Front cover image for Cells, gels, and the engines of life : a new, unifying approach to cell function

Cells, gels, and the engines of life : a new, unifying approach to cell function

This book challenges the current wisdom of how cells work. It emphasizes the role of cell water and the gel-like nature of the cell, building on these features to explore the mechanisms of communication, transport, contraction, division, and other essential cell functions. Written for the non-expert, the book is profound enough for biologists, chemists, physicists and engineers.--From publisher description
Print Book, English, ©2001
Ebner & Sons, Seattle, WA, ©2001
xiv, 320 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 25 cm
9780962689529, 9780962689512, 0962689513, 0962689521
1066131472
Sect: I: Toward ground truth
Debunking myths
The croak of the dying cell
Cytoplasmic discomfort
Sect. II: Building from basics
Water
Solutes
Ions
Cell potentials
Sect. III: An hypothesis for cell function
Phase transition: a mechanism for action
Sect. IV: Approaching cell dynamics
Secretion
The action potential
Transport
Transport with flair
Cell division
Muscle contraction
Sect. V: Tying loose ends
Energy
A new paradigm for cell function