The Shaping of Life
The Generation of Biological Pattern

How are patterns and shapes formed in nature? Professor Lionel Harrison's interdisciplinary perspective on the development of biological form.

Lionel G. Harrison (Author)

9780521553506, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 December 2010

272 pages, 61 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.6 cm, 0.56 kg

'The Shaping of Life is an excellent resource. To those with interest in the evolution and theory at the interface of physical chemistry and the biological sphere, this book offers a pithy and well-informed perspective.' Plant Science Bulletin

Biological development, how organisms acquire their form, is one of the great frontiers in science. While a vast knowledge of the molecules involved in development has been gained in recent decades, big questions remain on the molecular organization and physics that shape cells, tissues and organisms. Physical scientists and biologists traditionally have very different backgrounds and perspectives, yet some of the fundamental questions in developmental biology will only be answered by combining expertise from a range of disciplines. This book is a personal account by Professor Lionel Harrison of an interdisciplinary approach to studying biological pattern formation. It articulates the power of studying dynamics in development: that to understand how an organism is made we must not only know the structure of its molecules; we must also understand how they interact and how fast they do so.

Foreword Thurston Lacalli
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Organizer. Organize thyself
Part I. Watching Plants Grow: 2. Branching: how do plants get it started?
3. Whorled structures
4. Dichotomous branching
5. Micrasterias and computing patterning along with growth
Part II. Between Plants and Animals: 6. The emergence of dynamic theories
7. Classifying developmental theories as physical chemistry
Part III. But Animals are Different: 8. The dreaded fruit fly
9. Various vertebrate events
Epilogue
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Developmental biology [PSC], Biology, life sciences [PS]