The coherence of life: A new physiology challenging (neo)Darwinism

Abstract

Schrödinger argued that coherent behaviour is one of the most remarkable properties of life. Despite this, it is one of the most neglected properties, studied only by a few groups of rather independent scientists in the domains of physiology but also of fundamental physics. In contrast, classical cell physiology, built on membrane theory, does not take coherent behaviour into account. Recently several independent approaches to the problem of coherence have been unified yielding a new paradigm for cell physiology, which can be derived from a non-linear Schrödinger equation. The new paradigm replaces outdated membrane theory. Similarly (neo)Darwinism is not firmly grounded on fundamental physics. However, during the eighties (neo)Darwinism was taken up in a broader theory of evolution, based on the non-linear equations of fundamental physics. It is argued here that life’s coherent behaviour and the new physiology built on these coherent properties is directly compatible with the modern view on evolution, since both are based on the same principles of non-linearity.