The Ancestor's Tale takes us from our immediate human ancestors back through what he calls `concestors,' those shared with the apes, monkeys and other mammals and other vertebrates and beyond to the dim and distant microbial beginnings of life some 4 billion years ago. It is a remarkable story which is still very much in the process of being uncovered. And, of course from a scientist of Dawkins stature and reputation we get an insider's knowledge of the most up-to-date science and many of those involved in the research. And, as we have come to expect of Dawkins, it is told with a passionate commitment to scientific veracity and a nose for a good story. Dawkins's knowledge of the vast and wonderful sweep of life's diver...
Imagine No Religion!, 2008-09-07
Having read 3 or 4 Dawkins books, I get the distinct impression that he majors on 2 subjects: atheism and evolutionary biology. The great virtue of this book is that Dawkins is waxing lyrical about something he loves rather than something he hates (bar the final chapter) and hence shows what a great scientist he really is.

Whether this was intentional or not is hard to fathom but I feel that his magnum opus is Biology and the beauty of the wording combined with the immense depth of his research remind you of the flipside to this book - the God Delusion.

Before I started this book I was skeptical as to evolution and didn't believe in Bio or Abiogenesis. Since I have read it, I have found the measured tone and skillful combating of creationism in this book have won me over and I'm am now a far bigger fan of his than I was b4.

Of course, there is the last chapter where the supernatural is derided as not adding to the beauty of evolution. But even this chapter is measured and subtle, rather than polemnical.

As the cliche goes: if you don't believe in evolution, read this [Dawkins] book. But further to this, if you think Dawkins is Satan's son and is not an excellent scientist, then this book should also be top of your reading list rather than the latest CS Lewis...

Contents: Introduction and Background: Life; Aqueous Solutions; Thermodynamic Principles: A Review; Biomolecules: Amino Acids; Techniques of Protein Purification; Covalent Structures of Proteins; Three-Dimensional Structures of Proteins; Protein Folding, Dynamics, and Structural Evolution; Haemoglobin: Protein Function in Microcosm; Sugars and Polysaccharides; Lipids and Membranes; Mechanisms of Enzyme Action: Introduction to Enzymes; Rates of Enzymatic Reactions; Enzymatic Catalysis; Metabolism: Introduction to Metabolism; Glycolysis; Glycogen Metabol...
A textbook you will actually read!, 2004-07-11
This book turned out to be the most used textbook of my undergraduate career. I found it to be informative without being too dry! The diagrams are used to great effect and the chapter on protein folding is superb. This is a great buy for biochemists or undergraduates in chemistry who choose to study some biochem modules etc.