Light and Life: An Engrossing Exploration of Biological Clocks, Ancient Sun-Gods, and Creatures That Glow in the Dark

by Michael Gross

Book Overview

Light, more than any other physical phenomenon, lies at the heart of almost every aspect of life. To give just one example: photosynthesis, which converts sunlight into usable energy, creates the calories that sustain you, the oxygen you breathe, even the ozone layer that protects you from dangerous radiation.
Biochemist Michael Gross takes us on a fascinating, far reaching exploration of light and life, ranging from the big bang to the impact...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198564805
• ISBN13: 9780198564805
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Excellent exploration of the interaction of light and life

_Light and Life_ by Michael Gross is a brief overview of a variety of instances in which light - from the Sun and other sources - and life on Earth have interacted. A rather short book - not counting the suggestions for further reading it, is 149 pages - I found it an enjoyable, quick read. Though at times it got a bit technical, for the most part it was accessible and interesting. After a brief preface describing some very general observations as to why light is important in understanding life on Earth and as to why the author decided to explore this topic, the author divided the book into six chapters, each with a different focus. The first chapter really dealt with astronomy rather than with biology. In this section Gross explored the Big Bang, the origins of stars, the formation of the solar system, and the structure and functioning of the Sun. I found this chapter pretty general, mostly things I had read before, though a good overview. I did find his discussion of the left over radiation from the early universe, the cosmic microwave background, or CMB, interesting. Though its existence was predicted in 1948 by physicist George Gamow, it was only discovered 17 years later by accident, when Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson at Bell Laboratories were trying to determine the source of the excessive background radiation picked up by a microwave antenna that they had designed to receive satellite transmissions. A two-page discussion on neutrinos, while a bit off-topic, was also quite interesting, where the reader will learn about the massive devices built underground in attempts to observe these elusive and extremely difficult to detect particles that come from our Sun and other stars. The second chapter was much more in line with the book's title, dealing with photosynthesis, including its evolution, the effects it has had on the geology, climate, and evolution of life on this planet, and how it is accomplished at the chemical level (this latter subject did get a bit technical but there were some helpful diagrams). Also discussed is the ozone layer, its formation, its importance to life, and the threats posed to it by pollution (with some discussion as to why certain pollutants interact with ozone). Chapter three was quite interesting, veering away from the Sun and Sun-related topics, focusing instead on the world of bioluminescent organisms. One interesting point he made, when discussing ecosystems that form around hydrothermal vents, seemingly independent of the Sun, is that ultimately they still benefit from photosynthesis due to their reliance on oxygen, which is present in usable quantities thanks to the activities of photosynthetic organisms. Gross made many interesting observations about bioluminescence. It is found in a rather diverse group of organisms with little apparent rhyme or reason. It is fairly common in the ocean, virtually absent in freshwater. Various groups of worms and insects can glow, but no spiders. Among vertebra