![]() Each of his five steps is a major component to understanding the nature of life: cells - his own subject which he describes as 'biology's atom' - genes, evolution, life as chemistry and life as information. However, what Nurse does here is quite different. Nurse makes no secret of the fact this is not a very original title, echoing amongst others quantum physicist Schrödinger's vastly influential book from the 1940s. But some - and What is Life? is a good example - manage to pack a surprising amount of content into an informative, readable bite-sized chunk, easily consumed on a commute or at bedtime. Some (like Seven Brief Lessons) are little more than expensive collections of a handfuls of woffly essays. Such books fall into two broad categories. Paul Nurse's new (and first) book fits in perfectly as an attractive little number with the subtitle 'understanding biology in five steps'. ![]() Ever since the success of Carlo Rovelli's Seven Brief Lessons in Physics there has been a fashion for short, smart-looking small hardbacks which almost always have a number in the title or subtitle. ![]()
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