Science and Inquiry discussion

For March 2023 we will be reading The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

Loved this book. I’ll read it again! :)

Oh good timing! I’m reading this now.

I'm finally getting with the program and ordered this book for March - the description is certainly alluring, and I can't wait!

I got a lot out of Mukherjee's The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. I can't fit this one in right now but have it in my list to read soon, so I will follow the comments.

Doesn't look like I'll be able to read this in March. I put a hold on it at two different libraries more than a month ago, but the waitlists still say it will be seven weeks. Is anyone else having trouble?

Betsy wrote: "Doesn't look like I'll be able to read this in March. I put a hold on it at two different libraries more than a month ago, but the waitlists still say it will be seven weeks. Is anyone else having ..."

I can get this in my library and I'm glad for that because it was still full price at my Barnes and Noble $32.50. Is it just me, or were these books all under $30 just a year ago?

Has any one listened to Song of the Cell on audio?

Betsy wrote: "Doesn't look like I'll be able to read this in March. I put a hold on it at two different libraries more than a month ago, but the waitlists still say it will be seven weeks. Is anyone else having ..."

Yes, I will be waiting for quite a while, too for the library hold.

Jessica, I listened to the audiobook a few months ago, after the book was released.

Now that it's nearly March, I'll post my thoughts on this book. I gave this book 4/5 stars (I only give 5 stars to my top ~5% of reads), and this was my review:

"As a physician and a scientist who's published some well-cited works in cancer biology, I'm not really the target audience for this book (it's written more for the science-curious layperson), and didn't really gain additional insights. Still, Mukherjee is one of the premier medical writers of the decade and has a gift for captivating prose. I most enjoyed hearing about his scientific journey and his various mentors, both historical and contemporary."

I don't think I was the target audience for this book, but I think many here will find it engaging and enjoyable.

CatReader wrote: "Jessica, I listened to the audiobook a few months ago, after the book was released.

Now that it's nearly March, I'll post my thoughts on this book. I gave this book 4/5 stars (I only give 5 stars..."

Thanks! I am thinking of getting it on audio and it sounds like the audio was ok for you.

I am in the process of reading this book and stumbled upon this thread. So far, it's been interesting.

Started reading it today.

I started this recently and finding it interesting. The cell is a very complicated being, quite an intricate machine. I had no idea how all these little organelles worked and how they relayed info and materials between each other.
Just came across this which I think is germane to the topic

https://scitechdaily.com/artificial-c...

I started this book at the beginning of March with the group, hoping to finish it by the end of the month, which I have failed to do! I'm enjoying it, and will not give up. I finished work on a degree in biology about 6 years ago, and find it amazing how many details about the cell I managed to forget. Ugh.

Fostergrants wrote: "I started this book at the beginning of March with the group, hoping to finish it by the end of the month, which I have failed to do! I'm enjoying it, and will not give up. I finished work on a deg..."

I have been so busy at work that I am just now starting this book today on the last day of March. It's not in my field at all so I may not have anything to add to the discussion but I will continue reading with you! I hope it's accessible to someone like myself who only has a very basic understanding of cells.

Jessica wrote: "Fostergrants wrote: "I started this book at the beginning of March with the group, hoping to finish it by the end of the month, which I have failed to do! I'm enjoying it, and will not give up. I f..."

Yay, I'm not the only late-bloomer! We can cheer each other on.

I placed a hold on both The Song of the Cell, and Liquid Rules at my library. Of course Liquid Rules arrived first, lol. I hope to get my copy soon so I can join in for the month of April!

I'm also running behind. I finally got a copy a few days ago after being on the wait list for more than two months. So far it's interesting, but a little slow going for me. Not quite as compelling as "Emperor" was.

Me too. I’ll blame the long wait from the library! It is a dense book about a topic I have almost no knowledge, but very well written. Taking me a while but I’m getting there.

Such an excellent book!

Cool, now I know what a thymus is for!

If anyone is still looking for this book, it is currently on sale at Kindle (Amazon), Google and Apple books for $6.99

Nancy wrote: "Cool, now I know what a thymus is for!"

I just got to that chapter and I agree, it's always cool to know what the thymus is for! I thought I remembered that the thymus stops working at a certain age and so I looked it up, Wikipedia says that hypothetically, it should stop functioning at 105.

I'm still not finished with the book. Part 2 was a little slow going though I was pleased that I remembered some things from my Anatomy classes.

I am almost through Part 3 now and it has been easier than Part 2 because of the book we read on the Immune system a while back. It's always satisfying when a book reminds me of things I've learned before. I like to retain knowledge and build on it.

I will keep plugging away at this book until I finish!

Yes! Such an excellent book.

Finished! My husband asked me what it was about and I stared at him with a blank expression because there was just so much I couldn't think of one thing to say. I finally came up with the story about the unethical genetic experiment performed on an embryo by JK. Does anyone else remember a story from the book that stands out?

Finished! I was taken by the descriptions of the various organelles. What a complicated piece of machinery! I would like to learn more about the internal workings of cells.
Very well written and accessible book, although there is quite a lot to it.

Nancy wrote: "Finished! I was taken by the descriptions of the various organelles. What a complicated piece of machinery! I would like to learn more about the internal workings of cells.
Very well written and ac..."

I thought Nick Lane's Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life did a pretty good job of explaining the inner workings of the cell. I can't compare it to Mukherjee's explanation because I'm still having trouble finishing Mukherjee.

