Appetizer; Acknowledgements; 1. Status: it's complicated; 2. I'd rather be fishin'; 3. Whizzes and apparitions; 4. Why?; 5. Simply engenious!; 6. Just a little bit; 7. Supermodels; 8. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades; 9. Emergence preparedness; 10. Life without chaos?; 11. What God hath wrought!; 12. Tell me with whom you go and I'll tell you who you are; 13. Time for a change; 14. Can't we all get along?; 15. Love thyself and fight all others; 16. A billion dollars for your thoughts!; 17. The computer will see you now; 18. Redesigning perfect; 19. Let me go in the agorá!; 20. Dessert; Selected further readings and citations; Gentle jargon; Index.
An easy-to-read introductory text, comprised of concise vignettes that explain key concepts within systems biology without using jargon.
Eberhard Voit is a pioneer and leader in systems biology with a passion for education at all levels. He is Professor and David D. Flanagan Chair in Biological Systems, as well as a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. He is the author of one of the leading textbooks in the field, wrote one of the first systems biology books to be published, and has written over 250 scientific articles. His research focuses on genomic, metabolic, and signalling systems with applications reaching from microbial, ecological, and plant systems to human diseases.
'Popular science books have enabled the public to gain an
appreciation for advances in a variety of esoteric disciplines
ranging from chaos theory to evolutionary biology. But we lack a
'fun read' for the emerging field of systems biology, which is
bringing together computer scientists, physicists and biologists to
figure out the complex inner workings of living cells. Eberhard O.
Voit has filled that gap with his new book. Voit provides the
reader with an insider's tour of systems biology, providing us
[with] a sense of how this exciting field will change our lives in
the coming years. Impress and challenge your book club with this
new offering.' James J. Collins, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and Harvard University, Massachusetts
'This delightful book provides a very readable overview of the
emerging field of systems biology. The author, an expert in the
field, describes fundamental concepts and tools in systems biology
in a conversational style that makes the material very accessible
to non-experts and a joy to read. The combination of interesting
conceptual information, humor, history, and anecdotes makes this
book hard to put down. And no need to worry about the technical
mathematics underlying much of systems biology; there is not a
single equation in the book! So if you are interested in learning
something about negative feedback loops, adaptation, small
regulatory RNAs, -omics research, chaos, microarrays, data mining,
genome-wide association studies, or a host of other concepts and
tools without diving into the details, this is the book for you.'
Richard Bertram, Florida State University
'Now that systems biology has become an established research field,
it is overdue to present it to the educated lay person. Eberhard
Voit, a well-established scientist in the field, has accepted the
challenge to provide a textbook without a single mathematical
formula. The result is a superb ride through various topics in
systems biology in form of a collection of small stand-alone
vignettes: a reading enjoyment for everyone.' Andreas Kremling,
Technische Universität München
'This is an intriguing storytelling book about life written by a
mastermind of systems biology. Anyone interested in the essential
mechanism of living systems would greatly enjoy reading it. Dr Voit
has successfully done all the 'complicated' storytelling in a clear
and intuitive way without using any single equation.' Kwang-Hyun
Cho, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
'Voit is one of the leading systems biologists of our times. He is
well known for his lucid textbooks and creative technical advances.
In this gem of a book he manages to explain with clarity, insight,
and subtle humor complex topics of systems biology that are still
evolving, often found only in the primary literature, or hidden in
the backstory of press releases attempting to create a buzz. I am
sure my colleagues and non-scientist friends alike will find the
book stimulating and fun to read. I venture to guess that even a
young reader who is curious about such topics, like my own
grandson, will find the vignettes captivating. This readable, witty
account is sure to garner a wide readership.' Michael A. Savageau,
University of California, Davis
'[This] book is written by a leading figure in the field of systems
biology. Previous books by the same author have become standard
texts in the field and this book is again an excellent example of
Eberhard Voit's outstanding communication skills. Given his
standing in the field and long-standing experience, it is
appropriate that he addresses with this book foundational issues. I
wouldn't miss a talk by Eberhard Voit and I certainly would buy and
recommend this book to anyone who is interested in understanding
the complexity of living systems. The audience will not only be
researchers (in various fields, from the engineering and physical
sciences, to the biological and medical sciences) but the book will
also appeal to a wider audience with a general interest in recent
developments in the life sciences, taking a systems approach … This
book is a perfect recommendation for pupils and students,
encouraging them to become scientists.' Olaf Wolkenhauer,
University of Rostock
'This is a fascinating book: lucid, logical and lively, full of
fascinating scientific stories [on] the inner workings of life.
Professor Eberhard Voit presents his case for the systems biology
approach with elegance. He illustrates how modern biology calls for
an openness that transcends the traditional scientific approach and
techniques, and it takes us to the heart of a more complex
scientific endeavor integrating mathematics, computer science and
engineering to unravel the principles of life. It is a must-read
for anyone, novice or professional, interested about the
foundations of life, and the present and future of research in the
biomedical sciences.' Santiago Schnell, University of Michigan
Medical School
'One aspect of the book that particularly impresses is the
inclusion of the history of the development of each topic, an
example to first year university lecturers, who, in their
determination to be up to date, often omit or skimp on this
important dimension.' Graham Godfrey, The Biologist
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