Can Quantum Theory Concepts Shed Light on Biological Evolution Processes?
463
Acknowledgements I wish to thank the colleagues who helped me clarify these ideas, especially
Erkki Brändas, Roland Lefebvre, Christian Marchal, Denis Chadebec, and referees for suggesting
improvements. Thanks are due to my wife, Marja Rantanen, for stimulating my speculations with
inspiring piano playing.
References
1. Genesis 1:11–25
2. Monet de Lamarck J-B, Recherches sur l’organisation des corps vivants (Paris, 1802); Philosophie zoologique (Paris, 1809); Système analytique des connaissances positives de l’homme
(Paris, 1820); Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres (Paris, 1822)
3. Darwin C (a) Beagle Diary (1831–1836); (b) On the origin of species by means of natural
selection (1859), J. Murray, London; The descent of man and selection in relation to sex
(1871), J. Murray, London
4. Darwin C, Wallace A (1958) Evolution by natural selection (a compilation by Sir Gavin de
Beer, Cambridge U P)
5. Haeckel E: Generelle Morphologie der Organismen (1866), Berlin; Entwickelungsge-schichte
des Menschen (1874), Berlin; Die systematische Phylogenie (1894), Berlin
6. E.g. (a) Huxley J (1942) Evolution: a modern synthesis, Allen & Unwin. (b) Kutschera U,
Niklas KJ (2004) The modern theory of biological evolution: an expanded synthesis. The
Science of Nature 91:255–276; and references therein
7. Dobzhansky T: Genetics and the origins of species (1937), Columbia U P; Genetics of the
evolutionary process (1970), Columbia U P
8. Mayer E: Systematics and the origins of species (1942), Harvard U P; Animal species and
evolution (1963), Harvard U P; What makes biology unique (2004), Cambridge U P
9. Simpson GG (1944) Tempo and mode in evolution, Columbia U P
10. Ayala FJ (1997) Genetics and the origin of species. Freeman, San Francisco
11. Dawkins R (1976) The selfish gene, Oxford U P, followed by The Extended Phenotype (1999),
Oxford U P
12. (a) Eldredge N, Gould SJ (1972) Punctuated equilibria: an alternative to phyletic gradualism.
In: Schopf TJM (ed) Models in paleobiology. Freeman & Co, pp 82–115. (b) Eldredge N (1991)
Fossils: the evolution and extinction of species. Aurum Press, London. (c) Gould SJ (2002)
The structure of evolutionary theory. Belknap Press, Harvard; and references therein
13. Kimura M: The neutral theory of molecular evolution (1983), Cambridge U P; Population
genetics, molecular evolution, and the neutral theory: selected papers (1994), Chicago U P
14. Charon JE: Vingt-cinq Siècles de Cosmologie (1970) Hachette, Paris; L’Homme et l’Univers
(1974), Albin Michel, Paris. These are personal lucid overviews for French readers
15. de la Cotardière P (edr) (2004) Histoire des Sciences, de l’Antiquité à nos Jours. Tallandier,
Paris. This is an experts’ encompassing overview for French readers
16. Schrödinger E (1944) What is life? (1st edn); Combined publication with Mind and matter
(1967), Cambridge U P, 180 pp
17. Monod J, Chance and necessity. Essay on the Natural philosophy of modern biology (first
published in French by Seuil, Paris, 1970)
18. de Chardin PT, The human phenomenon (first publshed in French by Seuil, Paris, 1955)
19. More M, Vita-More N (eds) (2013) The Transhumanist reader. Wiley/Blackwell, and references
therein
20. Carr BJ, Rees MJ (1979) The anthropic principle and the structure of the physical world. Nature
278:605–612
21. Barrow JD, Tipler FT (1986) The anthropic cosmological principle, Oxford U P, and references
therein
463
Acknowledgements I wish to thank the colleagues who helped me clarify these ideas, especially
Erkki Brändas, Roland Lefebvre, Christian Marchal, Denis Chadebec, and referees for suggesting
improvements. Thanks are due to my wife, Marja Rantanen, for stimulating my speculations with
inspiring piano playing.
References
1. Genesis 1:11–25
2. Monet de Lamarck J-B, Recherches sur l’organisation des corps vivants (Paris, 1802); Philosophie zoologique (Paris, 1809); Système analytique des connaissances positives de l’homme
(Paris, 1820); Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres (Paris, 1822)
3. Darwin C (a) Beagle Diary (1831–1836); (b) On the origin of species by means of natural
selection (1859), J. Murray, London; The descent of man and selection in relation to sex
(1871), J. Murray, London
4. Darwin C, Wallace A (1958) Evolution by natural selection (a compilation by Sir Gavin de
Beer, Cambridge U P)
5. Haeckel E: Generelle Morphologie der Organismen (1866), Berlin; Entwickelungsge-schichte
des Menschen (1874), Berlin; Die systematische Phylogenie (1894), Berlin
6. E.g. (a) Huxley J (1942) Evolution: a modern synthesis, Allen & Unwin. (b) Kutschera U,
Niklas KJ (2004) The modern theory of biological evolution: an expanded synthesis. The
Science of Nature 91:255–276; and references therein
7. Dobzhansky T: Genetics and the origins of species (1937), Columbia U P; Genetics of the
evolutionary process (1970), Columbia U P
8. Mayer E: Systematics and the origins of species (1942), Harvard U P; Animal species and
evolution (1963), Harvard U P; What makes biology unique (2004), Cambridge U P
9. Simpson GG (1944) Tempo and mode in evolution, Columbia U P
10. Ayala FJ (1997) Genetics and the origin of species. Freeman, San Francisco
11. Dawkins R (1976) The selfish gene, Oxford U P, followed by The Extended Phenotype (1999),
Oxford U P
12. (a) Eldredge N, Gould SJ (1972) Punctuated equilibria: an alternative to phyletic gradualism.
In: Schopf TJM (ed) Models in paleobiology. Freeman & Co, pp 82–115. (b) Eldredge N (1991)
Fossils: the evolution and extinction of species. Aurum Press, London. (c) Gould SJ (2002)
The structure of evolutionary theory. Belknap Press, Harvard; and references therein
13. Kimura M: The neutral theory of molecular evolution (1983), Cambridge U P; Population
genetics, molecular evolution, and the neutral theory: selected papers (1994), Chicago U P
14. Charon JE: Vingt-cinq Siècles de Cosmologie (1970) Hachette, Paris; L’Homme et l’Univers
(1974), Albin Michel, Paris. These are personal lucid overviews for French readers
15. de la Cotardière P (edr) (2004) Histoire des Sciences, de l’Antiquité à nos Jours. Tallandier,
Paris. This is an experts’ encompassing overview for French readers
16. Schrödinger E (1944) What is life? (1st edn); Combined publication with Mind and matter
(1967), Cambridge U P, 180 pp
17. Monod J, Chance and necessity. Essay on the Natural philosophy of modern biology (first
published in French by Seuil, Paris, 1970)
18. de Chardin PT, The human phenomenon (first publshed in French by Seuil, Paris, 1955)
19. More M, Vita-More N (eds) (2013) The Transhumanist reader. Wiley/Blackwell, and references
therein
20. Carr BJ, Rees MJ (1979) The anthropic principle and the structure of the physical world. Nature
278:605–612
21. Barrow JD, Tipler FT (1986) The anthropic cosmological principle, Oxford U P, and references
therein