Quantum Evolution

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(→Are Laws immutable ?)
(→Evolution and Quantum Theory)
 
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Is nature subject to eternal laws, or do laws evolve like everything else ?
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[[Quantum Evolution]] is the attempt to describe space-time
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Can we use in this case the theory of [[Evolution|evolution]] to gain more insight into  
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itself as an evolutionary system. It is a possible candidate
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fundamental processes ?
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for a [[Theory_of_Everything|theory of everything]]. A real
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theory of everything should explain the emergence of space,
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time, and the most fundamental particles in it. Where does
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space-time come from in the first place?
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We know that the only thing that has not changed in the last
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14.6 billion years since the universe exists is evolution itself.
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Everything else emerged during the course of time, particles,
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atoms, inorganic matter and organic life-forms.
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Life and its complete history can be generated just by starting
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with a simple short self-replicating DNA, and then let it evolve
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for 4 billion years..
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If the universe is evolving (in some form of cosmic
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evolution), what is the corresponding space-time
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code? Is nature subject to eternal laws, or do laws evolve like  
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everything else ? Can we use in this case the theory of  
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[[Evolution|evolution]] to gain more insight into  
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fundamental particles and processes ? If yes, then we
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must start at the most fundamental level, at the level
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of space-time itself, as a result of the interplay between
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expansion (the three spatial dimensions are expanding)
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and contraction (the force of gravity).
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A theory of Quantum Evolution
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would describe the evolution and [[Emergence|emergence]]
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of space-time.
== Are Laws immutable ? ==
== Are Laws immutable ? ==
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"Frontiers of Time" Wheeler writes about "Law without law" [2]:
"Frontiers of Time" Wheeler writes about "Law without law" [2]:
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: "It is preposterous to think of the laws of physics as installed
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: "It is preposterous to think of the laws of physics as installed by a Swiss watchmaker to endure from everlasting to everlasting when we know that the universe began with a big bang. The laws must have come into being."
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by a Swiss watchmaker to endure from everlasting to everlasting
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when we know that the universe began with a big bang. The laws
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must have come into being."
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Paul Davies summarizes Wheeler's point of view about the
Paul Davies summarizes Wheeler's point of view about the
laws of physics in the following way [2]
laws of physics in the following way [2]
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: "Perhaps there are no ultimate laws of physics, only chaos.
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: "Perhaps there are no ultimate laws of physics, only chaos. [...] Lawlike behavior might emerge stepwise from the ferment of the Big Bang at the cosmic origin, instead of being mysteriously and immutably imprinted on the universe at the instant of its birth. [With this considerations] Wheeler was breaking a 400-year-old scientific tradition of regarding nature as subject to eternal laws."
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[...] Lawlike behavior might emerge stepwise from the ferment
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of the Big Bang at the cosmic origin, instead of being
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mysteriously and immutably imprinted on the universe
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at the instant of its birth. [With this considerations] Wheeler
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was breaking a 400-year-old scientific tradition of regarding
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nature as subject to eternal laws."
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Sudden and unpredictable emergence of structures is an
Sudden and unpredictable emergence of structures is an
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the borrowing of energy and the uncertainty principle, or the energy
the borrowing of energy and the uncertainty principle, or the energy
band levels and gaps known from semiconductors. The former correspond
band levels and gaps known from semiconductors. The former correspond
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to tunneling processes through fitness barries due to borrowing of
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to tunneling processes through fitness barriers due to borrowing of
complexity, the latter correspond to certain band levels in complex
complexity, the latter correspond to certain band levels in complex
evolutionary systems.
evolutionary systems.
Prof. Eric J. Chaisson says about evolution in his article
Prof. Eric J. Chaisson says about evolution in his article
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"Complexity: An Energetics Agenda", Complexity Vol.9 No.3 (2004) 14-21
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"[http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jtoc/38804/ Complexity: An Energetics Agenda]", Complexity Vol.9 No.3 (2004) 14-21
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http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jtoc/38804/
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"Evolution knows no disciplinary boundaries. As such, the
"Evolution knows no disciplinary boundaries. As such, the
most familiar kind of evolution-biological evolution, or
most familiar kind of evolution-biological evolution, or
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It is possible, that all particles emerge as whirls or disturbance
It is possible, that all particles emerge as whirls or disturbance
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in the spacetime foam due to constant interaction of expansion
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in the space-time foam due to constant interaction of expansion
(visible in extreme, pure form during inflation) and gravitation
(visible in extreme, pure form during inflation) and gravitation
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(visible in extreme, pure form in black holes) ? Usually "emergence"
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(visible in extreme, pure form in black holes) ? Usually "[[Emergence|emergence]]"
processes and self-organization take place in open systems with a
processes and self-organization take place in open systems with a
constant inflow, throughput and outflow of energy or information.
constant inflow, throughput and outflow of energy or information.
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3) A biological species is composed of related organisms that share
3) A biological species is composed of related organisms that share
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common characteristics and can interbreed. Is a particle tpye
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common characteristics and can interbreed. Is a particle type
(or "species") similarly composed of related particle that share
(or "species") similarly composed of related particle that share
common characteristics and can interact (instead of interbreed)
common characteristics and can interact (instead of interbreed)
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with each other ?
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with each other ? Elementary particles can be created and annihilated
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like species.
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6) Pauli's Exclusion Principle for fermions (electrons and quarks)
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6) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauli_exclusion_principle Pauli's Exclusion Principle]
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for fermions (electrons and quarks)
is very similar to the concept of an evolutionary niche, which can
is very similar to the concept of an evolutionary niche, which can
only be filled by a single species at a time. Is there any
only be filled by a single species at a time. Is there any
connection between these completely different concepts ?
connection between these completely different concepts ?
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The Pauli exclusion principle says that two identical fermions
