What is life?
- Reference number
- vdb18-0002
- Start and end dates
- 190101-190831
- Amount granted
- 200 000 SEK
- Administrative organization
- fri tanke
- Research area
- Other
Summary
“What is Life?” is the title of a classic essay by Erwin Schrödinger published in 1944. The question remains as relevant today as it was when formulated almost 75 years ago. In spite of the detailed knowledge we now have about cells and organisms and their structures the overall picture of life as a regulated process is still not completely understood. Evolutionary biology and the dogma of molecular biology is very much inspired by Schrödinger´s way of thinking. However, he noted that the physicist´s methods are not effective when applied to biology. Too much is involved to be fully accessible to mathematics. This raises the issue of modelling in general and more specifically whether simulation can be used as a universal method of explanation and prediction? With this in mind we propose to organize a conference to discuss the fundamental definitions and building blocks of life and their essential characteristics.