Nature's Robots: A History of Proteins

Author:   Charles Tanford (, Emeritus Professor, Duke University) ,  Jacqueline Reynolds (, Emeritus Professor, Duke University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
ISBN:  

9780198606949


Pages:   324
Publication Date:   27 November 2003
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
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Nature's Robots: A History of Proteins


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Overview

Proteins are amazingly versatile molecules. They make the chemical reactions happen that form the basis for life, they transmit signals in the body, they identify and kill foreign invaders, they form the engines that make us move, and they record visual images. All of this is now common knowledge, but it was not so a hundred years ago. Nature's Robots is an authoritative history of protein science, from the origins of protein research in the nineteenth century, when the chemical constitution of 'protein' was first studied and heatedly debated and when there was as yet no glimmer of the functional potential of substances in the 'protein' category, to the determination of the first structures of individual proteins at atomic resolution - when positions of individual atoms were first specified exactly and bonding between neighbouring atoms precisely defined. Tanford and Reynolds, who themselves made major contributions to the golden age of protein science, have written a remarkably vivid account of this history. It is a fascinating story, involving heroes from the past, working mostly alone or in small groups, usually with little support from formal research groups. It is also a story that embraces a number of historically important scientific controversies. Written in clear and accessible prose, Nature's Robots will appeal to general readers with an interest in popular science, in addition to professional scientists and historians of science.

Full Product Details

Author:   Charles Tanford (, Emeritus Professor, Duke University) ,  Jacqueline Reynolds (, Emeritus Professor, Duke University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 12.90cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 19.50cm
Weight:   0.215kg
ISBN:  

9780198606949


ISBN 10:   019860694
Pages:   324
Publication Date:   27 November 2003
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

CHEMISTRY ; 1. The naming ; 2. Crystallinity, haemaglobin ; 3. The peptide bond ; 4. Proteins are true macromolecules ; 5. Bristling with charges ; 6. Fibrous proteins ; 7. Analytical imperative ; 8. Amino acid sequence ; 9. Subunits and domains ; DETAILED STRUCTURE ; 10. Early approaches to protein folding ; 11. Hydrogen bonds and the alpha-helix ; 12. Irving Langmuir and the hydrophobic factor ; 13. Three-dimensional structure ; PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTION ; 14. An ancient and many-sided science ; 15. Are enzymes proteins? ; 16. Antibodies ; 17. Colour vision ; 18. Muscle contraction ; 19. Cell membranes ; HOW ARE PROTEINS MADE? ; 20. The link to genetics ; 21. After the double helix: the triple code ; 22. The new alchemy ; NOTES AND REFERENCES ; INDEXES

Reviews

Review from previous edition anyone interested in proteins will find Nature's Robots an absorbing and often exciting story, as well as a major contribution to scholarship. * Nature 17/01/02 *


Review from previous edition anyone interested in proteins will find Nature's Robots an absorbing and often exciting story, as well as a major contribution to scholarship. Nature 17/01/02


Author Information

Both authors are Emeritus Professors at Duke University, Durham, NC, USA and both are former Guggenheim Fellows. Tanford is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). They live in Easingwold, UK.

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