Mario Ageno and the status of biophysics.

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  • Author(s): Cozzoli D;Cozzoli D
  • Source:
    History and philosophy of the life sciences [Hist Philos Life Sci] 2024 May 24; Vol. 46 (2), pp. 19. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 May 24.
  • Publication Type:
    Historical Article; Biography; Journal Article; Portrait
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Springer International Publishing Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 8003052 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1742-6316 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03919714 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Hist Philos Life Sci Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: 2014- : Cham : Springer International Publishing
      Original Publication: Firenze : Olschki, 1979-
    • Subject Terms:
      Biophysics*/history; History, 20th Century ; Italy ; Quantum Theory/history ; Physics/history ; Biological Evolution
    • Abstract:
      This essay focuses on Mario Ageno (1915-1992), initially director of the physics laboratory of the Italian National Institute of Health and later professor of biophysics at Sapienza University of Rome. A physicist by training, Ageno became interested in explaining the special characteristics of living organisms origin of life by means of quantum mechanics after reading a book by Schrödinger, who argued that quantum mechanics was consistent with life but that new physical principles must be found. Ageno turned Schrödinger's view into a long-term research project. He aimed to translate Schrödinger's ideas into an experimental programme by building a physical model for at least a very simple living organism. The model should explain the transition from the non-living to the living. His research, however, did not lead to the expected results, and in the 1980s and the 1990s he focused on its epistemological aspect, thinking over the tension between the lawlike structure of physics and the historical nature of biology. His reflections led him to focus on the nature of the theory of evolution and its broader scientific meaning.
      (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Bacteriophage; Biophysics; Molecular biology; Quantum mechanics; Virus
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240524 Date Completed: 20240524 Latest Revision: 20240628
    • Publication Date:
      20240628
    • Accession Number:
      PMC11126424
    • Accession Number:
      10.1007/s40656-024-00617-7
    • Accession Number:
      38787483