The 4th edition of Albert Lehninger's 'Principles of Biochemistry' has been rewritten by David Nelson and Michael Cox is an expansion on the classical biochemistry text, i.e. metabolic biochemistry, to include both structures of macromolecules and molecular biology. Now updated with the human genome project and up to date information on the two newest branches in biology  -  proteomics and genomics. The scope of topics now included in biochemistry textbooks, particularly for biology majors, goes beyond metabolic biochemistry, and biochemistry becomes a general topic 'molecular biology'. The use of the word molecular simply refers to the study of biology at the molecular level, although the term molecular biology refers to molecular genetics in particular. The revolutionary advances in genetics  -  recombinant technology, sequencing, expression, cloning   -   leave behind the classical divisions into biochemistry and molecular biology. Both topics are normally included in biochemistry textbooks, while molecular biology textbooks, or cell biology textbooks, usually do not include metabolism. The inclusion of genetics and physiology topics in biochemistry textbooks comes at the expense of biochemistry of 'exotic' organisms like plants and microbes (except photosynthesis). It also comes at the expense of central themes of biochemistry such as thermodynamics and enzyme kinetics. They are more and more relegated to the graduate level at colleges, or left to chemistry department's biochemistry courses. Looking at this new Lehninger book is like looking at the major shifts occurring in modern biology. The reader may get a sense that within the next decade, a new branch of biology will have established itself, leaving classical biochemistry behind and developing out of what is now called functional genomics. 
 

August 20, 2000; July 18, 2005/  © 2005 Lukas K. Buehler / go back to Book Review Home