THE RAINBOW AND THE WORM 彩虹与蠕虫：有机体的物理学 (1998)

出版时间：1998-12  出版社：World Scientific Pub Co Inc  作者：Ho, Mae-Wan  页数：282  
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内容概要

"Mae-Wan Ho's book provides a very original survey of how biology may be linked to physics through the concepts of coherence and of coupled processes. Although it is deeply serious, the writing has a pleasant touch of gaiety, due, I think, to the author's sense of excitement in the central problem: What constitutes 'being alive?'" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

作者简介

Mae-Wan Ha obtained her PhD in Bio-chemistry from Hang Kong University. She was then a Postdoctoral Fellow in Neuro-sciences, Universiy of California at San Diego,a Fellow of the National Genetics Founda-tion, USA, and a Senior Research Fellow in Biochemistry, University of London.Currently she is a Reader in Biology at the Open University, UK, where she researches and teaches the physics of organisms and sustainoble systems.She has over a hundred and fifty publications
in many disciplines including six books,among which are Bioelectrodynamics and Biocommunicatian (1994) and Bio energetics (1995).

书籍目录

PREFACE to Second EditionPREFACE to First EditionCHAPTER 1. WHAT IS IT TO BE ALIVE?           The 'Big' Questions in Science           The Physicochemical Underpinnings of Life           On Being AliveCHAPTER 2. DO ORGANISMS CONTRAVENE THE SECOND LAW?           Life and the Second Law           What are the Laws of Thermodynamics?           Is Maxwell's Demon in the Livin System?CHAPTER 3. CAN THE SECOND LAW COPE WITH ORGANIZED COMPLEXITY?           The Space time Structure of Living Processes           The Second Law Restated           Quantum Molecular Machines in Living SystemsCHAPTER 4. ENERGY FLOW AND LIVING CYCLES           The Probability of Life           Energy Flow and Material Cycles           Dynamic Molecular Order from Energy Flow           A Theorem of Chemical Cycles           Coupled Cycles and the Steady State           The Manyfold Coupled Cycles of Life           Energy Storage in the BiosphereCHAPTER 5. HOW TO CATCH A FALLING ELECTRON ELECTRON           Life and Negative Entropy           Free Energy and Entropy           Why Don't Organisms Live by Eating Diamonds?           What Kind of 'Engine' is the Organism?CHAPTER 6. TOWARDS A THERMODYNAMICS OF ORGANIZED COMPLEXITY           The Continuing Enigma of Organisms           The Organism as an Energy Storage Domain           Energy Storage and Mobilization is Symmetrical           Thermodynamics of the Steady State vs           Thermodynamics of Organized Complexity           Superposition of Cyclic Non Dissipative             Processes Coupled to Dissipative             Processes           The Principle of Internal Entropy Compensation           Dynamic Closure and the Autonomy of Organisms           Exquisite Sensitivity and FreedomCHAPTER 7. THE SEVENTY THREE OCTAVES OF NATURE'S MUSIC           Reductionism versus Integration           Electricity and Magnetism           The Electromagnetic Theory of Light and Matter           Moledcular and Intermolecular ForcesCHAPTER 8. COHERENT DXCITATIONS OF THE BODY ELECTRICCHAPTER 9. HOW COHERENT IS THE ORGANIEM?CHAPTER 10. LIFE IS ALL THE COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW IN A MORMCHAPTER 11. THE LIQUID CRYSTALLINE ORGANISMCHAPTER 12. CRYSTAL CONSCIOUSNESSCHAPTER 13. QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT AND COHERENCECHAPTER 14. THE IGNORANCE OF THE EXTERNAL OBSERVERCHAPTER 15. TIME AND FREEWILLREFERENCESSUBJECT INDEXAUTHOR INDEX