Entropy and the Magic Flute (Paperback)

From the Publisher: Morowitz offers an appealing mix of brief reflections on everything from litmus paper to the hippopotamus to the sociology of Palo Alto coffee shops. Many of these pieces are appreciations of scientists that Morowitz holds in high regard, while others focus on health issues, such as America's obsession with cheese toppings. There is also a fascinating piece on the American Type Culture Collection, a zoo or warehouse for microbes that houses some 11,800 strains of bacteria, and over 3,000 specimens of protozoa, algae, plasmids, and oncogenes.An appealing mix of brief reflections on everything from litmus paper to the hippopotamus--from the acclaimed author of Mayonnaise and the Origin of Life. Here are over 40 light, graceful essays in which one of our wisest experimental biologists comments on issues of science, technology, society, philosophy, and the arts.