The Machinery of Life

Imagine if we could peer directly into the molecular machinery of a living organism—using an x-ray microscope or perhaps a fantastical Asimov-inspired nanosubmarine. While such tools remain out of reach, the ability to observe molecules in action—antibodies attacking viruses, nerve signals speeding along fibers, or proteins replicating DNA—would instantly answer many of science’s most perplexing questions. But this molecular world, scaled down by a factor of a million compared to our everyday experience, remains invisible to the naked eye.

The Machinery of Life was created to bridge that vast gap through artful visualization. To help readers imagine the unseen world within cells, this book features two types of illustrations: vivid watercolor paintings that enlarge tiny sections of a living cell a millionfold to reveal the spatial arrangement of molecules, and detailed computer-generated images that depict the atomic structure of individual molecules.

In this second edition, all illustrations are presented in full color and have been updated to reflect the latest scientific discoveries made since the first edition was published 15 years ago. Together, these images invite readers to explore the hidden world that drives life itself.