E. coli in Motion

This cross-disciplinary monograph covers more than 30 years of research and is accessible to both graduate students and researchers alike. Scientists and engineers, not trained in microbiology, and who would like to learn more about living machines will see this as a unique example.

From the reviews:

Physics Today, February 2005

Review by Richard M. Berry, University of Oxford, UK

"Howard Berg's book E. coli in Motion presents a classic example of interdisciplinary research at the interface between biology and physics, from 17th-century microscopy through major breakthroughs in the 1970s and 1980s, and up to the present. Berg's book is well written and accessible yet densely packed with information and insight. As one of the founders of the modern field of bacterial chemotaxis and an eminent figure in the world of biological physics, the author writes with authority. He presents E. coli not as the faceless biochemical factory familiar to geneticists and molecular biologists, but as an individual swimming around looking for food, making decisions, and trying to get along in the world. Often he invites the reader to 'step . . . into E. coli's shoes,' and he shows obvious affection for his tiny protagonist and for the process of scientific discovery. Yet, at the same time, the book gives a rigorous and essentially complete account of the field while touching on several relevant topics in molecular biology, physics, and biophysics. E. coli in Motion is slim, and its short chapters are further divided into sections that are seldom more than a few pages long. Its style is concise and to the point. It brings simplicity and clarity in plain English to subject matter that might otherwise be complicated and difficult. The book is not short of colorful illustrations. E. coli in Motion should appeal to a variety of readers. It is an excellently written and entertaining story of modern interdisciplinary science, full of information and without hype or wild speculation. For the specialist, it is a mine of information. But perhaps most of all, the book is a case study for anyone interested in the field of quantitative life science. I most heartily recommend it to anymathematician, physical scientist, engineer, or biologist who wants to learn more about what physics and biology can do for each other."

"The book focuses on Escherichia coli, probably the best understood of all organisms . Berg's book is well written and accessible yet densely packed with information and insight. Its style is concise and to the point. It brings simplicity and clarity in plain English to subject matter that might otherwise be complicated and difficult. should appeal to a variety of readers. It is an excellently written and entertaining story of modern interdisciplinary science . I most heartily recommend it ." (Richard M. Berry, Physics Today, February, 2005)

Inhalt
Why E. coli?.- Larger Organisms.- Cell Populations.- Individual Cells.- Flagellar Motion.- Physical Constraints.- Optimal Control.- Cellular Hardware.- Behavioral Hardware.- Genetics and Assembly.- Gain Paradox.- Rotary Motor.- Epilogue.