The author's sentences about blood in the First Chapter of Part 3, 'The Restless Cell," motivates me to 'change my behavior' and to 'take action.'

"Blood speaks to me, but only if I pay attention to it. Blood, as an organ of communication, is a network and talks to every organ."

Unlike the author, I have never given blood my focused attention. When I "suffer" from a paper cut, my attention is only focused on minimizing the bloody mess. Now, I want to pay focused attention to blood, my blood. To accomplish this objective, I will acquire my first microscope, an affordable, refurbished, stereo one that was "retired" from a university.

I want to see my red and white cells, platelets, and plasma. After months of initial observation and note taking will then compare and contrast with blood from frogs, fish, and chickens. Eventually, I'd like to observe, under magnification, the genesis of blood cells in these critters' bone marrow. Maybe even take a close look at their livers.

In case you suspect my changing behavior, due to Mukherjee's excellent sentences, will lead to unorthodox experimentation consistent with Mary Shelley's young scientist, Victor Frankenstein, let me provide reassurance. I anticipate being more than satisfied with observations of the living wonders of blood, one of my many multicellular organs.

Betsy wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Finished! I was taken by the descriptions of the various organelles. What a complicated piece of machinery! I would like to learn more about the internal workings of cells.
Very well ..."
It was a bit of a slog at times. I will look for that book, the title is interesting! Thanks

Thank you for the book recommendation Betsy. I put that book in my to-read list.

This is an exceptionally well researched book. The breakdown and development of the subject was very sensible and the writing made a vert complex subject accessible

I am enjoying this book so far. I like how he meanders through history while discussing the different parts of the cell and the changes to modern medicine.

This is the second or third of his books that I've read. I prefer Nick Lane, but he is a close second. I liked his concept of the human body as a community of (normallyl) cooperating cells. I liked that he shared his struggles with depression.

A key quote:"Vaccination, more than any other form of medical intervention--more than antibiotics, or heart surgery, or any new drug--changed the face of human health."

I had a friend and co-worker who died of AIDS early on. It was somehow comforting to learn how the HIV virus worked and all that it took to figure that out.

The dual functions of the pancreas were a surprise.

I'm having trouble finishing this. While there is much interesting information, I find most of the history somewhat tedious. And the explanations of how various cells work often seem to repeat what I've read recently in other works, including Mukherjee's "Emperor of All Maladies" and "Immune" by Philip Dettmer. I will read a little bit, usually less than a chapter and, getting bored, have to put it away for a while.

The worst part of it is that it's preventing me from reading other books that I very much want to read. I have felt that I need to finish this one before starting another nonfiction book, but instead I've been watching more TV, reading fiction, and playing on the computer.

So I've decided to put this book aside. I may come back to it sometime. I am about half way through and I hate to abandon it totally. It may just be that I'm not in the right mood for this now. Strange, because I really enjoyed "Emperor".

Betsy wrote: "I'm having trouble finishing this. While there is much interesting information, I find most of the history somewhat tedious. And the explanations of how various cells work often seem to repeat what..."

I have a fair number of partially read books. I may go back to some of them at some point. Life is to short to spend on books that aren't resonating at the moment. And I remember when I read Cosmos (I think it was Cosmos), the author said something like, you can only read a certain number of books in a life time, and that really stuck with me. The limited number of books that I can read during my life can actually be calculated? /gasp! I hadn't thought it out before but now I do. I hope that helps!

Jessica wrote: the author said something like, you can only read a certain number of books in a life time, and that really stuck with me. ..."

When you get to be in your sixties or older you get more aware of that than when you're younger.

George P. wrote: "Jessica wrote: the author said something like, you can only read a certain number of books in a life time, and that really stuck with me. ..."

When you get to be in your sixties or older you get m..."

Ditto.

Statistically, I recently learned I have nine years to read all of the unread books on my shelves (the majority), not to mention whatever new books my library has, or the books my GR book clubs select. If death doesn’t overtake me, then there are the increasing eye issues like cataracts and floaters, and of course, the increasing signs of dementia…..

>While there is much interesting information, I find most of the history somewhat tedious

I feel the same. Too much history pulls me away from the interesting stuff which soon follows.

I’m close to finishing it and really like it but I’ve also taken a long time to read it. I tend to read many nonfiction science books at once and flit between them depending on my interest. Actually I just bought a new Nick Lane book I’m excited to read, Transformer. I had to skip the chapter in The Song of the Cell about the pandemic for now because I got to it just as I caught Covid for the first time and I have a lot of anxiety about medical things when I’m sick (or when my kids are sick). Will go back to it when we’re all fully recovered. I really like the stories and history and while some of it I know already because I studied biology (and teach high school biology) but I graduated almost 20 years ago and it’s fascinating to me to see all the new things that have been discovered in cell biology (and other fields) since then.

Erica wrote: "I’m close to finishing it and really like it but I’ve also taken a long time to read it. I tend to read many nonfiction science books at once and flit between them depending on my interest. Actuall..."

If you don't go back for the Covid chapter, you won't be missing much. If I remember correctly, it felt like that chapter was inserted. I remember getting to the end of it and thinking, why did the author have to put that in there?

Yeah I might not go back to it. I have a lot of anxiety around respiratory problems because of the pandemic, Covid restrictions (I’m in China and they were really harsh here until suddenly they were lifted and almost the whole country got Covid at the same time- I missed that first wave somehow), and also my kids being hospitalized with pneumonia (not Covid related) in the last couple years.
I finished the book today and really enjoyed the rest.