Biology: The Next Quantum Frontier | Dr. Catalina Curceanu

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This talk from Dr. Catalina Curceanu looks at the emerging field of quantum biology. She explores how the principles of quantum mechanics could help explain some puzzling aspects of life, like the efficiency of photosynthesis and the workings of the brain. FQxI is sharing this talk to spotlight research that pushes the boundaries between physics and biology. Our goal is to connect ideas that challenge the way we understand the natural world.

Keywords: Quantum biology

Lorraine Ford

Sorry, but that is not even a real flower that Dr. Catalina Curceanu is holding; it is an artificial flower, a man-made attempt to represent the superficial appearance of a living thing.

And in fact, quantum physics is not a “successful theory”, because it can’t explain, for example, why the low-level numbers, that apply to a low-level category (like relative position), would jump. It is a pretty basic problem for a theory that is represented in terms of equations and numbers.

And does the quantum world in fact go “against our intuition” or does it just go against the intuition of some physicists who hold a certain view of the way they think the world ought to be?

Are particles really in 2 places at once, or is that view just an artifact of the mathematical representation, or an artifact of mathematical representation itself (versus a computational representation of the world)?

Is it entirely surprising that “two particles can be in correlation independently of time and space that divide them” when in fact law-of-nature relationships are relational aspects of the world that clearly are independent of, or “pre-date”, time and space; the laws don’t exist IN time and space?

However, I am prepared to concede that the natural aspects of the world that are described as “quantum mechanics” could potentially help explain life with all its properties: the ability of birds to navigate, the ability to detect scents, photosynthesis, etc.

It is these natural, inherent aspects of the world that can potentially explain life with all its properties, NOT quantum mechanics, which is an attempt to mathematically represent and label these natural aspects of the world.

It is important to differentiate the nature of the real world from our attempts to symbolically represent and label the world.

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
Just like an artificial flower represents a flower in a superficial way, quantum mechanics represents the world in a superficial way.

An artificial flower can’t explain a real flower.

Similarly, if quantum mechanics had any real explanatory depth, it would be able to explain a real-world system where low-level number jumping is a very prominent feature (where these numbers apply to categories like the position category).

As some prominent physicists separately pointed out years ago, the equations of physics can't explain why the world would ever move itself.

So, quantum mechanics can’t be expected to provide any explanatory depth for the appearance of life, or for higher-level aspects of life like the ability of birds to navigate, the ability of living things to detect scents, photosynthesis in plants, etc.

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
The equations of physics CAN’T represent how the world knows itself (knows its own low-level categories, relationships and numbers), and the equations CAN’T represent how the world moves itself (moves its own low-level numbers that apply to the categories, whereby the relationships can kick in and move other numbers that apply to other categories).

What is required of physics is to represent the inner workings of a viable moving system, the type of system that could lead to the appearance of life, and to higher-level aspects of life like the ability of birds to navigate, the ability of living things to detect scents, photosynthesis in plants, etc.

But the equations of physics, including quantum physics, can only represent relationships; equations alone can’t represent the underlying inner workings of a viable moving system.

To represent the inner workings of a viable moving system, one needs to use algorithmic/ logical connective symbols, as well as the symbols that represent categories, relationships and numbers.

As the simple case of cellular automata shows: the algorithmic/ logical connective symbols in the program controlling the cellular automata represent something that CAN’T EVER be represented using the equations of physics alone:

A cell (or the system) having knowledge of, being aware of, a cell’s immediate surroundings; and
A cell (or the system) moving in a logical way that is entirely divorced from any law-of-nature mathematical equations that might also apply to the cell (or the system).

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
Equations, including differential equations, do not imply that the numbers would ever move or jump; equations only imply that IF some numbers move, then other numbers will move.

IF the numbers move or jump, equations do not imply that the numbers will continue to move or jump.

The part of the real-world system that moves or jumps the numbers is not represented by the equations.

However, people have assumed that the equations alone DO represent the part of the real-world system that moves the numbers.

But, the part of the real-world system that moves or jumps the numbers is NOT represented by the equations: what moves or jumps the numbers is a different type of thing to the relationships that are represented by the equations.

This is why quantum mechanics could only represent a superficial view of what leads to the appearance of life, and to higher-level aspects of life like the ability of birds to navigate, the ability of living things to detect scents, and photosynthesis in plants, etc.

Quantum mechanics does not explicitly symbolically represent the part of the real-world system that moves/ jumps the numbers, and quantum mechanics does not explicitly symbolically represent the part of the real-world system that knows about its own categories, relationships and numbers.

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
The claim is repeatedly made that quantum mechanics is “weird”.

