The basic unit of life is the cell – the simplest entity that exhibits the characteristics of life, including the ability to self-organise, to maintain a constant internal environment, to reproduce, to have a hereditary system and to undergo evolution. Within 50 years it should be possible to provide mechanistic explanations of these behaviours.
We now have the tools to describe in detail the molecular processes that bring about the characteristics of life. In parallel we will be able to analyse the logical and informational systems linking the molecular processes to generate the behaviour of cells. What will emerge will be…
