Editor I. M. Makarov

Compiled by V. D. Pekelis

Translated from the Russian by V. I. Kisin

Hardcover

362 Pages

MIR Publishers Moscow

There was a time, not so long ago, when biology was considered a quiet, descriptive discipline—a science of observation and naming. But as the pages of this book reveal, a seismic shift occurred that transformed the study of life into an exact and formidable science. This collection of papers tells the story of a revolution where the cold, precise logic of cybernetics—the science of control and information—merged with the vibrant complexity of living matter. It is a narrative of how the walls between the laboratory and the computer center crumbled, allowing the methods of mathematics, physics, and chemistry to breathe new life into biological theory.

The journey begins in the laboratories of the Soviet Union, where a prestigious team of thinkers led by Academicians such as Yu. Ovchinnikov, A. Baev, and P. Anokhin began to treat the living cell not merely as a collection of chemicals, but as a sophisticated data transmission system. They recount the high-stakes quest to unravel the basic mechanisms of genetic storage and the subsequent birth of genetic engineering. These researchers were no longer just observers; they became "designers of living matter," capable of purposefully changing the machinery of inheritance to create life-saving drugs and vital foodstuffs.

However, the authors offer a cautionary tale for the modern scientist. They warn that the researcher who remains trapped in a "narrow rut" of specialization will eventually find themselves in a cul-de-sac, unable to grasp the full picture of existence. To solve the ultimate mystery—the mystery of Man—the book argues that we must launch an interdisciplinary attack. The contributors lead the reader across diverse territories, exploring how the brain maintains its reliability, the mathematical limits of the human psyche, and the very foundations of how we think and feel.

As the narrative unfolds, it reaches toward the most profound questions of our species. The scientists do not shy away from the existential; they examine the biological clock of aging, the inevitability of death, and the experimental frontiers of immortality. They present a vision of a world where human thought develops most successfully when knowledge is shared across borders, urging the global scientific community to pull their efforts together. Ultimately, this book is more than a report on Soviet achievements—it is a humanitarian call to see the living world through the lens of a unified, cybernetic future, making it an essential guide for anyone captivated by the intersection of technology and life.

About the Author:

The book has been written by a team of leading Soviet authorities in the field of cybernetics, among them Academicians Yu. Ovchinnikov, A. Baev, V. Afanasyev, P. Anokhin, A. Migdal, Yu. Gulyaev.

The contributors discuss the latest achievements

in biology from the viewpoint of cybernetics, describe multiple functions that constitute living matter, the basis of brain reliability, the psychics modeling limits, and the mathematical methods in psychology. Also, they examine the problems relating to life and age, death and immortality, and the experimental ways of making life longer.

The book will undoubtly be of interest to all those interested in, or concerned with, cybernetics or allied fields.