--- product_id: 4683785 title: "The Machinery of Life" price: "9035 som" currency: KGS in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.kg/products/4683785-the-machinery-of-life store_origin: KG region: Kyrgyzstan --- # The Machinery of Life **Price:** 9035 som **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Machinery of Life - **How much does it cost?** 9035 som with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.kg](https://www.desertcart.kg/products/4683785-the-machinery-of-life) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Imagine that we had some way to look directly at the molecules in a living organism. An x-ray microscope would do the trick, or since we’re dreaming, perhaps an Asimov-style nanosubmarine (unfortunately, neither is currently feasible). Think of the wonders we could witness firsthand: antibodies atta- ing a virus, electrical signals racing down nerve fibers, proteins building new strands of DNA. Many of the questions puzzling the current cadre of sci- tists would be answered at a glance. But the nanoscale world of molecules is separated from our everyday world of experience by a daunting million-fold difference in size, so the world of molecules is completely invisible. I created the illustrations in this book to help bridge this gulf and allow us to see the molecular structure of cells, if not directly, then in an artistic rendition. I have included two types of illustrations with this goal in mind: watercolor paintings which magnify a small portion of a living cell by one million times, showing the arrangement of molecules inside, and comput- generated pictures, which show the atomic details of individual molecules. In this second edition of The Machinery of Life, these illustrations are presented in full color, and they incorporate many of the exciting scientific advances of the 15 years since the first edition. Review: Beautiful Introduction to Cellular Biology - Reading this book has been a great experience. The frequent detailed and annotated drawings that span the whole page and often even two pages are very intricate and mesmerizing. The replication cycle of a virus in a human cell stretches over two adjacent pages and is explaned in a very comprensible manner in the extensive notes below. A journey through a part of the enormous human cell following the assemby of antibodies spans several pages of large colorful drawings with interesting annotation that are sometimes a little overwhelming. The illustrations of E. coli (as the one shown on the cover) is simply beautiful and intriguing. Throughout the book the drawings are kept in consistent scale which makes it very easy to compare proteins and biochemical machines. The text starts with a clear introduction to the main components of any cellular machine. The introduction serves well to prepare even readers just starting out in cellular biology to appreciate the explanations that follow on. The book never felt like a lecture even though often more than just purely descriptive information was provided. With the book covering many different types of cellular machines both in microbes and human cells, and exposing mechanisms related to all kinds of interaction with these machines, it serves as a very lively and motivating introduction that luckily doesn't stop at the surface. Sometimes I would have preferred to be given a little more information on how exactly this or that protein performs certain tasks. However, considering the complexity of many of the processes shown, this is not actually a bad thing. This book has sparked my interest to read up on some of the presented processes, e.g. protein folding, structure and function. Having read this book -- and often simply looked at the illustrations therein for minutes -- I know that learning more about this fascinating hidden world can be very enjoyable and is absolutely worth the time (and money) spent. Review: Amazing book - I rarely review but this book deserves it. It bought it for the pictures(after reading an article in the New Yorker) and was even more amazed by the text. This author clearly has a deep understanding of his subject. I majored in Biology in college and became a physician but part of me always wished I had become a molecular biologist. This book was the first time diving deep into the subject again. To give you an example of why this book is so amazing. Ever wonder how the yearly influenza virus starts? I thought I did. In one paragraph he was able to summarize how this happens in a very satisfying way. Also, you will understand why some vaccines are good after one shot and others need yearly shots. You've heard of ATP as our cellular energy source? This book shows a detailed picture and the text explains how these enzymes are actually turning a molecular axle to produce the ATP molecule. I used to be able to write out the steps and did well on the tests BUT NEVER ACTUALLY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON at a gut level. Incredible. This is a book I'll read over and over. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #116,672 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #37 in Molecular Biology (Books) #45 in Cell Biology (Books) #53 in Microbiology (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 321 Reviews | ## Images ![The Machinery of Life - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71RBF-Fn9ML.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful Introduction to Cellular Biology *by R***O on July 30, 2010* Reading this book has been a great experience. The frequent detailed and annotated drawings that span the whole page and often even two pages are very intricate and mesmerizing. The replication cycle of a virus in a human cell stretches over two adjacent pages and is explaned in a very comprensible manner in the extensive notes below. A journey through a part of the enormous human cell following the assemby of antibodies spans several pages of large colorful drawings with interesting annotation that are sometimes a little overwhelming. The illustrations of E. coli (as the one shown on the cover) is simply beautiful and intriguing. Throughout the book the drawings are kept in consistent scale which makes it very easy to compare proteins and biochemical machines. The text starts with a clear introduction to the main components of any cellular machine. The introduction serves well to prepare even readers just starting out in cellular biology to appreciate the explanations that follow on. The book never felt like a lecture even though often more than just purely descriptive information was provided. With the book covering many different types of cellular machines both in microbes and human cells, and exposing mechanisms related to all kinds of interaction with these machines, it serves as a very lively and motivating introduction that luckily doesn't stop at the surface. Sometimes I would have preferred to be given a little more information on how exactly this or that protein performs certain tasks. However, considering the complexity of many of the processes shown, this is not actually a bad thing. This book has sparked my interest to read up on some of the presented processes, e.g. protein folding, structure and function. Having read this book -- and often simply looked at the illustrations therein for minutes -- I know that learning more about this fascinating hidden world can be very enjoyable and is absolutely worth the time (and money) spent. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazing book *by S***E on April 4, 2022* I rarely review but this book deserves it. It bought it for the pictures(after reading an article in the New Yorker) and was even more amazed by the text. This author clearly has a deep understanding of his subject. I majored in Biology in college and became a physician but part of me always wished I had become a molecular biologist. This book was the first time diving deep into the subject again. To give you an example of why this book is so amazing. Ever wonder how the yearly influenza virus starts? I thought I did. In one paragraph he was able to summarize how this happens in a very satisfying way. Also, you will understand why some vaccines are good after one shot and others need yearly shots. You've heard of ATP as our cellular energy source? This book shows a detailed picture and the text explains how these enzymes are actually turning a molecular axle to produce the ATP molecule. I used to be able to write out the steps and did well on the tests BUT NEVER ACTUALLY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON at a gut level. Incredible. This is a book I'll read over and over. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Molecular Machines *by C***U on October 18, 2010* This was a book used for a First Year Seminar class at Wake Forest University. At first I was skeptical about having it as our textbook and the ability for us to be able to understand and learn from it but I was quickly proven wrong. It is very easy to read and the info it provides about the cells molecular machines in our body as well in other organisms is precise and straight to the point. This made it perfect for the class and it seemed like everyone enjoyed it. When I sat down to read it, it went by pretty fast. The coolest thing about this book was the pictures. The animated and colorful pictures really add to the experience and really show you what the machines look like while adding depth to the book. Overall, this was a really great book that I would recommend to anyone interested in learning about the how the machines deep within the cell work. Cmurphy WFU ## Frequently Bought Together - The Machinery of Life - The Atom: A Visual Tour (Mit Press) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.kg/products/4683785-the-machinery-of-life](https://www.desertcart.kg/products/4683785-the-machinery-of-life) --- *Product available on Desertcart Kyrgyzstan* *Store origin: KG* *Last updated: 2026-10-18*