In his 1943 lectures, Schrödinger emphasized that the torrent of scientific developments had been so intense that “it has become next to impossible for a single mind fully to command more than a small specialized portion.”39 Consequently, he encouraged thinkers to extend the reach of their expertise by exploring realms outside their traditional intellectual stomping ground. With What Is Life? he unabashedly brought the training, intuition, and sensibility of a physicist to bear on the puzzles of biology.
