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What Is Life?
- How Chemistry Becomes Biology
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
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What Is Life?
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Summary
Seventy years ago, Erwin Schrdinger posed a simple, yet profound, question: What is life?. How could the very existence of such extraordinary chemical systems be understood? This problem has puzzled biologists and physical scientists both before, and ever since. Living things are hugely complex and have unique properties, such as self-maintenance and apparently purposeful behaviour which we do not see in inert matter. So how does chemistry give rise to biology? Did life begin with replicating molecules, and, if so, what could have led the first replicating molecules up such a path? Now, developments in the emerging field of 'systems chemistry' are unlocking the problem. Addy Pross shows how the different kind of stability that operates among replicating entities results in a tendency for certain chemical systems to become more complex and acquire the properties of life. Strikingly, he demonstrates that Darwinian evolution is the biological expression of a deeper and more fundamental chemical principle: the whole story from replicating molecules to complex life is one continuous coherent chemical process governed by a simple definable principle.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about What Is Life?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 03-12-18
Better than Schrodinger!
I have listened to What is Life with mounting excitement until the crescendo of a dinal chapter Bravo. Schrodinger would have approved.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 29-04-20
Such a complete experience
After many years of pondering if we, life, are not mere a reaction, this book provides a much more shuttle and profound answer to the question what life is. An amazing read/listen and completely inspiaring
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 22-06-21
this book won't teach you much but..
this book its more like philosophical essay which author tries to show how difficult it's the question what is life. I enjoyed but it wasn't what I was exactly looking for. Also it is about the orogin of new aproach to the question- Systems Chemistry
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- R.H.B.W.
- 20-07-16
not that surprising
Heared nothing new....well known theories and ideas redressed with new wording. Not as intetesting as it promisses to be.
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