In a democratic society, it is essential to have an informed public on the issues of the day concerning social philosophies, life styles, ethical considerations and decision making. Increasingly these issues have their origins in the applications of new scientific knowledge arising out of study and research. Among the new challenges linked directly to scientific activity, perhaps no other is as profound and revolutionary for society as that of molecular biology. The purpose of this book is to bring an understanding of the genetic code and its significance to a wider audience than the professionals in biochemistry and genetics, but including professionals in other fields who would like a little more than an acquaintance with this field, but who do not have the time nor circumstances to devote themselves to an in-depth and detailed study of molecular biology. A particular audience for which this book should be appropriate are the students and teachers in secondary schools and community colleges for whom a concise account of the nature and impact of molecular biology in the modern world is an essential part of a wider curriculum in the biological sciences. Biochemistry constitutes a vast field of knowledge coming from scientific discovery. Its methodology is fraught with details on how to carry out canny experiments on micro-organisms and molecular events, but with a history of profound discovery on the self-organization of living systems, how their structures are achieved and their functions carried out at the molecular level. Ultimately, this detail is essential to scientific discovery. But this book is purposely restricted to the results of these discoveries—the grand emergence, so to speak, of the vast collective effort of biochemists, biologists, geneticists, mathematicians, physicists and chemists, who have contributed to the experimental techniques and physical concepts leading to explication of the genetic code.