The Physics of Life

Who should read "The 59 keys..."?

Everyone who is concerned with the questions "What is life?" or "How did life arise?". Everyone regardless of whether they are a hardened Creationist or an orthodox Darwinist. The author shifts the scientific debate on life into a new area, answering some of the currently unanswerable questions in this subject. He has done this by introducing scientific disciplines, some of which are new or not widely known, into the forum of life sciences.

One of them is economics - the science of resources and how they circulate. And indeed, no textbooks about biology takes it into account when discussing life, and yet every living object uses economics to survive. Another is the theory of stability - a science used mainly in the design of devices such as planes and rockets. It is important because it explores non-linear phenomena, which, in its simpliest terms, explores how disturbances impact systems. Yet mutations in biology should be treated as disturbances rather than disorders.

However, it seems that the most controversial of his discoveries is to suggest that the beginnings should be investigated using ... aeroelasticity. This science is so specialised that many scientists do not know that it exists, it deals with the phenomenon of self-generation. And since the Darwinists believe that life self-emerged, aeroelasticity has to be referred to.

The author puts a special emphasis on the precise definition of phenomena and also introduces several new concepts, because he is aware that a broad vocabulary enhances understanding. In addition, the book is written in an easy-to-comprehend way and manages to explain every key simply without any ambiguity.

Jan Kuban has good scientific background. However, he is not a biologist, but maybe this is his strongest asset. Many original discoverers were thought of as outsiders, such as tax farmer Antoine Lavoisier (chemistry), a monk Gregor Mendel (genetics) and a priest Georges Lemaître (cosmology). They saw problems from a completely different perspective than deeply rooted professionals. After getting acquainted with "The 59 keys ..." it really seems that it is an innovative breath of freshness in the science of life.

Five reasons why you should read "The 59 keys for understanding..."

1. The author possesses an enormous amount of knowledge in mathematics and natural sciences and it seems like he wants to bestow it to his readers through his book. It's not impossible since the lecture is interesting, sometimes exciting, and at the same time very clear and understandable. I have to admit that despite my familiarity with issues discussed regarding mathematics, physics or chemistry, some of them became clear thanks to the Physics of Life. To know doesn't always mean to understand. The author's ambition is for the reader to understand everything and he succeeds at it most of the time. The book refreshes, consolidates and supplements one's knowledge in a very enjoyable way. It is worth reading just for that reason.

2. Another reason for reading the book is the author's passion. I'm sure that one teacher like this in a student's life would be enough to awaken a passion for knowledge. It is obvious that Jan Kuban lives in this subject. Considering that laboratories and conference halls are not his everyday life, like in case of some other authors who write about similar subjects (R. Dawkins, E. Wilson, D. Morris), he is a successful full time businessman instead, the enormousness of his knowledge and input in the work is impressive. But this is not blind admiration speaking, but thought provoking inspiration. It may lead one to agree with the author's theses, or just the opposite – to look for counterarguments in one's mind. Either way, the reader will be involved in a creative, mind-expanding process. Mathematics, physics, chemistry, and even biology become more familiar thanks to this work. More friendly for those who haven't felt closeness with these subjects thus far, and for those who are comfortable with these sciences, an interesting journey.

3. With the assumption that all processes in life can be explained using physics and described using mathematics, the author explains what life is. He reveals the secrets of life on earth, describes probable evolutionary processes, which have given the currently existing species their current shapes. Page after page, he convinces us that a basic task of every organism is to survive and multiply. The book explains how organisms try to fulfil this condition, and how thanks to random advantageous changes which later become permanent, new organs are created, guaranteeing this survival and multiplication, dragging then into higher levels of the evolutionary ladder. Humans are present in all of this as a species with its own adaptations and also some specific behaviours. Admittedly, a woman might feel a little sad to find out that her breasts are only a consequence of a random disturbance in the genetic design, and even saying that "be accident, this turned out to be a perfect disturbance", doesn't make up for it.

4. I wouldn't be myself – a psychologist who is always looking for new ideas for improving the human kind so that separate individuals trying to survive would not necessarily do so at the cost of their fellow men, if I wasn't also looking for that in this book. That is why my favourite fragment of the book is the part about the "victory factor" - something that is born (for various reasons) in some individual, allowing them to fulfil the basic rights of life (to survive and multiply) more fully, transferring these traits to next generations, favourably changing them this way. It takes place spontaneously, randomly, but when organisms start devising, and then even think, they can devise this "victory factor" for themselves on their own. The "victory factor" was at some moment an ability to survive up in the air, and in a different moment "to listen to the advice of elders" or "to trust the rule". For me, the "victory factor" – this crucial factor in evolution – holds in itself the hope for humanity. After all, we can devise behaviours today, which will guarantee a positive selection within the species and will cause that future generations will be smarter and better. I am not speaking about genetic engineering, but for example about bringing up children to have a sense of self-worth, which will surely make them more able to survive and more attractive as partners. And that's the fifth, most important I think, reason for which this book is worth a read.

5. "The 59 keys for understanding the beginning of life" is a unique book, I have never read anything like it. Unique is its form as well as its content. It forces one to think, it is very helpful in expanding the world view of people like me, typical humanists, praising the human mind and power of human character.

[Iwona Majewska-Opiełka - a specialist in leadership; a psychologist, mentor, coach and advisor to senior management professionals. She's frequently invited as a guest on many TV and radio programmes. She specialise in training and providing consultancy services to individuals and companies across Canada and the US. She is also the co-founder of “The Academy of Success” in Chicago.]

Topics which can really entice you

1. How many scientific disciplines are needed to understand life?
2. How much does the introduction of economy to biology simplify the understanding of life?
3. Is information an emergent property of matter?
4. How did it happen that our cells differentiate?
5. Struggle or Cooperation?
6. Did you know that life can be defined in at least three ways?
7. What is the purpose of life?
8. How did the self-exitation of biological evolution occur?
9. Was Darwin's Tree of Life correct?
10. Do you know which 5 fundamental properties matter should have to initiate biological evolution?
11. Does life contradict the Second Law of Thermodynamics?
12. How does the evolutionary ratchet create novelty in biology?
13. Do you know the 12 irrefutable facts to help understand life?
14. Do you know that mitochondrion, leaves and a pair of eyes are, from one point of view, the same?
15. Have you ever heard about biological Victory Factors?
16. What are the 5 characteristics of biological evolution?
17. What are the 3 Principles of Life?
18. How did billions of individual cells come together in such a way to become me?
19. What tactics are necessary to allow you to absorb external resources and multiply?
20. Do you know what resergy, a very important concept to understand life, is?