Recent research in molecular biology has produced a remarkably detailed understandingof how living things operate. Becoming conversant with the intricacies of molecular biology and itsextensive technical vocabulary can be a challenge, though, as introductory materials often seem morelike a barrier than an invitation to the study of life. This text offers a concise and accessibleintroduction to molecular biology, requiring no previous background in science, aimed at studentsand professionals in fields ranging from engineering to journalism--anyone who wants to get afoothold in this rapidly expanding field. It will be particularly useful for computer scientistsexploring computational biology. A reader who has mastered the information in The Processesof Life is ready to move on to more complex material in almost any area of contemporarybiology.