The
Lives of a Cell
Notes
of a Biology Watcher
—Lewis
Thomas
Synopsis
Lewis
Thomas’s essays are a combination of science and lyricism.He
stresses the interconnectedness of life, celebrating the beauty and poetry
inherent in science. To him, paradoxes inspire awe, rather than causing
worry. From ants to the atmosphere,
Thomas
observes the things that seemingly very different organisms, events, and
humans have in common.In these essays,
Thomas provides us with a wealth of scientific information, coupled with
philosophical wonderings and sometimes whimsical, profound insights. Each
of the 29 essays deals with Thomas’s thoughts and theories about different
aspects of science and their impact on and implications for our lives.
Student
Focus
You
should pay close attention to the interplay between the information provided
in each essay and the observations and conclusions drawn by Thomas.These
pieces are written to make the reader think about what the author is saying
and also to think on his or her own. Debate the different aspects of each
issue with yourself as you read in order to arrive at a conclusion that
is your own.As you read, you should
be carrying on an internal dialogue with the author. Do you agree or disagree
with the conclusions drawn? What are your own thoughts on each subject?
Do you reach the same conclusions as the author or does the
information
given lead you in another direction? Keep a log of your thoughts as you
read each essay.When you have finished
reading the book, examine your log to see if you have changed your ideas
about any of the topics. The essays are short, but they contain a world
of thought for you to take part in.
Correlation
to Subject Matter
Genetics, Biolinguistics,
Viruses, Symbiosis, Entomology, Astronomy, Technology,
Mitochondria,
and Sociology
© by
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
Name
_______________________________________________________
Date
_______________________ Class ________________________
SUPPLEMENTAL
TEACHING
RESOURCES
2
2 HOLT
BIOSOURCES /
Teaching Resources: Supplemental
The
Lives of a Cell
SUPPLEMENTAL
© by
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
Identifying
Facts, Interpreting and Applying Meanings
Analyzing
the Essays
Lives
of a Cell
On
Societies As Organisms
2.How
does the quote from Ziman’s essay relate
to “the building of a termite
nest”?
Use information from Thomas’s essay.
The
Music of This Sphere
3.Discuss
Thomas’s theory of the function of music. Do you agree or disagree?
Discuss
your reasons.
An
Earnest Proposal
4.What
is Thomas’s underlying message? Does he really think learningeverything
aboutMyxotrichaparadoxa
would be simple?
5.List
at least ten questions that you would like answered about a simple organism.
HOLT
BIOSOURCES /
Teaching Resources: Supplemental
The
Lives of a Cell
SUPPLEMENTAL
Date
_______________________ Class ________________________
© by
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
Ceti
6.What
are the conditions necessary for life to begin? What are the steps in the
process?
7.Discuss
the pros and cons of searching for extraterrestial
life.
8.If
you were to send such a recording today, what would you include? Keep in
mind
the points brought up in the essay. How would you defend your selections
to
a panel of judges?
Antaeus
in
9.At
what point in the essay does Thomas first make a comparison between
the
ant colony and people? How is this comparison made?
4 HOLT
BIOSOURCES /
Teaching Resources: Supplemental
The
Lives of a Cell
SUPPLEMENTAL
© by
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
10.How
are colonies of social insects, such as ants and termites, andhuman
communities
alike? What are the fundamental differences?
Organelles
as Organisms
11.What
is it about mitochondria and chloroplasts that make them “. . . in a
fundamental
sense, the most important living things on earth”?
Germs
12.“The
man who catches a meningococcus is in considerable
less danger for
his
life, even without chemotherapy, than meningococci
with the bad luck to
catch
a man.”What does Thomas mean by this statenment?
13.Is
Thomas drawing social parallels in this essay? Explain.
HOLT
BIOSOURCES /
Teaching Resources: Supplemental
The
Lives of a Cell
SUPPLEMENTAL
Date
_______________________ Class ________________________
© by
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
Death
in the Open
14.What
would be the results of death in the open?
Natural
Science
15.How
does this view of science and scientists compare with the moretraditional
view
of cold, sterile laboratories occupied by detached people in white coats?
Which view generates more excitement about science and research?
The
Planning of Science
16.Discuss
the differences between basic research and applied science.
