Dear FISers,
I have enjoyed this QI topic and all the thought-provoking posts,
some of which are beyond my expertise but interesting nonetheless.
I�m a biologist with strong interests in evolutionary biology. So,
changing the discussion a little to suit my interests, the following
is my take on QI, as it pertains to evolutionary genomics.
On comparing genomes to black holes for interpreting biological
aspects of �quantum information�
How should a biologist, especially an evolutionary biologist,
differentiate �quantum information,� such as discretely digital
information, from information that is communicated continuously,
perhaps resembling analogs of wave functions? If this
differentiation is reasonable, could it shed light on the role of
�quantum information� (QI) in biosystems?
Firstly, I will assume Richard Dawkins (e.g., 1995) is correct in his
assertion that genes are pure, digital information. They contain
bits of information as nucleotides, bytes as codons, rendering the
genes themselves irreducible encryptions of whole proteins. I will
assume this qualifies them as QI. The continuous production of
variation by way of allele formation would be equivalent to a genomic
wave function, which I will assume to be collapsible when genetic
variation results in another speciation.
Imagine a genome with no alleles, which means it has only one
expression for each gene, and thus no genetic variation. From an
operational point of view, all the genetic information (or QI) is in
place; this genome might survive from generation to generation, so
long as no important changes occur along the way. But if an
important change occurs the genome will lack the variation it needs
to meet the challenge of adaptation. Variation, then, equates to a
continuous supply of QI generated by the genome. Variation also
equates to the entropy of a black hole, as viewed by theorists of
quantum gravity.
Stephen Hawking (2001, pp. 63-64), for example, theorizes that black
holes have both entropy and temperature: �We have come to recognize
that this standing still of real or imaginary time (either both stand
still or neither does) means that the spacetime has a temperature, as
I have discovered for black holes. Not only does a black hole have a
temperature, it also has a quantity called entropy. The entropy is a
measure of the number of internal states (ways it could be configured
on the inside) that the black hole could have without looking any
different to an outside observer, who can only observe its mass,
rotation, and charge.�
Setting aside the tempting question of genomic temperature, we can
draw a fair comparison between the internal configuration of a black
hole � its entropy � with that of a genome. Hawking says a black
hole�s entropy is the number of ways it can be configured on the
inside without appearing different on the outside. Likewise for a
genome; its alleles amount to the number different ways it can be
configured (on the inside) without appearing as a different species
to an (outside) observer. The more variation (entropy) a genome
possesses, the more QI it will have to survive random changes or
selective sweeps.
Hawking goes on to invoke the holographic principle to explain
quantum gravity: �This black hole entropy [S] is given by a very
simple formula I discovered in 1974. It [S] equals the area of the
[event] horizon of the black hole: there is one bit of information
about the internal state of the black hole for each fundamental unit
of area of the horizon. This shows that there is a deep connection
between quantum gravity and thermodynamics� It also suggests that
quantum gravity may exhibit what is called holography� If quantum
gravity incorporates the holographic principle, it may mean that we
can keep track of what is inside black holes.�
The holographic principle may also work well for biological species;
the complete genome of a species is contained in almost every cell of
its organisms. This mean that almost any cell, no matter where it is
located in vitro, should yield a complete organism if properly
cloned. And this holographic-like principle of cloning has been
unambiguously demonstrated.
In summery, the QI of genomes appears to be isomorphic with the QI of
black holes. This suggests to me that quantum gravity and quantum
genomics operate on similar principles. Furthermore, it implies that
QI is an important aspect of biological evolution, especially when
the genome is seen as an entropy generator for improving its
survivability.
References:
Dawkins, R, 1995, River Out of Eden, Basic Books, NY.
Hawking, S. 2001, The Universe In A Nutshell, Bantam Books, NY.
Any thoughts on this adventurous comparison?
�Best to all, Richard
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Received on Mon May 29 01:52:59 2006
