The Biological Secrets of Salt: Its Diversity in Organisms and Impacts on Humans

The purpose of this book is to coalesce in a single volume the general scientific knowledge we have about salt and its biological role in animals, including humans. The intent is to inform student and layman and, perhaps more importantly, pique the interest of future scientists on what lies ahead in this important field of comparative biology. The authors wish to share their current knowledge with others who may be curious about salt as basic to life, about the historical role of salt in human civilization, and about our present understanding of the molecular, cellular, and organismic pathways animals and humans utilize to regulate body fluid balance needed to sustain life. We hope to stimulate our readers to explore further the recent genetic discoveries in these ion-transporting cells that are still completely unanswered but are cited in the text and listed in the references.