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The Origin and Evolution of Complex Enough Systems in Biology

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Quantum Systems in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology

Part of the book series: Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics ((PTCP,volume 30))

Abstract

Recent criticisms of Neo-Darwinism are considered and disputed within the setting of recent advances in chemical physics. A related query, viz., the ontological thesis, that everything is physical, confronts a crucial test on the validity of reductionism as a fundamental approach to science. While traditional ‘physicalism’ interprets evolution as a sequence of physical accidents governed by the second law of thermodynamics, the concepts of biology concern processes that owe their goal-directedness to the influence of an evolved program. This disagreement is met by unifying basic aspects of chemistry and physics, formulating the Correlated Dissipative Ensemble, CDE, as a characterization of a ‘complex enough systems’, CES, in biology. The latter entreats dissipative dynamics; non-Hermitian quantum mechanics together with modern quantum statistics thereby establishing a precise spatio-temporal order of significance for living systems. The CDE grants a unitary transformation structure that comprises communication protocols of embedded Poisson statistics for molecular recognition and cellular differentiation, providing cell-hierarchies in the organism. The present conception of evolution, founded on communication with a built-in self-referential order, offers a valid argument in favour of Neo-Darwinism, providing an altogether solid response and answer to the criticisms voiced above.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note that the present representation of the spatio-temporal order is neither Boolean, Bayesian, scale free, decision making or any other classical version. It is neither strictly a quantum network, cf. quantum computational schemes lacking self-referentiability. Since the actual communication network includes self-references they are denoted as Gödelian networks.

  2. 2.

    This extension rests on a rigorous mathematical theory, based on the Balslev-Combes theorem [32] and it is vital to understand and appreciate non-Hermitian quantum mechanics and its consequences for the dynamics of resonance states embedded in the continuum and their properties for higher order dynamics.

  3. 3.

    The celebrated concept of ODLRO was developed by Yang [29] about 15 years after the publication of the famous Bardeen - Cooper - Schrieffer theory of super-conductivity, for a comparison see [51]. The formulation does focus on the collective properties of matter at sufficiently low temperatures. For a physical system approaching zero temperature with a non-degenerate ground state the entropy goes to zero. Under specific conditions the system does develop ODLRO.

  4. 4.

    This issue will be discussed in more detail elsewhere.

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the local organisers of QSCP XX, Prof. Alia Tadjer and Prof. Rossen Pavlov, Sophia, Bulgaria, for generous hospitality and for running an excellent symposium. I thank Arnold Trehub, Bernd Schmeikal and Alfredo Pereira Jr. for their specific insight. This work has over time been supported by the Swedish Natural Science Research Council, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, The European Commission and the Nobel Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Erkki Brändas

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  1. Erkki Brändas
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Correspondence to Erkki Brändas .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria

    Alia Tadjer

  2. Inst for Nuclear Res & Nuclear Ener, Sofia, Bulgaria

    Rossen Pavlov

  3. Laboratoire de Chimie Physique, CNRS & UPMC Laboratoire de Chimie Physique, Paris, France

    Jean Maruani

  4. Department of Quantum Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Erkki J. Brändas

  5. CSIC, Madrid, Spain

    Gerardo Delgado-Barrio

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Brändas, E. (2017). The Origin and Evolution of Complex Enough Systems in Biology. In: Tadjer, A., Pavlov, R., Maruani, J., Brändas, E., Delgado-Barrio, G. (eds) Quantum Systems in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, vol 30. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50255-7_24

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