"This book is full of insights that were new to me. It explores myriad questions that are both deep background themes in biology, and also fascinating to physicists. Bialek is a dean of this field, and an inspiring teacher."--Philip Nelson, University of Pennsylvania

"Bialek's excellent book bears the stamp of both his originality and technical prowess. What I look for when I read a book is something unique that I know I won't find anywhere else. Bialek delivers that in spades on a topic of great interest to scientists of all stripes."--Rob Phillips, California Institute of Technology

"This excellent book covers very original ground, providing an authoritative overview of important problems while linking strongly to the original literature. The topics are taken from real biology but build on the standard knowledge that a physics student should have. This indeed represents a great path to train interdisciplinary scientists--without losing the discipline."--Pietro Cicuta, University of Cambridge