Complete with colour illustrations and written in a conversational style, biochemist William Elliott unravels the mystery of life while revealing its majesty. How do chemical reactions occur? How do genes hold information? Why do our bodies age? What happens when someone gets cancer? How Life Works provides the inside word for those who are curious about the workings of the microscopic world inside us. Biochemistry not only explains what DNA is and how it forms the blueprint for who you are, it also explains how the food you eat is broken down, supplying the energy to run a marathon. It shows the intricate structures of proteins and describes their amazing functions. With millions of interactions and reactions all taking place in accord, biochemistry is the science of how life works.