Schrodinger's What Is Life? at 75

2019 marked the 75th anniversary of the publication of Erwin Schrodinger's What is Life?, a short book described by Roger Penrose in his preface to a reprint of this classic as among the most influential scientific writings of the 20th century. In this article, I review the long argument made by Schrodinger as he mused on how the laws of physics could help us understand the events in space and time which take place within the spatial boundary of a living organism. Though Schrodinger's book is often hailed for its influence on some of the titans who founded molecular biology, this article takes a different tack. Instead of exploring the way the book touched biologists such as James Watson and Francis Crick, as well as its critical reception by others such as Linus Pauling and Max Perutz, I argue that Schrodinger's classic is a timeless manifesto, rather than a dated historical curiosity. What Is Life? is full of timely outlooks and approaches to understanding the mysterious living world that includes and surrounds us and can instead be viewed as a call to arms to tackle the great unanswered challenges in the study of living matter that remain for 21st century science.

Automated summary

This article reviews Erwin Schrodinger's classic work "What is Life?" on its 75th anniversary, highlighting its timeless significance and calling for continued exploration of the unanswered challenges in the study of living matter in the 21st century science.