Overview

The year 2003 marked the fiftieth anniversary of James Watson's and Francis Crick's discovery of the structure of DNA, which began a revolution in the biological sciences and radically altered the way humans view life and themselves. In this poetic account Erwin Fleissner, an eminent cancer researcher and teacher, offers a personal and professional reflection on the most significant developments in molecular genetics and cell biology over the past fifty years. Vital Harmonies is a sweeping look at these crucial scientific advances and an insider's perspective on what scientists have actually learned from them. Contrasting the humanistic side of scientific research with more deterministic or ""mechanical"" explanations of life processes, Fleissner discusses everything from natural selection to the tradition of rational inquiry stemming from the Enlightenment. He goes on to describe the structures of macromolecules and their ""organizing"" principles as well as cancer genes, stem cells, and the Human Genome Project. He also explores neuronal cells and the emergence of consciousness and how biological evolution is the foundation of our personal reality as well as our global responsibility. Fleissner asserts that scientific investigations cannot negate our essential ""humanness"" nor should the public fear them. Taking an optimistic perspective, he argues that a deeper knowledge of ourselves as biological entities will provide us, ultimately, with greater health, serenity, and self-knowledge. Vital Harmonies gives readers, whatever their background, an engaging analysis of some of the most important questions facing humanity today.

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9780231131131

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Reviews

Those who are already grounded in the basics of molecular biology will profit...from this worthwhile, if challenging, volume...Recommended. -- Choice Erwin Fleissner asks: what can molecular biology tell us about our place in the world? That he is able to accomplish this in a lucid manner while at the same time evoking a sense of wonder at the complexity and beauty of nature is both impressive and moving. -- Robert N. Eisenman, Nature Cell Biology [A] one-of-a-kind insider's reminiscence of how human enquiry about the basic blocks all humans are made of changed the world. -- Midwest Book Review

Author Information

Erwin Fleissner is professor emeritus of biology and former dean of sciences and mathematics (1987-1998) at Hunter College, City University of New York. Before Hunter, he was a member of the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research where he discovered the protein composition of retroviruses and researched the roles of cell-derived genes in cancers caused by such viruses in animals.

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