Overview

From the simplest bacteria to humans, all living things are composed of cells of one type or another, all of which have fundamentally the same chemistry. This chemistry must provide mechanisms that allow cells to interact with the external world, a means to power the cell, machinery to carry out varied processes within the cell, a structure within which everything runs, and also governance through a web of interlocking chemical reactions. Biochemistry is the study of those reactions, the molecules that are created, manipulated, and destroyed as a result of them, and the massive macromolecules that form the chemical machinery and structures on which these biochemical reactions take place. It didn't take long for an understanding of the chemistry of life to turn into a desire to manipulate it. Drugs and therapies all aim to modify biochemical processes for good or ill: Penicillin, derived from mold, stops bacteria making their cell walls. Aspirin, with its origins in willow bark, inhibits enzymes involved in inflammatory responses. This Very Short Introduction discusses the key concepts of biochemistry, as well as the historical figures in the field and the molecules they studied, before considering the current science and innovations in the field, and the interaction between biochemistry, biotechnology, and synthetic biology.

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Author Information

Mark Lorch is head of the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Hull, as well as being professor of science communication and public engagement. His publications include A Flash of Light: The Science of Light and Color and The Secret Science of Superheroes, which was nominated for Institute of Physics book of the year 2017. Chris Sorensen is a veteran audiobook narrator with over 160 titles to his name. He has received three AudioFile Earphones Awards, and his recording of Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Recorded Books, LLC) was selected as one of the Best Audiobooks of 2010 by AudioFile magazine. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and the APA. Chris has worked extensively as an actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He studied at the Rutgers Professional Actor Training Program under William Esper, Edward Stern, and Maggie Flanigan. He is an original member of the Present Company, producers of FringeNYC. The Thin Air Theatre Company of Colorado considers him their playwright-at-large and has produced thirteen of his plays over the past twelve years. He has numerous optioned screenplays and has recently completed his first book for kids, The Mad Scientists of New Jersey.

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