Stories of the InvisibleStories of the Invisible
a Guided Tour of Molecules
Title rated 0 out of 5 stars, based on 0 ratings(0 ratings)
Book, 2001
Current format, Book, 2001, , No Longer Available.Book, 2001
Current format, Book, 2001, , No Longer Available. Offered in 0 more formatsIf atoms are letters, writes Philip Ball, then molecules are words. And through these words, scientists have uncovered many fascinating stories of the physical world. In Stories of the Invisible, Ball has compiled a cornucopia of tales spun by these intriguing, invisible words.
Spiced with quotations from Primo Levi, Flann O'Brien, and Thomas Pynchon, Stories of the Invisible takes us on a tour of a world few of us knew existed. The author describes, for instance, the remarkable molecular structure of spider's silk--a material that is pound for pound much stronger
the steel--and shows how the Kevlar fibers in bulletproof vests were invented by imitating the alignment of molecules found in the spider's amazing thread. We also learn about the protein molecules that create movement, without which bacteria would be immobile, cells could not divide, there would be
no reproduction and therefore no life. The book describes molecules shaped like miniature sculptures, containers, soccer balls, threads, rings, levers and geodesic domes, all made by sticking atoms together. Perhaps most important, Ball provides a fresh perspective on the future of molecular
science, revealing how researchers are promising to reinvent chemistry as the central creative science of the 21st century. Indeed, molecular chemists will someday be able to manufacture a synthetic yet living cell and to create machines the size of bacteria, tools which they can then use to
assemble new molecules to order.
Today we can invent molecules that can cure viral infections, store information, or help hold bridges together. In Stories of the Invisible, Philip Ball takes us inside an incredibly small world that has a major impact on our lives.
Vivid and timely, this guide to the building blocks of matter takes readers deep inside some of natureÆs most profound mysteries, including the spiderÆs web, bullet-proof vests, and protein molecules.
A guide to the building blocks of matter takes readers inside some of nature's most profound mysteries, including the spider's web, bullet-proof vests, and protein molecules.
Spiced with quotations from Primo Levi, Flann O'Brien, and Thomas Pynchon, Stories of the Invisible takes us on a tour of a world few of us knew existed. The author describes, for instance, the remarkable molecular structure of spider's silk--a material that is pound for pound much stronger
the steel--and shows how the Kevlar fibers in bulletproof vests were invented by imitating the alignment of molecules found in the spider's amazing thread. We also learn about the protein molecules that create movement, without which bacteria would be immobile, cells could not divide, there would be
no reproduction and therefore no life. The book describes molecules shaped like miniature sculptures, containers, soccer balls, threads, rings, levers and geodesic domes, all made by sticking atoms together. Perhaps most important, Ball provides a fresh perspective on the future of molecular
science, revealing how researchers are promising to reinvent chemistry as the central creative science of the 21st century. Indeed, molecular chemists will someday be able to manufacture a synthetic yet living cell and to create machines the size of bacteria, tools which they can then use to
assemble new molecules to order.
Today we can invent molecules that can cure viral infections, store information, or help hold bridges together. In Stories of the Invisible, Philip Ball takes us inside an incredibly small world that has a major impact on our lives.
Vivid and timely, this guide to the building blocks of matter takes readers deep inside some of natureÆs most profound mysteries, including the spiderÆs web, bullet-proof vests, and protein molecules.
A guide to the building blocks of matter takes readers inside some of nature's most profound mysteries, including the spider's web, bullet-proof vests, and protein molecules.
Title availability
About
Subject and genre
Details
Publication
- Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, c2001.
Opinion
More from the community
Community lists featuring this title
There are no community lists featuring this title
Community contributions
There are no quotations from this title
There are no quotations from this title
From the community