The Touchstone of Life: Molecular Information, Cell Communication, and the Foundations of Life

by Werner R. Loewenstein

Book Overview

No one can escape a sense of wonder when looking at an organism from within. From the humblest amoeba to man, from the smallest cell organelle to the amazing human brain, life presents us with example after example of highly ordered cellular matter, precisely organized and shaped to perform coordinated functions. But where does this order spring from? How does a living organism manage to do what nonliving things cannot do--bring forth and maintain...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195118286
• ISBN13: 9780195118285
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Flawed but interesting

I personally found this book very interesting because it was the first time I had seen the idea of information in biological systems discussed in a popular science book. Usually when laymen think of information in biological systems, they are thinking of the way the brain processes information or the the way DNA stores it. But that is a different topic. This book is about the rest of the information in any organism, which is stored in the arrangement of the complex molecules in the body which allows the organism to function. At some level, the body must "know" where all this stuff should be, and whether it is where it should be. Otherwise it couldn't repair itself or grow. The amount of information involved is huge. This book is about where the information comes from and how it is collected. The information is gathered in tiny parcels in a massively parallel process consisting of chemical reactions. One of the most interesting points of the book is that life is more interested in conserving information than anything else, including energy. It's all very interesting, so why not five stars? Well, I am afraid the editors of this book really fell down on the job. First, Loewenstein is a German, and it really shows. I am fluent in German, and I really wonder how people who aren't can even figure out what he is trying to say. A lot of the book reads like an amatuerish translation of German - which in fact it probably is. Second, Loewenstein often loses track of the point he is trying to make, so that a sentence with an parenthetical remark is converted into a whole paragraph about something unimportant, with the original remark buried somewhere in it. What makes this worse is the fact that Loewenstein is often preoccupied with things that Germans talk about, but that English speakers need some backgraound information on to make sense of. I sort of feel sorry for the author. With the right editor this could have been a pop sci blockbuster.

"Lady evolution" at her best

The book is really a must read for anyone interested in the subject of biological information and cell communication. Dr Loewenstein treats the subject from an evolutionary perspective and so I think a good book to read in conjunction with this one is "In The Beginning Was Information" by Werner Gitt. Loewenstein takes us from a simple problem that was not answered until the concept of information was discovered by science. This field of information will no doubt be the proof that either spoils or makes the pudding in the evolution vs. creation debate. The communication within a living organism and the information exchange mechanism is quite fascinating as Loewenstein points out quite thoroughly by the use of analogy. The book is difficult to read in places and he gets quite technical so the reader should not expect to sail through it but it is definitely worth the effort.After reading Gitt's book I was left with the impression that Loewenstein did not understand the full nature of meaningful information. Claude Shannon deals with information from a mostly statistical and mechanical perspective and Loewenstein does not go beyond that level in the book. The mechanics are fascinating but I am afraid that Dr Loewenstein has failed to explain where the `foundations of life' comes from. His constant answer when he reaches a gap in knowledge is to say that `Lady evolution' did it. Werner Gitt on the other hand goes way beyond the statistical level and shows the true nature of the coded information contained in DNA.Loewenstein's book however is invaluable especially as it explores cell communication. I am quite happy that I purchased the book and I will probably use it as a reference tool for years to come. I only rated it with four stars because I think he over did it a little in his constant references to `Lady evolution' and what `she' supposedly did. This is a rather typical `evolution in the gaps' argument and it is to be expected now days but I had to chuckle a few times when he inserted `her' into the discussion as if we all know that `she' can do just about anything if she is given enough time and if the reader has enough faith. Read Gitt's book and his and decide for yourself who or what is the foundation of life. I am the author of "The Blind Atheist".

A cancer cure?

I enjoyed the book, which covers a lot of ground. But I did find it a difficult read at times. I nearly put it down in the middle, but was rewarded greatly when I read the section on a possible cancer cure. As a computer programmer, I wiew Werner as a great reverse engineer. He has examined cell to cell communcation channels down to the microcode level and has possibly discovered some bugs in nature. In particular his section on the algorithm of cell growth regulation along with his experiments to confirm his findings seem to bring us to within an eyelash of a cure. I expect a nobel prize could come of this. But as a programmer, I often think I have "finally found" the problem, only to be shocked by my most recent test. So only time will tell, but I am very hopeful because Werner's logic makes such good sense.

"The Unit of Life" Explained

The Touchstone of LifeI was fuzzy on the meaning of the word "touchstone" and therefore consulted two dictionaries. It has two separate but related meanings: a stone used to measure (or test) the quality of metals, such as gold and silver; also, a means by which to determine authenticity. The title of Loewenstein's book suggests that he will discuss "the" (not "a") touchstone of "life." Hmmm. My curiosity was aroused.For me, reading this book proved to be a difficult but rewarding intellectual experience. In it, Loewenstein examines molecular information, cell communication, and the "foundations of life." His original purpose was to write a book about intercellular communication but, as he got to "the heart" of this subject, "a picture materialized seemingly out of the blue: a continuous intra- and intercellular network where, with DNA at the core, molecular information flowed in gracefully interlaced circles. That apparition had an allure I could not resist, and so this became a book about information." The timing of the book's publication (1999) coincides with (a) numerous and significant revelations concerning the interaction of the brain with the mind and (b) rapid development of the Internet, especially of the WWW. As a non-scientist, I was fascinated by Loewenstein's analysis of "interlaced circles" and their relevance to the technological transmission of information. (In Holding On to Reality, Albert Borgmann addresses several of the same issues Loewenstein does but from somewhat different perspectives.) As Loewenstein explains in the Introduction, he set out to prove that "this information flow, not energy per se, is the prime mover of life -- that molecular information flowing in circles brings forth the organization we call `organism' and maintains it against the ever-present disorganizing pressures in the physics universe. So viewed, the information circle becomes the unit of life." Part One introduces the entity Information; Part Two "takes up the full-grown weft of circles, the intracellular communication network; Part Three deals with the intercellular communication network, "the web that ties all cells of an organism together; and Part Four provides "a short philosophical foray where we see the principle [ie the principle of information economy which is, for Loewenstein, the guiding principle of biological evolution] through to its heuristic conclusion." Who will most enjoy reading this book? Loewenstein claims to have written it both for the scientist and other reader with an interest in science..."no specialized knowledge of biology or physics is assumed in advance." In my opinion, however, such knowledge would be very helpful. Back to the question. As a non-scientist, I highly recommend it to all the other non-scientists out there who occupy decision-making positions in their organizations and who ask the following questions:1. What is the nature of "the information circle"?2. What are i