Prior to the emergence of the sliding filament model, contraction theories had been in abundance. In the absence of the kinds of structural and biochemical information available today, it has been a simple matter to speculate about the possible ways in which tension generation and shortening might occur. The advent of the sliding filament model had an immediate impact on these theories; within several years they fell by the wayside, and attention was redirected towards mechanisms by which the filaments might be driven to slide by one another. In terms of identifying the driving mechanism, the pivotal observa tion was the electron micrographic indentification of cross-bridges extending from the thick filaments. It was quite naturally assumed that such bridges, which had the ability to split ATP, were the molecular motors, i.e., that they were the sites of mechanochemical transduction. Out of this presumption grew the cross-bridge model. in which filament sliding is presumed to be driven by the cyclic interaction of cross-bridges with complementary actin sites located along the thin filaments."

What mysteries lurk in the depths of a glass of water? What makes the wispy clouds of vapour rising from your cup of hot coffee? Or the puffy white clouds hovering in the sky? Why do bubbles in your fizzy drinks get bigger the longer you wait? What keeps Jelly's water from oozing out? Why does your tongue stick to something frozen? Professor Pollack takes us on a fantastic voyage through water, showing us a hidden universe teeming with physical activity, providing cogent explanations to many of waters long-held secrets. In conversational prose, Pollack exposes where some scientists may have gone wrong, and instead lays a simple foundation for understanding how changes of water structure underlie most energetic transitions of form and motion on Earth. This seminal work, peppered with whimsical illustrations and simple diagrams invites us to open our eyes and re-experience our natural world, to take nothing for granted, and to reawaken our childhood dream of having things make sense.