The 5 core principles of life | Nobel Prize-winner Paul Nurse

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Paul Nurse defines the 5 core principles of life. What is the essence of being alive? This is the question that geneticist and cell biologist Paul Nurse dissects in his book What Is Life? At the core of life is the cell — an entity that can grow, divide, and reproduce. Using yeast as a model organism, Nurse discovered a similarity in cell reproduction mechanisms between yeast and humans, hinting at a shared ancestral origin for all life. This commonality extends to genes, the units of inheritance, first recognized in pea plants by Gregor Mendel. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection proposes that life adapts and evolves, favoring traits — and the genes that encode them — that are advantageous for survival. The essence of life, therefore, is a complex orchestration of chemistry and information management that allows organisms to adapt and persist through inheritance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapters: 0:00 The big question of biology 0:57 1. The Cell 2:41 2. The Gene 3:28 3. Evolution by natural selection 4:20 4. Chemistry 5:20 5. Information 6:27 What is life? Listen To This Next: Adam Grant's #1 phrase to unlock potential The science of super longevity Beat anxiety with the most addictive experience on Earth ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive access to full interviews, early access to new releases, Big Think merch and more ►Get Big Think+ for Business Guide, inspire and accelerate leaders at all levels of your company with the biggest minds in business --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get Smarter, Faster.... With Episodes From The Worlds Biggest Thinkers. Follow The Podcast And Turn On The Notifications Share This Episode If You Found It Valuable Leave A 5 Star Review Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices