A unified theory of biology and physics

Abstract It is found that the basic mechanisms of biology and physics are remarkably similar. Fifteen fundamental phenomena are listed whose expression in physics and biology have not usually been recognized as being related. In certain cases, it was not even realized that the expression in one of the sciences existed. Thus the existence of bosons and fermions in biology and the existence of alternation of generation in physics had not been foreseen. In a sense, the basic content of the natural world appears to be organization. The organized entities of biology and physics are constantly being affected by disorganizing influences. Their design in both structure and function is such that they combat these disorganizing influences in every possible way. We have called this characteristic of their design the antichaos principle. Part of the design includes the effective assimilation of order from the environment. This has been well known in biology, but not in physics. The antichaos principle is the reason for the existence of cells, and for many characteristics of cell structure. A pervasive characteristic of both physics and biology is duality. Thus there is duality in representation domains. The individuality of an organism is expressed both in the genes of its chromosomes and in its structural and functional characteristics. Similarly, the state function of a physical system may be expressed either in the domain of conserved observables or in the configuration domain. Duality is likewise expressed in wave-particle complementarity in physics, and in the biological and physical interpretations of biological activity. Symmetries and conservation laws as well as alternation of generation are further examples of duality in physics and biology. Aging is well known as a biological phenomenon. Aging is associated with disorganization, but there is evidence that it also involves the loss of a youth factor. It appears that rejuvenation, operating through alternation of generation, is likewise a universal phenomenon. Aging and rejuvenation are equally important in biology and physics. The youth factor is not yet clearly defined. In biology it is associated with conjugation and sexual interaction. In physics, it appears to be associated with particle-antiparticle interaction.