By Wilhelm Nultsch (auth.), F. Lenci, F. Ghetti, G. Colombetti, D.-P. Häder, Pill-Soon Song (eds.)

This quantity comprises the lectures given on the NATO complex examine Institute on "Biophysics of Photoreceptors and Photomovements in Microorganisms" held in Tir­ renia (Pisa), Italy, in September 1990. The Institute was once subsidized and regularly funded via the medical Affairs department of NATO; the actual technology Committee and the Institute of Biophysics of nationwide learn Council of Italy additionally supported the college and considerably contributed to its good fortune. it really is our friendly accountability to thank those institu­ tions. Scientists from very various backgrounds contributed to the certainty of this quickly constructing box of analysis, which has visible significant growth over the last years. The components of craftsmanship ranged from behavioral sciences, supported via sophi­ sticated ideas resembling picture research or laser mild scattering, to spectroscopy, ap­ plied, in several time domain names, to the examine of the first photoreactions, to electro­ body structure, biochemistry or molecular biology, with the purpose of reading a number of the steps of the transduction chains and the way they keep an eye on the motor equipment of the cells. The organisms studied coated a variety, from micro organism to algae, fungi and different eukaryotes. hence, the ASI represented a winning chance for wearing on and imple­ menting an interdisciplinary method of the learn of the biophysical foundation of photore­ ception and photosensory transduction in aneural organisms, with designated recognition to the fundamental phenomena and the underlying molecular occasions. we are hoping that this e-book has stuck the spirit within which the ASI was once conceived.