In The Lives of a Cell, Dr. Thomas opens up to the listener a universe of knowledge and perception that is perhaps not wholly unfamiliar to the research scientist; but the world he explores is one of men and women too, a world of complex interrelationships, old ironies, peculiar powers, and intricate languages that give identity to the alienated, direction to the dependent. The Lives of a Cell offers a subtle, bold vision of humankind and the world around us-a sense of what gives life-from a writer who seems to draw grace and strength from the very substance of his subject, a man of wit and imagination who takes pleasure in and gives meaning to nearly everything he beholds. CHAPTER 1: THE LIVES OF A CELL CHAPTER 2: THOUGHTS FOR A COUNTDOWN CHAPTER 3: ON SOCIETIES ON ORGANISMS CHAPTER 4: A FEAR OF PHEROMONES CHAPTER 5: THE MUSIC OF THIS SPHERE CHAPTER 6: AN EARNEST PROPOSAL CHAPTER 7: THE TECHNOLOGY OF MEDICINE CHAPTER 8: VIBES CHAPTER 9: CETI CHAPTER 10: THE LONG HABIT CHAPTER 11: ANTAEUS IN MANHATTAN CHAPTER 12: THE MBL CHAPTER 13: AUTONOMY CHAPTER 14: ORGANELLES AS ORGANISMS CHAPTER 15: GERMS CHAPTER 16: YOUR VERY GOOD HEALTH CHAPTER 17: SOCIAL TALK CHAPTER 18: INFORMATION CHAPTER 19: DEATH IN THE OPEN CHAPTER 20: NATURAL SCIENCE CHAPTER 21: NATURAL MAN CHAPTER 22: THE IKS CHAPTER 23: COMPUTERS CHAPTER 24: THE PLANNING OF SCIENCE CHAPTER 25: SOME BIOMYTHOLOGY CHAPTER 26: ON VARIOUS WORDS CHAPTER 27: LIVING LANGUAGE CHAPTER 28: ON PROBABILITY AND POSSIBILITY CHAPTER 29: THE WORLD'S BIGGEST MEMBRANE "Gardner prances through Thomas's complex thoughts and abstruse language, sharing a rich good humor with the author. They are ideally mated…To read, comprehend and enjoy this book on one's own can be daunting. In the company of a guide like Gardner, we experience the joy of sagacity vocalized by a nimble and discriminating performer."
