Kindle
$13.77
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$26.98
Paperback
$22.95
$26.98 with 23 percent savings
List Price: $35.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Saturday, May 18 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 16. Order within 12 hrs
In Stock
$$26.98 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$26.98
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Raghuveer Parthasarathy
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

So Simple a Beginning: How Four Physical Principles Shape Our Living World Hardcover – February 8, 2022

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 35 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$26.98","priceAmount":26.98,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"26","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"98","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"2FMcObwJtpo5K8M%2FmnDR84nUcRhZ3cLYwtuLmL0F5ISObAQ3UMrEIrzha7OyE500ap0jkvbPMEM0egNJ1FSq8O6ycS%2BR7IPUpRRxbNPNsq1XvmkEctw3L4A4wVnb8ynZ5gQ7io%2BDcwOhsVDSMeyA%2Bg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A biophysicist reveals the hidden unity behind nature’s breathtaking complexity

The form and function of a sprinting cheetah are quite unlike those of a rooted tree. A human being is very different from a bacterium or a zebra. The living world is a realm of dazzling variety, yet a shared set of physical principles shapes the forms and behaviors of every creature in it. So Simple a Beginning shows how the emerging new science of biophysics is transforming our understanding of life on Earth and enabling potentially lifesaving but controversial technologies such as gene editing, artificial organ growth, and ecosystem engineering.

Raghuveer Parthasarathy explains how four basic principles—self-assembly, regulatory circuits, predictable randomness, and scaling—shape the machinery of life on scales ranging from microscopic molecules to gigantic elephants. He describes how biophysics is helping to unlock the secrets of a host of natural phenomena, such as how your limbs know to form at the proper places, and why humans need lungs but ants do not. Parthasarathy explores how the cutting-edge biotechnologies of tomorrow could enable us to alter living things in ways both subtle and profound.

Featuring dozens of original watercolors and drawings by the author, this sweeping tour of biophysics offers astonishing new perspectives on how the wonders of life can arise from so simple a beginning.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  4. Publication date
    February 8, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0691200408
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0691200408
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

So Simple a Beginning: How Four Physical Principles Shape Our Living World
$26.98
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 18
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human
$19.99
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 18
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death
$20.60
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 18
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hands down the most beautiful book I’ve ever read. . . . The intersection of biology and physics might be the most underappreciated cross-over in the sciences."---Nicole Barbaro, Bookmarked

"The author's style is mostly captivating, and the illustrations provide unique support . . . Parthasarathy's commitment regarding the importance of education about scientific discovery and its place in today's world is evident throughout."---F. W. Yow, Choice

Review

“Deft and engaging. Parthasarathy constantly finds the metaphors that best illuminate his subject. And what a subject—a perfect mix of the latest exciting new work with classic results needed to understand it. Every chapter gives an original view from a wide-ranging intellect, and unifies ideas that are rarely presented together.”—Philip Nelson, author of From Photon to Neuron: Light, Imaging, Vision

“Parthasarathy presents an accessible yet scientifically accurate picture of modern biology, and it’s a pleasure to read.”—Sonia Contera, author of Nano Comes to Life

“Parthasarathy has given readers a delightful narrative guide to the exciting and important ways in which physics and biology come together to help us understand living matter. I found myself learning something new in every chapter and loved the fun case studies, constant insights, and captivating illustrations.”—Rob Phillips, author of The Molecular Switch: Signaling and Allostery

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press (February 8, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691200408
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691200408
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 35 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Raghuveer Parthasarathy

Raghuveer Parthasarathy

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Raghuveer Parthasarathy has been a Physics professor at the University of Oregon since 2006. His research interests involve biophysics, especially the structure and dynamics of the gut microbiome, which his research group explores using new sorts of optical microscopy. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. His teaching interests mostly involve courses for non-science majors, including a “biophysics for non-scientists” class (The Physics of Life) and "Physics of Energy and the Environment."

