Starting from reading Shrödinger’s book, a journey from Hefei to Santa Fe is just a beginning of the beginning.
“The scientists of a-life are devising the means by which actual living system can be generated, evolved, and observed. Theirs is an effort to engineer the course of evolution and extend the range of living systems on planet earth and beyond. From this grand experiment, a more profound understanding of life itself, …… and, perhaps, the powerful laws of nature that govern not only biological systems but also any series of complex nonlinear self-organizing interactions may ultimately arise. ”
Back to Shrödinger’s question, the way to answer it is not just observe, but also to create. “By making life, we may finally know what life is. ”