Research In Photobiology

Photobiology - the science of light and life - begins with basic principles and the physics of light and continues with general photobiological research methods, such as generation of light, measurement of light, and action spectroscopy. In an interdisciplinary way, it then treats how organisms tune their pigments and structures to the wavelength components of light, and how light is registered by organisms. Then follow various examples of photobiological phenomena: the design of the compound eye in relation to the properties of light, phototoxicity, photobiology of the human skin and of vitamin D, photomorphogenesis, photoperiodism, the setting of the biological clock by light, and bioluminescence. A final chapter is devoted to teaching experiments and demonstrations in photobiology. This book encompasses topics from a diverse array of traditional disciplines: physics, biochemistry, medicine, zoology, botany, microbiology, etc., and makes different aspects of photobiology accessible to experts in all these areas as well as to the novice.

Every four years the photobio1ogists of the world get together in an International Congress. They discuss and learn not only re search details and findings in their own, often narrow, fields but educate one another broadly in the many biological systems that interact with light. It is this latter purpose that is exemplified by these proceedings - the Symposium papers and Workshop summaries of the VIIth International Congress on Photobiology held in Rome, August 29 - September 3, 1976. Photobiology is one of the few true interdisciplinary fields. It has an air of excitement about it. A glance at the table of contents indicates clearly that photobiology and its practitioners (individuals whose primary interests are in medicine, plant sci ences, animal sciences, molecular properties, and energy conversion) interact with the entire and diverse world of living creatures. We supply not only the basic research background to help evaluate many present-day environmental problems but are also evaluating and pointing the way toward solutions to a number of these problems.

The first edition of The Science of Photobiology was published in 1977, and was the first textbook to cover all of the major areas of photobiology. The science of photobiology is currently divided into 14 subspecialty areas by the American Society for Photobiology. In this edition, however, the topics of phototechnology and spectroscopy have been com bined in a new chapter entitled "Photophysics." The other subspecialty areas remain the same, i.e., Photochemistry, Photosensitization, UV Radiation Effects, Environmental Photobiology, Photomedicine, Circadian Rhythms, Extraretinal Photoreception, Vision, Photomorphogenesis, Photomovement, Photosynthesis, and Bioluminescence. This book has been written as a textbook to introduce the science of photobiology to advanced undergraduate and graduate students. The chapters are written to provide a broad overview of each topic. They are designed to contain the amount of information that might be presented in a one-to two-hour general lecture. The references are not meant to be exhaustive, but key references are included to give students an entry into the literature. Frequently a more recent reference that reviews the literature will be cited rather than the first paper by the author making the original discovery. The chapters are not meant to be a repository of facts for research workers in the field, but rather are concerned with demon strating the importance of each specialty area of photobiology, and documenting its relevance to current and/or future problems of man.

It is not always the case that the subject of a scientific book and its relevance to everyday li fe are so timely. Photobiology and its si ster subject Radiobiology are now a must for understanding the environment we live in and the impact light, ultraviolet light, and radiation have on all aspects of our life. Photobiology is a true interdisciplinary field. Photobiology research plays a direct role in diverse fields, and a glance at the topics of the symposia covered in this book by over 100 articles shows the breadth and depth of knowledge acquired in fundamental research and its impact on the major issues and applied problems the world is facing. Half a century of photobiology research brought about an understanding of the importance of light to life, both as a necessary source of energy and growth as weIl as its possible dangers. Research in photochemistry and photobiology led to the discoveries of ceIlular repair mechanisms of UV induced damages to DNA and this led to understanding of the effects of hazardous environmental chemieals and mutagenecity , and to the development of genetic engineering. This topic was given due emphasis in several symposia and chapters in this book.

Recent Progress in Photobiology contains the proceedings of the Fourth International Photobiology Congress, held in Oxford on July 26-30, 1964 and organized by a committee set up by the British Photobiology Group. Contributors explore the developments in photobiology, particularly with respect to biological structures, chemical changes, and molecular energy. This volume is organized into 10 sections encompassing 33 chapters and begins with an overview of basic photochemical processes that have direct implications on photobiology. The next chapters discuss the photochemistry of nucleic acids and their derivatives, with some reference to their biological significance. The book also studies the visual processes in humans and animals; the structure, pigment chemistry, and function of photoreceptor systems of plant and animal cells; and receptor mechanisms in human vision. The natural photoenvironment and its influence on life and development is also explained, emphasizing how light shapes the ultimate fate of an organism in its habitat. The remaining chapters focus on energy conversion and photosynthesis; micro-irradiation of cells; photochemistry and photobiology of space research; light and melanin pigmentation of the skin; and the effect of light on plant and animal cells. This book will be of interest to biologists and physiologists, as well as to anyone engaged in photobiological research.