But quantum mechanics is not some weird anomaly.

When represented algorithmically, quantum mechanics lays bare what is driving the real-world system.

Just like equations are symbols that represent relationships, algorithmic symbols represent a very different, but necessary aspect of the world.

The algorithmic/ logical connective symbols represent the fact that, in order to have a viable system, the parts of the system need to know themselves and their surroundings, and the parts of the system need to move themselves.

The interconnecting relationships, represented by the equations, are merely add-ons that magnify, or extend the reach of, any initiation of movement.

Matter is the part of the real-world system that needs to know itself and its surroundings, and that needs to move itself, where matter is the substance that comprises the universe.

ONLY when represented algorithmically, could quantum mechanics hope to explain how life could have naturally arisen.

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
How can the quantum world explain biology and life while people continue to say that the quantum world doesn’t make sense, that the quantum world goes against our intuition, and that the quantum world is weird?

How can complex molecules, and whole coordinated entities made out of molecules and cells, be aware of their internal environment and their external surroundings when people seem convinced that more primitive matter (particles, atoms and simpler molecules) could not be aware of itself and its surroundings?

How can complex molecules, and whole coordinated entities made out of molecules and cells, be free to respond LOGICALLY to surrounding situations, i.e. partially free of the strait jacket of law-of-nature relationships, when people seem convinced that more primitive matter (particles, atoms and simpler molecules) could not be partially free of the strait jacket of law-of-nature relationships?

The quantum world CAN’T explain biology and life while people continue to say that the quantum world doesn’t make sense, that the quantum world goes against our intuition, and that the quantum world is weird.

The only way of representing the world in a way that makes sense, in terms of the subsequent arising of life, is to represent the world computationally, and some people are already attempting to do this sort of thing, often in a rudimentary and not very convincing way.

However, the advantage of using the basic-level existing and very successful algorithmic/ logical connective symbols, as used in computer programs, is that these symbols are used to represent knowledge/ awareness of an entity’s surroundings; an analysis of the knowledge gained from the entity's surroundings; and logical actions/ outcomes deliberately taken by the entity in response to this analysis, as opposed to deterministic outcomes that are purely the result of law-of-nature relationships.

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
There is a problem with the idea that a mathematical system would automatically know about its own categories, relationships and numbers, just because these categories, relationships and numbers exist.

A separate knowledge/ awareness aspect (that can only be represented using algorithmic/ logical connective symbols) is required in order for a viable mathematical system to exist.

Similarly, there is a problem with the idea that a mathematical system of categories, relationships and numbers would automatically move its own numbers (that apply to the categories).

A separate cause/ agency/ free will/ creativity aspect (that can only be represented using algorithmic/ logical connective symbols) is required in order for a viable moving mathematical system to exist.

Both the separate knowledge/ awareness aspect, and the separate cause/ agency/ free will/ creativity aspect, are necessary to explain even the lowest level of biology.

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
(continued)

So, when represented algorithmically, e.g. (something like)

(category1=number1 IS TRUE) AND (category2=number2 IS TRUE) AND (category3=number3 IS TRUE),

it can be seen that the abovementioned “knowledge/ awareness” is actually identical to on-the-spot time-place information that a system has about itself.

Similarly, the number jumps of the quantum world can be represented as a system responding to an on-the-spot time-place situation, by jumping a number (or, to put it another way, assigning a number) e.g. (something like)

IF on-the-spot situation THEN (category4=number4 IS TRUE) .

This illustrates that any on-the-spot number jump (or, to put it another way, any on-the-spot number assignment) is actually the input of new information into a system.

I.e. any quantum number jump is actually the input of new information into a system.

I.e. biology and life are the result of the input of new information into a system.

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
(continued)

There is nothing strange or exotic about information. This is the basic format for how information is represented in computer programs: “category=number IS TRUE” or something like “(category1=number1 IS TRUE) AND (category2=number2 IS TRUE) AND (category3=number3 IS TRUE)”.

Information is NOT a standalone number (e.g. 0 or 1), because a number without a category, and a category without a relationship, is not informative. Similarly, information is NOT a standalone TRUE or FALSE, because a TRUE or FALSE without a number and a category and a relationship, is not informative. (However, the relationship does not have to be specified because a category is inherently a thing with a relationship that interconnects the category into the rest of the world.)

………………………..

A quantum number jump not only creates a new on-the-spot physical reality for matter, which can be represented as e.g.:

category=number (where the category could be the relative position category),

a quantum number jump also in effect creates new on-the-spot information/ knowledge/ awareness about matter, which can be represented as e.g.:

category=number IS TRUE.

