The Science Shelf

Physics of Life
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.nap.edu
9780309274005, $60.00, PB, 370pp

https://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Medicine-National-Academies-Sciences/dp/= 0309274001

Synopsis: Biological physics, or the physics of living systems, has emerged=
fully as a field of physics, alongside more traditional fields of astrophy= sics and cosmology, atomic, molecular and optical physics, condensed matter=
physics, nuclear physics, particle physics, and plasma physics.

This new field brings the physicist's style of inquiry to bear on the beaut= iful phenomena of life. The enormous range of phenomena encountered in livi=
ng systems - phenomena that often have no analog or precedent in the inanim= ate world - means that the intellectual agenda of biological physics is exc= eptionally broad, even by the ambitious standards of physics.

With the publication of "Physics of Life", the National Academies Press pre= sents the first decadal survey of this field, as part of a broader decadal = survey of physics. This report communicates the importance of biological ph= ysics research; addresses what must be done to realize the promise of this = new field; and provides guidance for informed decisions about funding, work= force, and research directions.

Critique: A Consensus Study Report of the National Academies of Science, En= gineering, and Medicine, "Physics of Life" is exceptionally well organized = and presented, making it an especially and unreservedly recommended additio=
n to professional, college, and university library Biological Sciences coll= ections and as a textbook for Biological Physics curriculum syllabus.

Editorial Note: The National Academies Press (NAP) publishes more than 200 = publications per year on a wide range of topics in science, engineering, an=
d medicine, providing authoritative, independently researched information o=
n important matters in science and health policy.

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