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can never occupy the same quantum state. Likewise, two species
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can never occupy the same niche in the ecological landscape
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(the species correspond to the particles, and the ecological
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landscape to the quantum state).
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Species occupy a certain niche, just as fermions occupy a certain
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quantum state.
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== Evolution of Time ==
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On the most basic level, space and time may evolve together.
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Past, present and future may also [[Co-evolution|co-evolve]] together.
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Imagine a microscopic world where time is connected to the replication
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rate of the universe. What would it be like in a universe
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where time flows forward *and* backward, e.g. at the Planck Scale
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of Quantum Gravity ?
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If positive time is related to the expansion
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of the universe, then negative time is perhaps
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related to contraction and gravitation (this
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would be the case, if time is connected to the
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replication rate of an evolutionary universe,
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and lightspeed is a somehow a measure how fast the
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universe replicates itself --- the inflationary
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universe would be a universe where each point replicates
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itself without being balanced by gravitation).
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So there are regions in this universe where time
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runs backwards (the universe shrinks), and other regions where time
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runs forwards (the universe expands).
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Regions in the universe where time runs backwards
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(or at least not forward) are perhaps Black Holes -
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can information spread at all if gravity is stronger
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than the speed of light ?
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What does negative time or time travel mean ?
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Time traveling is only possible if the present already contains
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the effects of time traveling although you might not be
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aware of them i.e. if the present is not
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possible without the time travels which have
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already happened. Of course this is not possible
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on the macroscopic scale of the world we know,
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but maybe on a much smaller microscopic scale.
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If time travel is possible, then
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deadlock situations can appear where the present
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is not possible without the past, but the past
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is not possible without the present, either.
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Thus both must co-evolve together, somehow. Maybe
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through a replication or evolution of
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elementary space-time structures.
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== Overview ==
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{| border="0" cellpadding="5" width="800px"
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|- 
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! bgcolor="#77bb99" width="25%" align="left" |
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! bgcolor="#70b0e0" width="25%" align="left" | Quantum (Field) Theory
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! bgcolor="#eedd90" width="25%" align="left" | Theory of Evolution
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|-
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| bgcolor="#88ccaa" valign="top" |
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* elements
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* creation
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* destruction
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* connection
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* interaction
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* network
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* most elementary
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* state space
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* force carrier
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* matter carrier
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| bgcolor="#80c0ff" valign="top" |
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* particles
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* creation of particles
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* annihilation of particles
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* vertex
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* to interact (exchange bosons)
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* Feynman diagram
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* neutrino
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* quantum state
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* boson
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* fermion
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| bgcolor="#ffeea0" valign="top" |
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* species
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* speciation, emergence of species
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* extinction, vanishing of species
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* sex
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* to interbreed (exchange stem cells)
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* phylogenetic tree
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* algae/bacteria
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* ecological niche
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* stem cells? Autotrophs/Producers/Plants?
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* consuming organism? Heterotrophs/Consumers/Predators?
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|}
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== Testable Consequence ==
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A testable and predictable consequence of "Quantum Evolution" is individuality and uniqueness: in evolution, no instance of a species is completely identical to another instance of the same species. Each person has a unqiue fingerprint and look, a nonrecurring history and an unparalleled brain. We are all "individuals". Similarly, every culture and every language is unique. The constant genetic or memetic recombinations, variations and mutations which are necessary for natural selection in Evolution are responsible for strong individuality and uniqueness.
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If this principle applies to fundamental particles, then there are not two particles would have exactly the same properties: the same mass, the same charge, etc. There would be intrinsic and inherent small differences. Like each person is unique, each particle would be unique, too. On first sight these differences may look like measurement errors. But if the elementary particles are a product of some evolutionary process, these differences would be an inherent property.
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(Is there eventually a connection to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle ??)
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== References ==
[1]
[1]
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[3]
[3]
according to Noether's theorem, see
according to Noether's theorem, see
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether's_{theorem}
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether's_theorem
[4]
[4]
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Jochen Fromm
Jochen Fromm
Kassel University Press, 2004
Kassel University Press, 2004
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== Links ==
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* Eric J. Chaisson, [http://www.scribd.com/doc/75627964/Eric-J-Chaisson-Complexity-An-Energetics-Agenda Complexity: An Energetics Agenda], Complexity Vol.9 No.3 (2004) 14-21
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* Addy Pross, [http://www.jsystchem.com/content/2/1/1 Toward a general theory of evolution: Extending Darwinian theory to inanimate matter], Journal of Systems Chemistry (2011) Vol. 2
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[[Category:Evolutionary Systems]]

Latest revision as of 22:10, 14 February 2012

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