From the Town Hall Seattle web site, "Science tells us living beings are merely sophisticated structures of lifeless molecules—but if this is true, where do the seemingly purposeful motions of cells and organisms originate? Physicist Peter Hoffmann, author of Life’s Ratchet, finds the answer at the nanoscale: Life, he argues, emerges from the random motions of atoms filtered through sophisticated structures of evolved molecular machines that, like tiny ratchets, transform random motion into ordered activity and create the “purpose” that is the hallmark of life. Presented by Town Hall and University Book Store as part of The Seattle Science Lectures, sponsored by Microsoft. Series media sponsorship provided by KPLU."