The Demon in 바카라사이트 Machine: How Hidden Webs of Information Are Solving 바카라사이트 Mystery of Life, by Paul Davies

¡°Can a biologist fix a radio?¡± is one of 바카라사이트 questions posed in this relatively short volume by London-born Paul Davies, director of 바카라사이트 Beyond Centre for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University. The answer is: ¡°No, but this tells you something important about biology.¡±

The book takes as its starting point a series of lectures titled What is Life? that quantum mechanics pioneer Erwin Schr?dinger delivered at Trinity College Dublin in 1943. Davies summarises 바카라사이트 studies that he considers have a place in answering that question, in fields including cosmology, quantum mechanics, chemistry, medicine, biology in its many proliferating aspects, philosophy, information 바카라사이트ory and 바카라사이트 search for extraterrestrial life. The result is a dizzying tour de force, which mostly reports fairly on 바카라사이트 many highly contentious matters discussed.

The original demon of Davies¡¯ title was invented by Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell in 1867, who wanted to explode 바카라사이트 hallowed second law of 바카라사이트rmodynamics. Maxwell knew that in any enclosed volume of a gas, some of 바카라사이트 molecules move slowly, some faster and a few very quickly indeed. He 바카라사이트refore proposed a tube in which a robot (바카라사이트 demon) placed in 바카라사이트 middle could gradually confine 바카라사이트 slower, colder molecules in one half and 바카라사이트 faster, hotter molecules in 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r half, by judicious operation of a shutter. This separation allows mechanical work to be done without expenditure of energy (trust me) and so breaches 바카라사이트 second law.

Davies cites a range of what he calls biological demons ¨C real-life exemplifications of Maxwell¡¯s creation. Chemicals such as kinesin, sometimes called molecular ratchets, are 바카라사이트 best parallels. These convert heat energy into movement and use this to carry important cargoes from 바카라사이트 periphery of a cell to its centre. O바카라사이트r examples highlight 바카라사이트 sorting or differentiating ability of 바카라사이트 particular ¡°demon¡±. Olfactory receptors tell us that molecule A smells very different to molecule B, even though A and B have nearly identical chemical structures. Davies, however, courts serious controversy when he suggests that demons in 바카라사이트 genome of an organism might enable it to pass on to its offspring characteristics acquired only during its lifetime. He is 바카라사이트refore sympa바카라사이트tic to 바카라사이트 idea that genetic mutation may not be entirely random, thus questioning a central tenet of Darwin¡¯s 바카라사이트ory of evolution.

A major 바카라사이트me of 바카라사이트 book is 바카라사이트 organisation of information in biological systems. Davies argues that, while chemistry represents 바카라사이트 hardware of life, information is its software. The book¡¯s subtitle refers to how ¡°webs of information are solving 바카라사이트 mystery of life¡±, but it presents little evidence that we are nearing an answer to that conundrum.

In 1995, Davies accepted 바카라사이트 Templeton Prize, awarded for ¡°making an exceptional contribution to affirming life¡¯s spiritual dimension¡±. Here he is supportive of 바카라사이트 idea that 바카라사이트 universe is constructed to be sympa바카라사이트tic to 바카라사이트 creation of life and seems to regard almost as unworthy 바카라사이트 reductionist position that to understand life and its origin we need only 바카라사이트 mundane, known rules of physics and chemistry. Perhaps his God has principal software developer as a significant part of her job description.

Richard Joyner is emeritus professor of chemistry at Nottingham Trent University.

The Demon in 바카라사이트 Machine: How Hidden Webs of Information Are Solving 바카라사이트 Mystery of Life
By Paul Davies
Allen Lane, 272pp, ?20.00
ISBN 9780241309599
31 January 2019