The Fundamental Building Block of Life Is Not DNA, It's a Relationship, According to a New Scientific Study
"The Littlest Genome and the Question of Life" by Doug Marman and Alan Rayner presents a novel way of understanding what makes organisms alive and how life arose
RIDGEFIELD, Wash., July 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- All origin-of-life theories have a problem: explaining the gap between chemistry and living cells. A new paper by Doug Marman and Alan Rayner offers a solution by posing that the source of life isn't DNA, proteins, or any other kind of substance, but the relationship between a life form and its environment. This is consistent with quantum physics, where entangled relationships between particles produce states that can't be reduced. This creates a bridge between particles and organisms.
"It sounds strange that a relationship would be fundamental," said Marman. "But quantum theory shows that fundamental particles need relationships to exist in this world. No particle is an island; they are also wave-like. Every biologist knows that the same thing is true for living things: they need their habitat to survive. If we accept this relationship as fundamental, it changes the story of the origin of life and what it means to be alive."
For example, a cell can survive for a while if its DNA is removed. But DNA is inert, a mere chemical compound, on its own. Therefore, DNA is involved in the process of life only when it's in the right environment, a living cell. The same thing is true for the proteins and enzymes in a cell.
"It's a theory that challenges some fundamental assumptions most scientists have been holding," says Jonathan Reams, associate professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, who has been following the discussion between Marman and Rayner that led to their study. "They are at the early stages of exploring the implications of the theory, but what I think many will find interesting is that their insights offer new possibilities for how to address many challenges in society today. I would encourage readers to imagine how they could use this theory in their own work and life."
About the Authors:
Doug Marman is author of the recently published book: Lenses of Perception: A Surprising New Look at the Origin of Life, the Laws of Nature, and Our Universe. He was Chief Technology Officer of a $1.7B division of General Electric, co-founder of an artificial intelligence business, and inventor with over 30 patents. https://www.bestthinking.com/thinkers/doug-marman
Alan Rayner is a biological scientist, a former Reader in Biology at the University of Bath, and the author of seven academic books. Since spring 2000, he has been pioneering 'natural inclusionality,' a new philosophy of ecological and evolutionary diversity and sustainability, based on how we naturally live in the world. https://www.bestthinking.com/thinkers/science/biology_and_nature/ecology/alan-rayner
Contact:
Doug Marman, lead author of The Littlest Genome and the Question of Life, discussed above.
Phone: (503) 805-3370.
Email: Email
URL for published paper: https://www.bestthinking.com/articles/science/biology_and_nature/genetics_and_molecular_biology/the-littlest-genome-and-the-question-of-life
SOURCE Doug Marman and Alan Rayner
Share this article