News Release

'Entering an Unseen World: A Founding Laboratory and Origins of Modern Cell Biology 1910–1974'

A new book presents the in-depth story about the men and women who created a new science

Book Announcement

Rockefeller University Press

'Entering an Unseen World'

image: This is the cover of Entering an Unseen World. view more 

Credit: The Rockefeller University Press

In 1974, the Nobel Prize was awarded to three pioneering scientists for discoveries that linked structures inside cells to their functions—discoveries that led to the new science of cell biology. Entering an Unseen World, a new book published by The Rockefeller University Press, presents the human story behind these breakthroughs.

Entering an Unseen World describes how one laboratory contributed to creating modern cell biology. The story begins in 1910 in a laboratory devoted to studying cancer at The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Editor and contributor Carol L. Moberg tells a compelling story about the early years of this laboratory. She focuses on five aspects of how modern cell biology unfolded through time: the hundreds of scientists involved, a nurturing environment, the experimental procedures developed, the instruments devised and mastered, and the discoveries made in a previously unseen world.

First-person chapters by 22 scientists associated with the laboratory follow. They recount the exploration of the intricate and fascinating world inside living cells. Their stories show what it takes to create a science while revealing in detail what we now take for granted: the cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. Nearly 150 classic illustrations and photographs document the evolution of their discoveries. Entering an Unseen World conveys the excitement of the process and progress as this science came to life.

###

Entering an Unseen World: A Founding Laboratory and Origins of Modern Cell Biology 1910 is 499 pages, published by The Rockefeller University Press. Available in hardcover ($40) and eBook ($20) at books.rupress.org and Amazon.com. ISBN (Print) 978-0-87470-0633. ISBN (eBook) 978-0-87470-1050.

Carol L. Moberg, Editor and Contributor

Carol L. Moberg is on the faculty of The Rockefeller University. She has a PhD from Columbia University in comparative literature. Her articles on scientists, science history, and biomedical science have been published in Scientific American, Science, The Journal of Experimental Medicine, and Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. She was co-editor and contributor to Launching the Antibiotic Era and is the author of René Dubos, Friend of the Good Earth.

Contributors

Entering an Unseen World includes first-person chapters by these 22 scientists. Their affiliations are at the time of writing:

1. Vincent G. Allfrey, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

2. Günter Blobel, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

3. Mary Bonneville, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

4. Samuel Dales, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

5. Christian de Duve, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

6. Marilyn G. Farquhar, University of California, San Diego, CA

7. Walther F. Goebel, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

8. Rollin D. Hotchkiss, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

9. James D. Jamieson, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT

10. James A. Lake, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

11. Guido Majno, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA

12. Miklós Müller, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

13. George E. Palade, University of California, San Diego, CA

14. Sanford L. Palay, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

15. George D. Pappas, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

16. David D. Sabatini, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY

17. Peter Satir, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY

18. Philip Siekevitz, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

19. Maya Simionescu, Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology, Bucharest, Romania

20. Ralph M. Steinman, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

21. Walther Stoeckenius, University of California, San Francisco, CA

22. William Trager, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

About The Rockefeller University Press

The Rockefeller University Press publishes three journals: The Journal of Experimental Medicine, founded in 1896; The Journal of General Physiology, founded in 1918; and The Journal of Cell Biology, founded in 1955 under the title The Journal of Biophysical and Biochemical Cytology. The Press is committed to quality and integrity in scientific publishing. The Press is a department of The Rockefeller University in New York, NY. For more information, please visit www.rupress.org.


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.