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Erwin Schrodinger's book What is Life?
had a tremendous influence on the development of molecular
biology, stimulating scientists such as Watson and Crick
to explore the physical basis of life. Much of the appeal
of Schrodinger's book lay in its approach to the central
problems in biology -- heredity and how organisms use energy
to maintain order -- from a physicist's perspective.
At Trinity College, Dublin a number of outstanding
scientists from a range of disciplines gathered to celebrate
the fiftieth anniversary of What is Life? and following
Schrodinger's example fifty years previously, presented
their views on the current central problems in biology.
The contributors to this volume include Stephen Jay Gould,
Roger Penrose, Jared Diamond, Manfred Eigen, John Maynard
Smith, Christien de Duve and Lewis Wolpert. This collection
is essential reading for anyone interested in biology and
its future.
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