Theo Todman's Web Page - Paper Abstracts

Contents

Preface – v
Acknowledgements – vi
1. Introduction – 1
   … A world in a grain of sand;
   … Gases and golf;
   … Micro-states and macro-states;
   … Forces of order;
   … Order v. chaos;
   … Open systems.
   Part I: From Crystals To Organisms
2. Crystals – 12
   … Supercooling and supersaturation;
   … Nucleation;
   … Crystal growth;
   … Crystal defects;
   … Dislocation theory of crystal growth;
   … Chemical imperfections;
   … Further reading.
3. Subcrystals – 20
   … Conformation of molecules;
   … Polymer crystals;
   … Polyamino acids;
   … The primary and secondary structures of DNA;
   … RNA;
   … Proteins;
   … Irregular finite subcrystals;
   … On the virtues and difficulties of molecular sockets;
   … Enzymes as excavators;
   … Precision engineering as the key to enzyme success;
   … Allosteric enzymes;
   … Quaternary structure of proteins;
   … Is protein unique?;
   … Further reading.
4. Organisms – 51
   … The genetic theory of organisms;
   … Where are the genes?;
   … The genetic code;
   … The translating machinery;
   … ‘The minimum phenotype';
   … The genetic view of organisms;
   … A gene in a stream?;
   … Further reading.
   Part II: Organisation
5. On Being Organised – 65
   … Prevalence and organisation;
   … Four aspects of organisation;
   … The inadequacy of negentropy;
   … Hereditary organisation;
   … Biological organisation;
   … Information capacity;
   … An idealised measure of organisation;
   … Complexity of genotype and phenotype;
   … Recapitulation.
6. On Becoming Organised – 82
   … ‘Creative' processes;
   … How to get a monkey to write War and Peace;
   … How to make an enzyme without really knowing what you are doing;
   … How lucky is insulin?;
   … Chance, selection and replication;
   … Corresponding continuity of form and function;
   … Accessible and inaccessible proteins;
   … Would the automotive enzyme finder always come up with the same answer?;
   … Real evolution of proteins and organisms;
   … Mobile landscapes and super-landscapes;
   … Dynamics of a tortoise-blanket-pea system;
   … Further reading.
   Part III: The Origin Of Life
7. A Quest For An Easy Life – 110
   … ‘The facility principle';
   … Three ideas;
   … Difficulties presented by ‘metabolic' and ‘genetic' views;
   … Genetic metamorphosis¹;
   … A possible primitive molecular biology;
   … The story of Sloppy, Sticky, Lumpy and Tough;
   … Catchment areas;
   … Prospects for further evolution;
   … Further reading.
8. Genetic Metamorphosis² – 137
   … Local multiplication of genes;
   … Divergence of gene function;
   … Co-adaptation of genes;
   … Elaboration of a communal phenotype;
   … Gene addition;
   … Establishment of 'heterogenetic' communities;
   … Genetic extension;
   … Genetic modification;
   … Cells;
   … Where are the crystal-gene systems now?;
   … Conclusion.
   References – 151
   Index – 157