Visions of the Future: Chemistry and Life Science

Cambridge University Press, 7/12/2001
EAN 9780521805391, ISBN10: 0521805392

Paperback, 208 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm
Language: English

Leading young scientists, many holding prestigious Royal Society Research Fellowships, describe their research and give their visions of the future. Re-written in a popular and well illustrated style, the articles are derived from scholarly and authoritative papers published in a special Millennium Issue of the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions (used by Newton, this is the world's longest running scientific journal). Carefully selected by the journal's editor, Professor J. M. T. Thompson FRS, topics include studies of atoms and molecules in motion; new processes and materials; nature's secrets of biological growth and form; progress in understanding the human body and mind. The book conveys the excitement and enthusiasm of the young authors for their work in Chemistry and Life Science. Two companion books cover Astronomy and Earth Science, and Physics and Electronics. All are definitive reviews for anyone with a general interest in the future directions of science.

Preface J. M. T. Thompson
Part I. Atoms and Molecules in Motion
1. Laser snapshots of molecular motions Gareth Roberts
2. Enzymology takes a quantum leap forward Michael J. Sutcliffe and Nigel S. Scrutton
Part II. New Processes and Materials
3. World champion chemists
people versus computers Jonathan M. Goodman
4. Chemistry on the inside
green chemistry in mesoporous materials Duncan J. Macquarrie
5. Diamond thin films
a 21st century material Paul W. May
Part III. Biological Growth and Form
6. The secret of nature's microscopic patterns Alan R. Hemsley and Peter C. Griffiths
7. Skeletal structure
synthesis of mechanics and cell biology Marjolein C. H. van der Meulen and Patrick J. Prendergast
Part IV. Understanding the Human Body
8. The making of the virtual heart Peter Kohl, Denis Noble, Raimond L. Winslow and Peter Hunter
9. Exploring human organs with computers Paul J. Kolston
Part V. Understanding the Human Mind
10. Reverse engineering the human mind Vincent Walsh.