The Microbial Models of Molecular Biology, From Genes to Genomes. Rowland H. Davis, Oxford University Press, 2003.

Despite the amazing diversity, most agree that when reduced to the level of cells and molecules, all living things, including plants, animals and microbes, are basically the same. In the quest to understand complex biological phenomena such as the control of cell division, organelle assembly and their inheritance, development, behavior, aging and death of organisms, or the process of speciation, scientists have turned to microbes. This seems quite sensible to do, for microbes can be grown cheaply in test tubes or flasks occupying small space, subjected to all kinds of environmental stresses, and the results of researchers distributed in different geographical locations compared and inferences drawn. Whenever a microbe is found displaying a phenomenon similar to that in a higher organism, it is chosen for research. In this book Rowland H. Davis demonstrates how life processes, notwithstanding their complexity, are being unraveled by investigations of microbial models. And he does so very admirably, for he has witnessed some important players in major research centers, listened to them when fresh findings were made in the last century during which time more of biology was being learnt than in all the previous years. Thus this book gives not only the scientific facts but also the controversies surrounding them. Davis makes the history of biology come alive by recounting personalities of some of its players. The explanation of biological problems and the easy flow of prose make the book very absorbing. The size of the book makes it easy to carry it and read it wherever and whenever. - Ramesh Maheshwari, Bangalore, India.