What is Life? The Next Fifty Years: Speculations on the Future of BiologyMichael P. Murphy, Luke A. J. O'Neill Cambridge University Press, 13. märts 1997 - 191 pages Erwin Schrödinger's book What is Life?, which was originally delivered as a set of lectures at Trinity College, Dublin, is perhaps one of the most important scientific books of the twentieth century. It marked the beginning of molecular biology, and stimulated scientists such as Watson and Crick to explore and discover the structure of DNA. The novelty and appeal of What is Life? is that Schrödinger addressed the central problems of biology--heredity and how organisms use energy to maintain order--from a physicist's perspective. Fifty years later, at Trinity College, a number of outstanding scientists from a range of disciplines gathered to celebrate the anniversary of Schrödinger's lectures. In this book, they present their views on the current main problems in biology. The contributors are eminent scientists (including two Nobel Laureates) and well-known writers of popular science, including Jared Diamond, Christien de Duve, Manfred Eigen, Stephen Jay Gould, Stuart Kauffman, John Maynard Smith, Roger Penrose, and Lewis Wolpert. They tackle questions on our current understanding of the origin of life, evolution, the origin of human inventiveness, developmental biology, and the basis for consciousness. The book ends with a touching biography by Schrödinger's daughter, Ruth Braunizer. This book will set the stage for biological research into the next century and is essential reading for anyone interested in biology and its future. |
Contents
What is Life? The next fifty years An introduction | 1 |
What will endure of 20th century biology? | 5 |
What is life? as a problem in history | 25 |
The evolution of human inventiveness | 41 |
Development is the egg computable or could we generate an angel or a dinosaur? | 57 |
Language and life | 67 |
RNA without protein or protein without RNA? | 79 |
What is life? was Schrodinger right? | 83 |
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000 years ago activities amino acids animals aperiodic solid attractors autocatalytic sets behaviour binary variables biologists Boolean networks brain Cambridge catalysed causal cell types cellular century chemical chimpanzees codon collectively autocatalytic complex components convergence coordination dynamics cycle Darwin dissipative diversity Dublin ecosystem emergence energy entropy environment enzymes equilibrium Erwin Schrödinger evolution evolutionary evolve example exergy function genes genetic genome gradients heritable variation human languages inputs interactions Kauffman Kelso large number living systems living things mechanisms million modern molecular biology molecules mutation natural selection non-computational order from disorder order from order ordered regime organisms particles Penrose peptides phase transition physical physicist polymers possible predict principle problem processes protein quantum quantum superposition random reactions replication ribozyme RNA sequences Schöner Schrödinger second law self-organization space species spontaneous stable structure synergetics theory thermodynamic systems Trinity College understanding University Press vervet virus