells filled with proteins that do nothing but contract, all
glued together by connective tissue cells that built tough layers of sugar and
protein........................................................... 

It is so beautiful how, with some imagination, you can picture the author taking you to every part of your body. Imagine just how complex that system has to be to work so well for such a long time and be able to sustain itself while running. It is also an amazing analogy I remember from the book..

...............................................Think about this feat for a
moment-it is remarkable. You can't take your cells to a shop for repairs, like
you would with a broken clock. Cells must make their repairs in place, without
ever disturbing the ongoing processes of living. Imagine replacing a worn fan
belt on your car, but doing it while driving down the road...................