Or maybe it is the other way around: a quantum number jump not only creates new on-the-spot information/ knowledge/ awareness about matter, a quantum number jump also in effect creates a new on-the-spot physical reality for matter.

But with biology and life, not only have entirely new numbers been created, but entirely new information categories have been created. These information categories are seemingly logical information categories (i.e. connected by IFs, ANDs, ORs, IS TRUEs, and THENs), as opposed to being purely physical information categories (i.e. connected by mathematical relationships).

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
If people think that they can characterise life, its biology, or its origins, using a limited toolbox consisting of equations and quantum mechanics, they need to think again.

This limited toolbox is not even sufficient to characterise the pre-life real-world system:

there is no acknowledgement that the real-world system needs to (in some sense) know its own categories, relationships and numbers; there is no acknowledgement that the real-world system needs to initiate its own number movement (or to put it another way, there is no blow-by-blow explanation for the nitty-gritty number movement “mechanism” in the world).

Instead, this self-knowledge and self-movement continue to be tacit assumptions about the real-world system, assumptions buried so deep that they seemingly never rise to consciousness in the people trying to symbolically represent the real-world system.

And yet biology can only be characterised in terms of its likeness to a cellular automaton computer program which represents a cell’s awareness of its surroundings, and represents a cell moving or changing itself in response to this awareness of its surroundings (i.e. the cell moves independently of any laws of nature that might also apply).

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
I’m not in any way suggesting that there is a computer program controlling the world.

But there are 2 characteristics of life and its biology:

Life’s awareness of its own internal state (e.g. hunger in a high-level organism) and life’s awareness of the external conditions in its surrounding niche; and
Life’s ability to respond logically to this knowledge of its own internal state and life’s ability to respond logically to this knowledge of the external conditions in its surrounding niche.

These 2 characteristics of life, which might be termed “consciousness” and “agency”, CAN’T be represented with equations, these characteristics can only potentially be represented with the type of basic algorithmic/ logical connective symbols that are found in computer programs.

But it should be noted that these 2 characteristics of life are also characteristics of ANY viable moving system. To represent a viable moving system, one needs to use basic algorithmic/ logical connective symbols, as well as any mathematical symbols that might also apply (i.e. equations that represent relationships between categories, and numbers that apply to the categories).

I.e. no set of equations is capable of representing life and its biology, and no set of equations is capable of representing a viable moving system.

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
The underlying seemingly-lawful mathematical infrastructure of the real-world system can be represented using mathematical symbols that represent the system’s categories, relationships and numbers.

But I’m saying that a viable system needs more: a system needs a knowledge aspect whereby the system knows its own categories, relationships and numbers; and a system needs a causal aspect whereby the system continually initiates change in the numbers that apply to the categories.

These aspects can be represented using algorithmic/ logical connective symbols. However, these aspects are difficult to represent in too much detail because they represent humble, individual low-level time-place situations, as opposed to grand mathematical relationships that seem to apply to the whole system:

The knowledge aspect of a system is all about knowledge of an individual low-level on-the-spot time-place situation; and the number change aspect of a system is all about an individual low-level time-place response to this knowledge of an individual time-place situation.

But whatever types of symbols are used to represent the world (words and sentences; mathematical symbols; algorithmic/ logical connective symbols), and no matter how the symbols are physically instantiated (ink on paper; pixels on screens; sound waves in the air; voltages, transistors and circuits in computers), the symbols are not the thing that is being represented.

And the symbols never absurdly morph into the thing that is being represented.

Lorraine Ford

Lorraine Ford
Of course, computers/ AIs can never be conscious or have agency. But computers/ AIs can appear to have consciousness and agency because the algorithmic/ logical connective symbols used in computer programs actually symbolically represent human consciousness, human logical analysis and human agency. And computers/ AIs can appear to have consciousness, intelligence and agency because their controllers and their programmers, and all other people involved, i.e. human beings, are very, very smart and capable people.

But the fact that the low-level, quantum world seems to know stuff and seems to move itself unexpectedly is the type of knowledge and behaviour that one could possibly expect if one were on the outside observing a world where the matter was computer-programmed and the observer didn’t know the computer program, OR a world where matter’s free on-the-spot behaviour and knowledge was represented by algorithmic/ logical connective symbols.

However, by definition, there is nothing outside the world, so the low-level matter’s knowledge of situations, and free behaviour in response to situations, is potentially algorithmically-representable, as would be expected for a viable moving system. The “law of nature” equations that represent relationships between categories in the world, are secondary to the algorithmic/ logical connective aspects that represent what is actually driving the system.