What is life: A physical view of living cells

The author, Erwin Schrödinger (1887-1961), is a famous Austrian physicist and one of the founders of quantum mechanics. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933. What is Life? is the most influential scientific book in the 20th century...

I have selected the following sentences or paragraphs from What is Life: A Physical View of Living Cells. This book was written by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, who explored the nature of life from a unique scientific perspective. Output them according to the number: 1. "Life feeds on negative entropy." - Meaningful: This sentence uses the concept of entropy in physics to explain how life resists the tendency of entropy increase in nature, that is, the increase of disorder, and thus maintains its ordered state. 2. "We must be prepared to be surprised if the mystery of life can be completely solved in the end." - Unique perspective: It expresses the surprise expectation that the mystery of life may be fully revealed, reflecting the unknown nature of scientific exploration. 3. "In life phenomena, there is something at work that cannot be explained by the laws of physics and chemistry." - Full of wisdom: It recognizes that there are factors in life phenomena that are beyond the scope of explanation of the laws of physics and chemistry. 4. "Gene is a chemical entity that exists in all organisms and determines all the characteristics of an organism." - Beautiful (and accurate) language: It explains the role of genes in life in a concise and clear manner. 5. "How do living organisms avoid decay? Apparently, they maintain their organization by constantly absorbing 'order' from the environment." - Profound meaning: explains from a physical perspective how living organisms resist decay by absorbing negative entropy (i.e., "order"). 6. "The entropy of a living organism is constantly increasing, while it constantly absorbs negative entropy from the outside world to offset this process." - Unique perspective: links the life process with the second law of thermodynamics, showing how living organisms maintain their ordered state by absorbing negative entropy. 7. "Life is a system that seems to be able to miraculously violate the second law in thermodynamics." - Full of wisdom: points out the thermodynamic peculiarity of living systems, namely, the ability to locally reverse the natural trend of entropy increase. 8. "The metabolism of an organism can be seen as an effort to keep itself stable and unchanging, even though it occurs in a constantly changing environment." - Beautiful language: vividly describes the role of metabolism in maintaining the stability of life. 9. "The deciphering of the genetic code may be one of the greatest achievements in the history of biology." - Creative: The high evaluation of the importance of the genetic code foreshadows the great progress in the field of molecular biology. 10. "Life is a special state of matter, which is characterized by its ability to self-replicate and mutate." - Profound meaning: It succinctly summarizes the two basic characteristics of life: self-replication and mutation. 11. "The function of biology is the function of machines, which is studied in accordance with the most precise methods of physics, the most effective natural science of our time." - Unique perspective: It emphasizes the close connection between biology and physics, and the application of physics methods in biological research. 12. "Chromosomes are the carriers of genes, and they somehow replicate themselves when cells divide." - Beautiful language: It clearly describes the role and replication process of chromosomes in heredity. 13. "Mutations are the raw materials of biological evolution." - Full of wisdom: It points out the key role of mutations in biological evolution. 14. "A living organism is an open system that constantly exchanges matter and energy with the outside world." - Profound meaning: It explains the open characteristics of living organisms from the perspective of systems theory. 15. "The most amazing thing about life phenomena is the stability and persistence of genetic information." - Unique perspective: It emphasizes the importance of genetic information in the continuation of life. 16. "Life seems to be an effort, a special distribution of matter and energy in time and space." - Beautiful language: poetically describes the essence of life. 17. "An organism is a highly complex self-organizing system that can predict and adapt to changes in the environment to a certain extent." - Full of wisdom: points out the self-organizing ability of organisms in adapting to the environment. 18. "Life is a process of continuous self-renewal. It is both stable and changing." - Profound meaning: dialectically looks at the stability and variability of life. 19. "In the living system, information is crucial. It determines the structure and function of the organism." - Unique perspective: emphasizes the core position of information in the living system. 20. "Life may be a cosmic phenomenon, not just limited to the earth." - Creative: puts forward the conjecture that life may exist in the vast universe outside the earth, showing the forward-looking thinking of scientists.

Erwin Schrödinger: Physicist exploring the nature of life Erwin Schrödinger is an Austrian physicist who is known for his outstanding contributions to the field of quantum mechanics.< His book What is Life?

The Physical Aspect of the Living Cell has had a profound impact on the intersection of biology and physics.

Basic personal information: Erwin Schrödinger was born on August 12, 1887 in Vienna, Austria, and was one of the most important physicists of the 20th century.

Education and career background: Schrödinger received his doctorate from the University of Vienna and taught at universities in Zurich, Berlin and Graz.< His research areas include quantum mechanics, solid state physics and statistical mechanics.

Writing career: Schrödinger was not only an outstanding physicist, but also a prolific writer.< His works cover a variety of fields such as physics, philosophy and biology.

What is Life?< is one of his most famous non-physics works and has had an important impact on the development of biology.

Style and theme of works: Schrödinger's works are known for being easy to understand and inspiring.< In the book What is Life?

, he uses the principles of physics to explore basic questions about life, such as inheritance, mutation, and the nature of life.

Personal life: Schrödinger's personal life is relatively low-key, but his achievements in the scientific community have made him a highly respected figure.

Social influence: Schrödinger's What is Life?< inspired biologists' interest in genetics and molecular biology, and laid the theoretical foundation for the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.

This book is widely regarded as the founding work of modern molecular biology.

Quotes and comments: James Watson, Nobel Prize winner in physics, once said: "What is Life?< is one of the most important books I have ever read.

It has inspired my interest in biology.

" (Source: Double Helix: The Story of the Discovery of DNA Structure) Latest developments: Although Schrödinger himself died in 1961, his theories and works still have a profound impact on modern science.< His scientific legacy continues to inspire new generations of scientists to explore the mysteries of life and the universe.

In general, Erwin Schrödinger was a versatile scientist whose work What is Life?< not only had an important impact in the field of physics, but also opened up new paths for the development of biology.