6 HOLT
BIOSOURCES /
Teaching Resources: Supplemental
The
Lives of a Cell
SUPPLEMENTAL
© by
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
17.“The
surprise can be because it did turn out as predicted . . ., or it can be
confoundment
because the prediction was wrong and something totally
unexpected
turned up, changing the look of the problem and requiring a
new
kind of protocol. Either way, you win.”What
does Thomas mean by
“Either
way, you win”?
On
Various Words
18.What
does Thomas have to say about the similarities between the activities
of
ants and human language development?
19.“We
have DNA for grammar, neurons for syntax.”What
does Thomas mean
by
this?
HOLT
BIOSOURCES /
Teaching Resources: Supplemental
The
Lives of a Cell
SUPPLEMENTAL
Date
_______________________ Class ________________________
© by
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
20.Would
it help or hinder communication if everyone knew the history of all
the
words they used?
On
Probability and Possibility
21.What
does Thomas mean by mutants? Who would be some of those
mutants,
and why would they qualify?
22.What
does Thomas mean by “. . . the Art of Fugue and the St.Matthew
Passion
were,
for the evolving organism of human thought, feathered wings,
apposing
thumbs, new layers of frontal cortex”?
23.“What
we need is more crowding,more
unrestrained and obsessive communication,
more
open channels, even more noise, and a bit more luck.” Do you agree or disagree?
Explain your reasoning and how it differs from or supports Thomas’s point.
The
Lives of a Cell
SUPPLEMENTAL
READING continued Name
_______________________________________________________
Date
_______________________ Class ________________________
Writing About
the Essays
On
a separate sheet of paper,write
the answers to each of the following.
Extending
the Essays
1.Choose
one of the essay titles, and write your own observations and questions
on
that topic.
Thinking About
Assumptions
2.Does
the fact that these essays were written over twenty years ago make the
ideas
outdated? If some theories have been disputed or disproved, does that
diminish
the thoughts expressed and questions asked? Explain the reasoning
behind
your answer.
Responding
To a Review
3.Joyce
Carol Oates said of this book “ . . .The
Lives of a Cell anticipates
the kind
of
writing that will appear more and more frequently, as scientists take on
the
language
of poetry in order to communicate human truths too mysterious
for
old-fashioned common sense . . . .”Do you think that the understandings
of
science that Thomas is trying to share could be communicated as well if
they
were in a less poetic, more prosaic fashion? Why, or why not?
Evaluating
a Character
4.Bach
shows up in four of these essays.What is
it about this particular composer
that
makes him so prominent in a book of science essays?
Writing
a Journal Entry
5.You
are the extraterrestrial Visitor mentioned in The Music of This Sphere.
Write
a journal entry explaining how this book of essays has helped you to
better
understand the human population.
Analyzing
the Style
6.Is
an essay the appropriate form for the thoughts and ideas Thomas is trying
to
convey? Would a different form, such as the novel, short story, or journal
article,
be more effective?
© by
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
10 HOLT
BIOSOURCES /
Teaching Resources: Supplemental
Reading
The
Lives of a Cell
SUPPLEMENTAL
Testing
on the Book
On
a separate sheet of paper,write
the answers to each of the following.
Critical
Thinking and Writing
1.In
1972 and 1973 the Pioneer probes were sent into space with information
about
us. Included were pictures of a man and woman, a diagram of our
solar
system, and a diagram showing the placement of our solar system in the
galaxy.
In 1977 the Voyager probes were sent into space with more information.
Included
were, among other things, recordings of Bach’s music.Would
knowledge
of this have changed Thomas’s essay “Ceti”? In
what way?
2.In
the essay “Organelles as Organisms,” Thomas talks about our symbiosis
withmitochondria.What
kind of “natural law” could you draw from the
“sense
of life alluded to by chloroplasts and mitochondria”?
3.In
his essay “Information,” Thomas ends by stating, “The great thing about
human
language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand.”
What
does he mean by this?
4.Is
there a common thread running through all of Thomas’s essays? What is it?
Give
examples from different essays.
5.Write
your own review of Thomas’s book. Include examples of new information
you
have learned and ideas that intrigued you, as well as examples and
discussions
of things you disagreed with and why.