The book examines basic principles of the structure and organization of living organisms and their differences from objects of inanimate nature. It covers how a single program-information structure permeates all evolutionary stages of life, including the cell, multicellular organisms and humans. The author explains how this structure is arranged and how it functions, as well as the role of the information system. KEY FEATURES Reviews persistent questions and addresses fundamental themes in biology Provides systematic coverage Includes original insights into basic principles of living organization and structure Demonstrates the applicability of a proposed approach to particular evolutionary grades RELATED TITLES J.W. Schopf, Life in Deep Time: Darwin’s "Missing" Fossil Record (ISBN 978-1-138-38549-8) C.H. Waddington, ed., The Origin of Life: Toward a Theoretical Biology (ISBN 978-0-202-36302-8) J. Wiegel, A.W.W. Michael, eds., Thermophiles: The Keys to the Molecular Evolution and the Origin of Life (ISBN 978-0-7484-0747-7)