Abiogenesis and the Second Law
of Thermodynamics
Erkki J. Brändas
Abstract Abiogenesis, life arising from non-living matter, is reconsidered.
A historic account is given from Darwin to the present with special consideration of
the incipient relationship between quantum theory and life processes. Recent ideas
relating to the spontaneous emergence of life are considered and evaluated, including the work on self-organizing systems by Ilya Prigogine and the Brussels-Austin
School. The second law is commensurate with chemical evolution, but is incapable of
explaining the mechanism behind the selection of specific polymers from an infinitude of molecular specimens. We attest abiogenetic life processes originating from a
quantum chemical material world. A Gibbs free energy formulation is derived ab initio conceding non-equilibrium evolutions and open system self-organization. Correlated Dissipative Structures, CDS, combine quantum-thermal correlations at precise
temperatures commensurate with their adaptive time scales, constituting CDE, a Correlated Dissipative Ensemble. The theory suggests an objective communication principle reminding of a Call-Centre-Poisson point process. The self-referential structure
applies directly to biological systems, suggesting a fundamental quantum-chemistry
life-principle incorporating evolution of the whole biosphere without contradicting
the objectivity of physical laws.
Keywords Teleonomic evolution · Abiogenesis · Molecular communication ·
Complex enough system · Correlated dissipative structure · Correlated dissipative
ensemble · Life-principle
E. J. Brändas (B)
Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
e-mail: Erkki.Brandas@kemi.uu.se
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
L. Mammino et al. (eds.), Advances in Quantum Systems in Chemistry,
Physics, and Biology, Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics 32,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34941-7_15
393
of Thermodynamics
Erkki J. Brändas
Abstract Abiogenesis, life arising from non-living matter, is reconsidered.
A historic account is given from Darwin to the present with special consideration of
the incipient relationship between quantum theory and life processes. Recent ideas
relating to the spontaneous emergence of life are considered and evaluated, including the work on self-organizing systems by Ilya Prigogine and the Brussels-Austin
School. The second law is commensurate with chemical evolution, but is incapable of
explaining the mechanism behind the selection of specific polymers from an infinitude of molecular specimens. We attest abiogenetic life processes originating from a
quantum chemical material world. A Gibbs free energy formulation is derived ab initio conceding non-equilibrium evolutions and open system self-organization. Correlated Dissipative Structures, CDS, combine quantum-thermal correlations at precise
temperatures commensurate with their adaptive time scales, constituting CDE, a Correlated Dissipative Ensemble. The theory suggests an objective communication principle reminding of a Call-Centre-Poisson point process. The self-referential structure
applies directly to biological systems, suggesting a fundamental quantum-chemistry
life-principle incorporating evolution of the whole biosphere without contradicting
the objectivity of physical laws.
Keywords Teleonomic evolution · Abiogenesis · Molecular communication ·
Complex enough system · Correlated dissipative structure · Correlated dissipative
ensemble · Life-principle
E. J. Brändas (B)
Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
e-mail: Erkki.Brandas@kemi.uu.se
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
L. Mammino et al. (eds.), Advances in Quantum Systems in Chemistry,
Physics, and Biology, Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics 32,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34941-7_15
393