Kensal E. van Holde - The Evolution of Molecular Biology: The Search for the Secrets of Life

First Edition

Kensal E. van Holde

Oregon State University, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Corvallis, OR, USA

Jordanka Zlatanova

University of Wyoming, Department of Molecular Biology, Laramie, WY, USA

Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier

125 London Wall, London EC2Y 5AS, United Kingdom

525 B Street, Suite 1800, San Diego, CA 92101-4495, United States

50 Hampshire Street, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States

The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, United Kingdom

2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publishers permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions.

This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).

Notices

Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-0-12-812917-3

For information on all Academic Press publications visit our website at https://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals

Publisher: Sara Tenney

Acquisition Editor: Kristi Gomez

Editorial Project Manager: Pat Gonzalez

Production Project Manager: Priya Kumaraguruparan

Cover Designer : Christian Bilbow

Typeset by SPi Global, India

Within the past century, a whole new science has arisen, a new way of understanding biology and medicine. The applications of this science, which has come to be called molecular biology , pervade every aspect of our lives today and promise even more in the future. Molecular biology has arisen from roots in biochemistry and geneticshas in fact fused these disciplines to provide an understanding of life at a much deeper level than was hitherto possible (). As is often the case with new science, unexpected applications have arisen and created whole new industries.

In this book, we will depict the rise and flowering of molecular biology. We will not attempt an exhaustive history of the field, nor of those scientists who built it. Instead, we shall concentrate on the development and flow of ideas. We would like to demonstrate the complexity of science, the sudden breakthroughs following decades of confusion, the frequent blind alleys of misconception that tend to hinder progress. We would like to show how some ideas are slowly crafted by teams of careful and dedicated workers, whereas others arise from individual strokes of genius.

Finally, while this is a book about science, we will try to avoid esoteric knowledge and extensive detail, either about scientific procedures or about the scientists themselves. Nevertheless, there is much about those remarkable men and women who created this field that demands telling, and we shall include biographical material where appropriate.