Asking About Life
By Allan J. Tobin and Jennie Dusheck
copyright 1997, 2002, 2005
A college-level introductory biology textbook
Another distinctive feature of Asking About Life is its use of visual metaphors to convey basic biological concepts. For example, in 1993, I conceived the idea of paired chromosomes as being analogous to pairs of socks in that each homolog is similar—but not identical—to its mate. Loose threads and minor imperfections are analogous to mutations in the DNA. And the process of matching up socks out of the dryer is analogous to chromosome alignment during mitosis and meiosis.
Here is the “sock karyotype” from Asking About Life, 1/e, 1997.
Copyright, Allan Tobin & Jennie Dusheck
The sock metaphor is just one of dozens that I conceived for Asking About Life, but it has been picked up by many biology teachers as a useful and quick way to convey the relationship between pairs of chromosomes. In 2001, I introduced the sock image at MIT’s first Image and Meaning conference. Since then, visual artists such as Gina Glover have adapted the idea (at right).
In 1992, I began working with UCLA professor of neuroscience Allan Tobin to revise his first draft manuscript for an unusual textbook. At that time, college textbooks did not emphasize the process of science or stories about individual scientists. I saw in Allan’s manuscript the potential for a compelling introductory text and he and I worked together over the next five years to create a book that has twice won awards for its excellence. 
The book is currently in print, but for some time it has not been widely marketed because of policies relating to a competing book. Allan Tobin is currently Senior Scientific Advisor at the Cure Huntington’s Disease Initiative (CHDI) Foundation, in New York. Asking About Life is a distinctive textbook within the introductory biology textbook market. The book is scientifically sophisticated while being accessible enough for a wide range of markets—from relatively rigorous high school biology through non majors courses and short majors courses. Each chapter begins with a story about the how scientists think, work, and interact with one another--in pursuit not only of answers, but of better questions. Two major themes of the book are that science is a social endeavor and that science is about asking the right question.
