The Cell: Discovering the Microscopic World that Determines Our Health, Our Consciousness, and Our Future

It is hard to overstate the importance of cells. We have several trillion cells in our body. In The Cell author Joshua Z. Rappoport, Phd, leads us on a voyage of discovery of our some of our own cells. His is an educated, experienced voice that still contains a sense of wonder. He takes us to the forefront of cellular biology and back to the beginnings of cellular discovery with the ease of someone who knows his way in history and research. The increasing magnification of the cell itself reveals intricate structures and impressive mechanisms that we have only begun to see in the last few years. Rappoport details the use of dyes, electrons, phosphorescent, and finally luminescent methods that let us see, respectively, the structures of cells, the infinitesimal mechanisms of cells, the working of cells, and finally the life of cells like never before. We learn how cells work together, why HIV is so hard to destroy, what causes cancer, and some secrets of our nervous, brain, and immune systems, all in a conversational tone that makes accessible a great deal of science and research. The book is entertaining and reads easily, although I found an occasional break helpful while I digested some of the facts. I found it a wonderful primer for the fun of science in general and cellular biology in particular.