 than organic chemistry. These are emerging fields, and the principles that underlie them are only dimly perceived. The hottest topic is quantum computation - an attempt to harness the weird properties of electrons and atoms to process information at the molecular level. Here, the concept of information is transformed, and the rules for processing it are different. Quantum computation enthusiasts foresee a leap in processing power if the technology can be made to work. Perhaps this could pave the way to creating life in the lab.
Which leaves us with a curious conundrum. How did nature fabricate the world's first digital information processor - the original living cell - from the blind chaos of blundering molecules? How did molecular hardware get to write its own software? The answer must wait until we understand the nature of information, and the principles that govern its dynamics and complexity.
· Paul Davies is a visiting professor at Imperial College and author of The Fifth Miracle: the Search for the Origin of Life