Wolfgang Hebel Livres

The text is divided into two parts, written separately over many years. The first part, most recently composed, offers conclusions on ‘Advanced Neurobiology’ under the heading “Overview.” This is followed by a longer reprinted report from 1995, published by the R&D Activities of the European Commission, titled “Observing research trends in modern NEUROSCIENCES” (report nr. EUR 16656). It summarizes various high-level scientific meetings organized by distinguished scientists across the EU, which remain relevant today. After retiring in 1996, the author frequently attended the annual “Conferences of the NOBEL LAUREATES meet Students” in Lindau, Germany, where he gained new insights that informed his later publications. Over time, he contemplated whether a specific area of scientific inquiry deserved more focus, coining the term ‘Advanced Neurobiology’ for this report. His writing process was relaxed, inspired by the support of his wife, who was recovering from a CVA in a Belgian clinic. This work reflects his accumulated knowledge and experiences, bridging past research with contemporary insights in neuroscience.

These are four summary articles on selected topics already discussed by the author in his previous books edited by Deutscher Wissenschafts-Verlag (DWV) Baden-Baden [1], [2], [3]. The final article of this booklet reports on the ‘Conference of Nobel Laureates meeting students in 2010’. This multi-national event of outstanding academics is most appreciated worldwide and traditionally takes place at the City of Lindau in Lake of Constance once a year. Particularly, however, the author discusses in the first article his alternative approach on 'The New Physics of Cosmic Red Shift', which possibly changes our views as to the origin and frontiers of the Cosmos. In the two other articles, about 'Life versus Entropy' and on 'Functional Physics of Life', the author summarizes his conclusions from innumerable high level scientific meetings and research workshops partly supported by the EU Commission over the period 1985–2010, in favor of the advancement of knowledge especially in the fields of molecular biology, living molecular systems and the origin of life on earth [4]. [1] W. Hebel: Mysterium des Lebens aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht, Baden-Baden: DWV 2006 [2] W. Hebel: The Mystery of Life, Baden-Baden: DWV 2007 [3] W. Hebel: Nobel Laureates meet Students, Lindau 1996-2005, Baden-Baden: DWV 2008 [4] EUR 16784, Trends 4, W. Hebel: Biomolecular Development and Evolution, Luxembourg 1996

Once a year, Nobel Laureates meet in the historical town of Lindau in Lake Constance to present lectures and discuss with graduate students. It is a unique, traditional meeting brought into being by the late Count Lennart Bernadotte in 1951 after the turmoil of World War II, with a view to bringing German university trainees back into the international community of scientific research. The book presents brief reports on more than 130 lectures and 15 panel discussions held by altogether a hundred individual Nobel Prize winners in Physics, Chemistry, or Medicine, which they presented on scientific topics of their own choice during the ten Lindau Meetings from 1996 to 2005. The reports were taken down in writing by an experienced observer of scientific meetings, interested in grasping the messages communicated by the Laureates. In the second part of the book, the author briefly describes how every Laureate has contributed through his discovery or pioneering studies to the advancement of knowledge in prominent areas of current scientific research. This review sets out the context of the scientific topics chosen by the Laureates for their lectures.

The book deals with our scientific knowledge on the origin of life and the functioning of living matter. During ten years, the author experienced this knowledge through supporting and attending advanced research meetings on behalf of the European Commission. Next to a great number of recent research results – particularly in the field of molecular biology – simultaneously our knowledge deficiencies will be discussed. They mainly show up in understanding and controlling the molecular functional mechanisms of living cells and organisms, but also in our view on the universe. Regarding the functioning of living matter, sensitive information and on-line communication among the molecular partners of a system are fundamental. However, our classical physics ignores such principle and we meet difficulties in understanding the functional processes of living matter. In different chapters, the various ways of informative communication in living systems will be discussed. It remains a mystery, however, where the basic information of life, the genetic code, came from and why it exists at all. Possibly our ignorance is due to the fact that the universe – contrary to the Big Bang idea – has no definite limits, a thesis that the author explains in the third part of his study.

Das Buch behandelt unsere naturwissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse über den Ursprung und die Eigenschaften lebender Materie, die der Autor in zwanzig Jahren moderner Grundlagenforschung auf europäischer Ebene gesammelt hat. Es werden zahlreiche neue Forschungsergebnisse, insbesondere aus der molekularen Biologie, präsentiert, während gleichzeitig unsere Wissenslücken thematisiert werden. Diese Lücken bestehen vor allem im Verständnis und der Kontrolle funktioneller Mechanismen in lebenden Zellen und Organismen sowie in unserer Auffassung des Universums. Bei den funktionellen Prozessen spielen konsistente Informationen und zeitgerechte Kommunikation zwischen den Systempartnern eine grundlegende Rolle. Leider berücksichtigt die klassische Wissenschaft kein entsprechendes Grundprinzip, was das Verständnis der Abläufe in lebenden Organismen erschwert. In den verschiedenen Kapiteln wird ausführlich erörtert, wie informative Kommunikation in Zellen oder vielzelligen Organismen funktioniert. Zudem bleibt die Frage, woher die grundlegenden Informationen über das Leben stammen und warum sie existieren, ein ungelöstes Rätsel. Möglicherweise liegt dies daran, dass unser Universum – im Gegensatz zur gängigen Urknalltheorie – keine definierten Grenzen hat, was der Autor im dritten Teil des Buches darlegt.