How we live and why we die : the secret lives of cells /
Lewis Wolpert.
- 1st American ed.
- New York : Norton, 2009.
- 240 p. ; 22 cm.
"First published in Great Britain in 2009 by Faber and Faber Limited."
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction: the miraculous cell -- Discovery: how science made plain the facts of life -- How We Live: how cells replicate, maintain order, evolve and die -- How We Function: how proteins determine the work of cells -- How Genes Work: how DNA encodes proteins -- How Our Cells Are Replaced: how stem cells self-replicate -- How We Become Human: how we develop from a single cell -- How We Reproduce: how meiosis works -- How We Move, Think and Feel: how nerve cells communicate -- How We Grow and Why We Age: how cells multiply, enlarge and decline -- How We Survive: how cells defend against bacteria and viruses -- How Cancer Strikes: how rogue cells form tumours -- How Diseases Are Caused: when cells behave abnormally -- The Origins of Life: the mystery of the first cell.