"What lies at the heart of every living thing is not a fire, not warm breath, not a 'spark of life'. It is information, words, instructions. If you want a metaphor, don't think of fires and sparks and breath. Think, instead, of a billion discrete, digital characters carved in tablets of crystal. If you want to understand life, don't think about vibrant, throbbing gels and oozes, think about information technology." (Dawkins 1986, The Blind Watchmaker, p. 112)
Of toch?
"When you ligth a candle, the flame flares up but quickly settles into a steady state, burning as long as there is wick and wax. Life is a similar phenomenon - a controlled burning, a pattern of energy flow. This is not just an anology: animals derive their energy from oxygen reacting with hydrogen-rich compounds, much as a candle flame 'lives' as long as its hydrogen-rich waxes have oxygen fuel." (Schneider & Sagan 2005, Into the Cool, p. xi)
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