He has written and illustrated a popular-science book on biophysics, "So Simple a Beginning: How Four Physical Principles Shape Our Living World," available in early 2022.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
35 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars So Simple an Ending!
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024
Verified Purchase
His style is relatable and engaging. I like that he frequently sums things up before moving on. He makes difficult content understandable in principle. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Helpful
 Report
J Harikumar
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, Informative, and one of a kind
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book has left me speechless. I've never come across a non-fiction book, let alone pop sci book that is so elegant, lucid, and above all so informative. The author's passion for his subject is virtually tangible in every page, and by the end, you have a completely new perspective of science and the world around you.

The author is so good at explaining certain ideas , such as the random motion of matter, some of which are actually very complex. What's unique about Parthasarathy is that he isn't afraid to go into the technical details of his subject, but he does so while preserving the accessibility of the book. The problem with many pop sci books these days is that the authors oversimplify the material, which can in many cases serve to obscure rather than clarify. In this book, almost every idea, regardless of its complexity, is supplemented with ample explanation such that the reader can at the very least come way with a high-level understanding of it. There are also many beautiful illustrations that facilitate comprehension.

Regarding the ideas themselves, the book is about biophysics, which is rarely communicated to a general audience. Since this field is at the intersection of biology and physics, it can give us unique insights into living systems, the properties of which can't all be explained by some of the standard concepts in biology(evolution, etc). One of the points of the book, as mentioned in it, is to show how the physical laws manifest themselves in living systems, which can explain how living things assemble, their function, form, and etc.

Overall, this book is one of a kind. In fact, it is one of the best pop sci books ever written, and should be read widely.
19 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Brian P. Farren
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely great book!
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2023
Verified Purchase
Forget all the trendy biology books. This book has a cohesive theme, elegant clear writing style and wonderful graphics. The themes: 1. nature undergoes natural self-organization. 2. complex systems involve regulatory networks. 3. predictable randomness.( here his physics background was illuminating)
4. scalability. Once again his physics background gave me much to think about. I am about to read it again! It is a treasure. Compared to many arrogant know it alls in the field of science writing, his was a voice of modesty, inquisitiveness and wisdom.
Helpful
 Report
P. Nelson
5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant, deep. I learned many things here.
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
The chapters on embryos, organs, the microbiome, and scaling are particularly fresh, insightful, and beautifully clear. Also, unlike so many popularizations, this one is full of graceful graphics that actually clarify key points -- not just eye candy.

Parthasarathy respects the reader too much to give a jumble of just-so stories wrapped in a few human interest stories. Instead he explains, often with brilliant metaphors to everyday experience. Any aspiring science student, and really most specialists, will benefit immensely from this book.
17 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Yogesh Kumar
5.0 out of 5 stars great effort in cutting through silos to bring insights
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2022
Verified Purchase
This effort advances a great tradition of leading thinkers with top notch training in physics - think likes of Schrodinger, Penrose - explaining fundamental questions of life holistically.

Hand drawn pictures are awesome.
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Matt
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book.
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2022
Dr. Parthasarathy has written a wonderful science book. In my opinion, it stands apart from many popular physics books, in that it does not talk down to readers. The physics is deep and surprising, yet also clearly articulated. The author obviously has a very deep knowledge of his subject, and he has brought it to life in remarkable way.

As an undergraduate I studied biophysics down the hall from Dr. Parthasarathy at the University of Oregon, and I still learned very many things from this book. I highly recommend it!
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Arrived bent and and smudged.
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book arrived with all kinds of smudges on the cover and the book sleeve was bent ant creased.
Helpful
 Report
Jayanth Banavar
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for people who care about the science of life.
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2022
This is a delightful book by Raghu Parthasarathy. Living systems are different from inanimate matter, yet are governed by the same laws of physics. Here Raghu takes us through a breathtaking journey of the variety and grandeur of life with an emphasis on striking commonalities and an underlying simplicity. The illustrations of this very talented author are worthy of celebration.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report