A New Physics Theory of Life

[Arif Solmaz]

http://shar.es/UZZDy

An MIT physicist has proposed the provocative idea that life exists because the law of increasing entropy drives matter to acquire lifelike physical properties.

[Ed Budding]

HI Arif --

I think this idea is not so new -- and may well recall the 

"dissipative structures" model of I. Prigogine.

In one sense, it need not say very much --

since, if we use Botlzmann's idea of entropy as probability,

then it can just say that what actually happens is the most probable thing that can happen.

However, Botzmann used his argument in the context of equilibrium arrangements

of molecules, and a key question is what happens if we relax that condition

and ask about non-equilibrium configurations.

Non-equilibrium arrangements are found in nature, in the populations

of energy levels of atoms, for example, when there is a "pumping mechanism"

that can drive the population of a particular line into a non-equilibrium

arrangement, often involving the population of some other nearby line.

In our paper, we looked at Boltzmann's equation 

Entropy = k log (Probability of arrangement)

and imagined this arrangement slowly driven into non-equilibrium

by a factor gamma = 1+ epsilon, where epsilon is a small quantity.

If epsilon is zero then gamma = 1

and the small change of entropy = log (gamma) is zero.

For a dissipative process, we expect a decline in the population 

of energized states, and so epsilon would be negative, 

and so would log gamma. However, we would associate this

change -- normally -- with a non-driven relaxation, and so increased entropy.

 We therefore put a minus sign in front of the term k log(gamma).

 For a driven process, we would find an increasingly improbable

distribution of higher energy states (as seen from the point of view

of the external universe as a whole).  Thus as the biosphere

steadily grows -- by the factor epsilon each year -- the entropy 

of that biosphere would become slowly smaller.

It would be less likely to be found by pure chance in a non-driven

arrangements of molecules.  We described this as a growth

of negative entropy.

There is a sign convention in this which is perhaps a matter of choice.

And, in an open system, a decline in entropy of one component

associates with a corresponding increase in another part of the open system.

So I think all this can be put together so as to make a feasible

physical picture.   However, it is far from complete like this.

It does not say what the driving mechanism actually is,

nor does it relate it to particular molecules that are found in the

driving locations of observed cells.

However, it may be useful to apply to more generalized concepts

and environments where life forms might exist of a completely unknown type.

Best wishes,

Ed

 

On Fri, Jan 24, 2014 at 10:26 AM, Arif Solmaz <arif....@gmail.com> wrote:

http://shar.es/UZZDy

An MIT physicist has proposed the provocative idea that life exists because the law of increasing entropy drives matter to acquire lifelike physical properties.

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