Springer.Sensing.with.Ion.Channels.2008.eBook.pdf

Springer Series in Biophysics 11
Boris Martinac
Editor
Sensing with Ion Channels
Professor Boris Martinac
Foundation Chair of Biophysics School
of Biomedical Sciences
University of Queensland
Brisbane QLD 4072
Australia
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ISBN: 978-3-540-72683-8 e-ISBN: 978-3-540-72739-2
Springer Series in Biophysics ISSN: 0932-2353
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007932178
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Preface
Life as we know it would not exist without the ability of anisms to sense
the surrounding environment and respond to changes within it. All living cells are
able to detect and translate environmental stimuli into biologically meaningful sig-
nals. Without mechanisms to receive sensations of touch, hearing, sight, taste,
smell or pain, the outside world would cease to exist for any living being that has
to rely on these mechanisms for its survival. The importance of sensory input for
the existence of life thus seems obvious, justifying the effort made to understand its
molecular origins.
Living cells are surround