This highly unusual book began as a serious inquiry into Schrödinger's question, "What is life?", and as a celebration of life itself. It takes the reader on a voyage of discovery through many areas of contemporary physics, from non-equilibrium thermodynamics and quantum optics to liquid crystals and fractals, all necessary for illuminating the problem of life. In the process, the reader is treated to a rare and exquisite view of the organism, gaining novel insights not only into the physics, but also into "the poetry and meaning of being alive."This much-enlarged third edition includes new findings on the central role of biological water in organizing living processes, it also completes the author's novel theory of the organism and its applications in ecology, physiology and brain science.