The Laws of Life

Name: The Laws of Life
ISBN: 9787553673875

肖恩·B·卡罗尔 / 贾晶晶Zhejiang Education Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

4.2

Word count: 121K words
Chapters: 20
ISBN: 9787553673875

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Summary

E. coli and elephants are governed by the same natural laws—the laws of life! At the molecular level, excess cholesterol leads to cardiovascular disease, and gene mutations lead to various cancers; in essence, both are diseases of dysregulation. On the Serengeti plains, animals are not equal in status: keystone species play a pivotal role, and their influence extends downward through multiple trophic levels. Species at the same trophic level also compete with one another for survival. Yet regulation at the molecular level and in ecosystems follows the same universal logic—positive regulation, negative regulation, double-negative regulation, and feedback mechanisms are everywhere. Only by following the laws of life can we restore damaged ecosystems and build a better home together!

Editor's review

What makes this book most notable is that it discusses regulation at the molecular level and regulation in ecosystems within a single logical framework. The author does not stop at popular-science analogies; instead, using concepts such as positive regulation, negative regulation, double-negative regulation, and feedback mechanisms, he links seemingly unrelated phenomena—cholesterol metabolism, gene mutations, keystone species on the savanna, and competition among trophic levels—so that readers can see the sense of order shared by the living world across different scales. For general readers, its value lies not in offering specific ecological restoration plans but in providing a cross-scale perspective for observing life phenomena: understanding how loss of control occurs and why regulation matters. The cases span the micro and the macro, and the narrative has the fluency of popular science, yet the density of concepts is not low; it suits readers willing to read slowly and sort out the logic as they go. It is best treated as an exercise in thinking rather than a leisure read to flip through quickly.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers curious about biology and ecology and open to cross-scale thinking
Popular-science readers who like to understand disease and ecological problems from the perspective of mechanisms
Students and professionals who need to broaden their systems thinking and grasp of feedback concepts
Middle-school biology teachers or popular-science writers, who can draw analogies and case material from it

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking concrete ecological restoration guidelines or medical treatment advice
Readers who prefer light, story-driven popular science and do not want to engage with abstract concepts such as regulatory mechanisms
Specialist researchers: the book is positioned as popular science, not an academic monograph

Reading tips

Read the table of contents first to sort out the two threads—molecular level and ecosystem—then read along each thread separately.
When you reach a regulatory mechanism, restate it in your own words to check whether you have truly understood it.
After each chapter, try to match the book's regulatory logic with a feedback example from everyday life.
Do not force yourself to finish it in one sitting; where concepts are dense, rereading the next day works better.

About the publisher

Zhejiang Education Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Zhejiang Education Publishing House is a professional publisher focusing on educational publishing while also serving general readers and academic accumulation, with publications covering textbooks, educational readers, popular science, and academic works. Judging from the more than 1,000 titles in the database, the press places considerable emphasis on classics and traditional culture for general readers: modern literature includes Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering and Wild Grass, Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, and Zhu Ziqing's Back View; classical poetry includes Three Hundred Tang Poems and selections from the "Good Chinese Poetry" series, such as the Chu Ci and Qing ci anthologies. Related authors include modern writers such as Lao She, Lu Xun, Xiao Hong, and Zhu Ziqing, as well as classical literature selectors and annotators such as Hengtang Tuishi, Jin Xingyao, Jin Kaicheng, and Qian Zhonglian. Common categories in the database also include social novels, classic works, prose and miscellaneous writings, popular science, and inspirational growth, reflecting a publishing orientation that balances educational service with the popularization of public culture.

版权信息
赞誉
献给
格言
中文版序大象和细菌受同一自然法则制约
引言正在到来的生物学第二次革命
第一部分万物有法
01 身体的智慧
02 生态学
第二部分生命的逻辑
03 调节的普适法则
04 胆固醇的故事
05 癌症是什么
第三部分塞伦盖蒂法则
06 有些动物比其他动物更平等
07 塞伦盖蒂的逻辑
08 动物世界的“癌症”
09 门多塔湖的玻璃梭鲈和黄石公园的灰狼
10 戈龙戈萨的复活
结语遵从生命的法则，共建美好家园

FAQ

Can I understand this book without a biology background?

Yes, but it takes patience. The book touches on concepts such as gene mutations, cholesterol metabolism, and trophic levels, but the author presents them in a popular-science way and does not assume professional training. When you meet unfamiliar terms, slow down and understand their role from context; there is no need to memorize them word for word. If you studied basic biology in middle school, reading will be much smoother.

Does the book focus mainly on micro-level or macro-level ecology?

Both, and the point is to compare them under the same regulatory logic. At the molecular level it deals with dysregulation such as cholesterol and gene mutations; at the ecosystem level it uses keystone species and trophic-level competition on the Serengeti as examples. What the author wants to show is the positive, negative, and feedback regulatory mechanisms shared across scales.

Do the book's ideas have practical guidance value?

The book leans toward offering a perspective for observation rather than an operations manual. It helps readers understand how dysregulation leads to disease or ecological imbalance, and thus appreciate the importance of following the laws of life, but it does not provide specific medical or ecological restoration plans. If you expect a practical guide, it may feel unsatisfying; if you want to build systems thinking, it is highly illuminating.

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About the author

肖恩·B·卡罗尔 Author

Sean B. Carroll is a popular science author about whom public information is limited; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not recorded in our database. Judging from the three Chinese editions currently available, his writing centers on biology and scientific thinking: The Laws of Life examines the basic rules governing living things, the Biology Thinking series tries to bring a biological perspective into everyday reasoning, and Seeing the World from the Shoulders of Giants surveys important ideas in the history of science in multiple volumes. Often classified under social culture and popular science, these books address general readers, explaining professional concepts in accessible language and using cases and historical context to show the logic of scientific discovery. His works offer Chinese readers an entry point for understanding the life sciences and scientific method.

贾晶晶 Author · China

Jia Jingjing is a Chinese translator working mainly in the field of popular science books. Public information about her is limited; her known translations include Ernst Mayr's work on evolution, published in Chinese by Zhejiang Education Publishing House in 2023, as well as the four-volume Biological Thinking series. She has collaborated with translators such as Jia Yongmin and Cai Mengnu. Judging from these works, she has largely handled academic popularizations on evolutionary biology and scientific thinking—texts that combine specialized concepts with accessibility for general readers and thus place high demands on a translator's accuracy. Her Chinese translations offer domestic readers a way to engage with Mayr's evolutionary thought and related general biology content.