Metabolism: An Highly Complex and Unevolvable Biological FeaturePlease note, that some of the pictures found on this page are very large (>500 k) and might take a while to load using a slow (<100 kbps) internet connection. Here's a good quote to start you off:
"Living systems are designed to thrive and replicate in the surrounding environment. Typically several hundred to several thousand reactions proceed simultaneously in the confines of a living cell. The most distinctive feature of living systems is that all the reactions serve a purpose, the maintenance and propagation of the system. Collectivley, the processes involved are referred to as the system's metabolism. When new biochemical reactions are discovered, we try to see what role they play in metabolic functioning. Just as frequently, we start with the hypothesis that in light of a known function, a certain reaction must exist, and this conviction gives the impetus that leads to discovery of that reaction"
Figure 1: A picture of the basic workings of metabolism. Click on it for a larger, enhanced image. The picture is from Biochemistry (by Voet and Voet, 2nd edition, John Wiley and Sons, 1995, page 415). 
Figure 2: A more detailed huge picture of the workings of human metabolism. This picture may take a while to load, but it is really cool and gives a tip-of-the iceberg picture of the true complexity of metabolism. The reference is on the graphic itself.  References CitedDownload this article as a PDF [90 kb]
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