The question is wrong indeed. It has no sense, for life in itself does not exist. No one has seen or measured life. Life is always linked to material systems; what man sees and measures are living systems of matter. Life is not a thing to be studied; rather, "being alive" is a quality of some physical systems.

A look at the living world reveals an incredible variety of shapes, sizes, forms, and colors. There seems to be an infinite variability among living systems. How can man approach such complexity? How can he ask intelligent questions?

One key to an intelligent approach may be the simple fact that things can be put together in two different ways: randomly or meaningfully. Things put together in random fashion form a senseless heap. Nine persons selected at random and placed together probably will form nothing more than a slightly

To see the solutions, scientists must preserve a certain naivete, a childish simplicity of the mind, an ability to recognize a miracle when they see it every day. The solution may be far closer than it seems. It was a hundred years ago that H.P. Bowditch, one of the first American physiologists, showed that after a frog's heart have been stopped for a while, its first beats are rather weak. The heart gradually regains its original strength, with the record of the heartbeat rising like a series of stair steps. Bowditch called this phenomenon "the staircase".

The history of biology has been marked by a penetration into ever smaller dimensions. In the sixteenth century, Vesalius was dependent on his unaided eyesight for his study of the human body. In the following century, the optical microscope led to the discovery of many new details of structure. Marcello Malpighi observed the capillary vessels that complete the cycle of blood circulation and showed that even such tiny insects as the silkworm have an intricate internal structure. Anton van Leeuwenhoek described blood cells and the compound eyes of insects. Robert Hooke described the cellular structure of plants.

J. F. Danielli has shown that the subcellular organs of various cells are interchangeable. They can be transferred from one cell to another, much as organs can be transplanted from one human individual to another. The parts of the cell have no individuality. The quality of individuality resides in the higher organization - in the cell or the individual.

I have concluded that life is not linked to any particular unit; it is the expression of the harmonious collaboration of all. As I descended through the levels of complexity, I studied simpler units and found myself speaking more and more in the language of chemistry and physics.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ernst Schrodinger, Robert Hooke, , Bowditch American, Cannon American, Marcello Malpighi, living systems, living system, nucleic acid, biological reactions, decrease entropy, amino acids, speech center, extremely complex, combined form, nerve cell meaningful, random variation, molecules amino acids, pull electron electrons, principle holds cell, electron electrons move,
Approximate Word count = 2998
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)