Wetware

A Computer in Every Living Cell

Dennis Bray

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Paperback

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English

Yale University
01 March 2011

Mathematics & Sciences; Life sciences: general issues; Cellular biology (cytology)

In the tradition of as Erwin Schrödinger’s What Is Life? and Richard Dawkins’s The Selfish Gene, a distinguished cell biologist explains how living cells perform computations

How does a single-cell creature, such as an amoeba, lead such a sophisticated life? How does it hunt living prey, respond to lights, sounds, and smells, and display complex sequences of movements without the benefit of a nervous system? This book offers a startling and original answer.

In clear, jargon-free language, Dennis Bray taps the findings of the new discipline of systems biology to show that the internal chemistry of living cells is a form of computation. Cells are built out of molecular circuits that perform logical operations, as electronic devices do, but with unique properties. Bray argues that the computational juice of cells provides the basis of all the distinctive properties of living systems: it allows organisms to embody in their internal structure an image of the world, and this accounts for their adaptability, responsiveness, and intelligence.

In Wetware, Bray offers imaginative, wide-ranging and perceptive critiques of robotics and complexity theory, as well as many entertaining and telling anecdotes. For the general reader, the practicing scientist, and all others with an interest in the nature of life, the book is an exciting portal to some of biology’s latest discoveries and ideas.

By: Dennis Bray
Imprint: Yale University
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 2mm
Weight: 322g
ISBN: 9780300167849
ISBN 10: 0300167849
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 01 March 2011
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Dennis Bray is professor emeritus, University of Cambridge, and coauthor of several bestselling and influential texts on molecular and cell biology. In 2007 he was awarded the prestigious European Science Prize in Computational Biology. He lives in Cambridge.

Reviews for Wetware: A Computer in Every Living Cell

'Whilst Bray doesn't shy away from using unfamiliar terms they are always explained in context. For a book delving into systems biology and comparing specific examples of biological processes to computational systems that's quite a welcome surprise... The style is elegant and very readable.' Celia Gitterman, Chemistry World 'Biology and information lie at the heart of a new scientific revolution. In this timely and illuminating volume, Dennis Bray passionately weaves a compelling case for a computational view of life.' Martyn Amos, author of Genesis Machines: The New Science of Biocomputing