Review – Life on the Edge

Posted August 19, 2017 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Life on the Edge by Joe Al-Khalili and Johnjoe MacFaddenLife on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology, Jim Al-Khalili, Johnjoe McFadden

I’ve been meaning to read this for a while now, though also somewhat afraid of the idea — quantum biology?! Do y’all have to bring quantum (which I don’t understand) into biology (which I mostly do understand)? How rude! But this book is really clear about the concepts it describes, and there’s nothing too mind-boggling in it. Sometimes, in fact, the patience the authors had with explaining a concept I already understood was a little frustrating — but will open the book up to a bigger audience.

Do they have a point? Yes, I think so. I’m not sure it’s proven that quantum effects have a major impact on all the biological processes they discuss, but it seems pretty clear from the research they reference that quantum effects are there and might even solve some of the problems we still have in biology.

More research is needed, though — and this is one field you won’t find me trying to join, I think! It’s fascinating stuff, but I’m not a quantum fan.

Rating: 4/5

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