Bioenergetics at a Glance: An Illustrated Introduction (At a Glance S.) - Tapa dura

Bioenergetics is the study of the way biological systems, usually at the molecular level, utilize and convert energy in order to drive the vast number of biochemical reactions that constitute life and, therefore, this subject is central to the life sciences. However, because of its often quantitative basis (it connects with physics particularly in the area of thermodynamics), its highly technical amount of jargon and the diverse amount of controversy generated by particular theories, the subject has not been well taught in the past and tends to alienate and intimidate students approaching it. This illustrated text has been written with the aim of providing a lucid and logical approach to the subject for the undergraduate/beginning postgraduate student. Firstly, recent advances in knowledge in topics such as membrane protein structure, and gene sequencing techniques have produced a new "molecular bioenergetics" providing a concrete framework in which to put previously often abstract theories. This text uses the modern perspective throughout so that the student is given an easily assimable, logical introduction to the important concepts of the subject - this is particularly so with the core concept around which the book (and the subject) is built - the mechanism of energy production by means of the flow of protons across a cellular membrane - the "chemiosmotic theory". The text has been specifically designed to make information easily accessible, and this is accomplished by devoting each double-page to one topic, each following logically from the one previous to it. A comprehensive guide to additional reading is also provided.