around and about, and one eventually landed on the desk of Erwin
Schrédinger (1887-1961), one of the principle architects of quantum
mechanics.
Figure 4.2. Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1933.
In 1944 Schrédinger published a little book called What Is Life?,
dealing with deep questions concerning the molecular basis of life
and drawing attention to Delbriick’s idea that genes are likely to be
large molecules. Schrédinger was particularly impressed with the
notion that pursuing the investigation of life at the most fundamental
molecular and atomic levels might lead to the discovery of new physi-
cal laws. In Schrédinger’s words:
From Delbriick’s general picture of the hereditary substance it emerges
that living matter, while not eluding the “laws of physics” as established